LIVING WITH THE THREAT OF THE VIRUS

Today, I am thinking about living with the threat of the coronavirus, and want to share my impressions with you.

I live in one of the suburbs of Boston called Westborough. We are part of a large complex, called the Willows, and have an apartment in the independent living section with two bedrooms and two baths. We have about 150 residents. Right now, we are asked to stay indoors for an unforeseeable future because of the coronavirus. We do not know how long this curse will last. In the States, we just started to peak, and it will take some time to flatten the curve. Maybe a few weeks?

We are fortunate to live at the Willows where our meals are delivered daily in the evening. But our gym is closed and our library is shut down. We are locked down in place. I am looking out of the window, and there is no one walking. It is eerie!!

When I served in the Turkish army in the late 50’s, I was stationed at the Greek border in a large tank unit. I was a 2^nd lieutenant in charge of 5 tanks. However, when the revolution against the Menderes government began , I was told to take over the military jail because I have a degree in law. So, I stayed behind and assumed my new position. But I lived outside of the jail, not inside.

Now I feel as if I am inside a jail, and do not like it. I feel constrained and unable to walk freely. We cannot visit our grandchildren; we can only talk to them by Face time. We do the same with friends and other relatives around the world. We understand this is done for our benefit, in order to avoid contamination. Regrettably the number of people affected is going up. Right now in Boston we have 413 confirmed cases and one death.

We will eventually get over this curse. In the meantime, we need to sit tight and do our best. We are thinking of others around the world who are not as fortunate as we are. I hope this virus will teach us to be more caring, more empathetic and more supportive of each other.

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

THE CORONAVIRUS AND THE BLAMING GAME

It is part of human nature to try to find the cause of everything. We are curious and want to find the reason of almost everything in order to understand the world around us. The Coronavirus pandemic is not different.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in the US, this virus was first detected in China and has now been found in more than 100 locations internationally, including the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). It was originally caused by bats. But to some fanatics, religious or otherwise, this is not enough. They are looking for human behavior that gave rise to this terrible disease. The Chinese already blamed some US soldiers for bringing it to China. In the past, some Evangelical Christians have blamed LGBTQ people for all sorts of natural disasters and diseases, from Ebola to earthquakes, and now they’re starting to falsely link the community to the new coronavirus COVID-19. Some claim it was brought about by Zionists; some even attributed it to the fact that during religious services many people keep talking about secular matters. How far can this lunacy go?

I think many people are recommending behavior that is extreme, simply because we don’t really know how to control the pandemic: close schools, shut down museums and sports events; don’t shake hands, maintain social distancing, stay at home, clean everything. In our independent living complex, one couple even decided to self-quarantine themselves. I find that we are going to extremes. There seems to be a mass hysteria about this disease. People are hoarding hand lotions or toilet papers.

I think we need to take reasonable precautions until this passes over, but please, please do not look for easy answers or find easy human targets. We have enough problems to deal with. We don’t need fanatic responses.

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.

Boston, March 15, 2020