A Religious Perspective on Mandatory Vaccinations

Over the last number of weeks, a lot of people have reached out to clergy asking for “religious exemptions” from mandatory vaccination requirements at work or school. While there are many theological understandings on this is­sue, it seems appropriate to take a look at this from a Jewish perspective.

The first thing to understand is that Judaism is not monolithic. There is an old saying that two Jews equals three opinions, four rabbis, and five syna­gogues. Because there is no hierarchy in Judaism (unlike the Catholic tradi­tion of the Pope and Cardinals), each Jewish community is able to make de­cisions based on its interpretations of sacred texts. There can be “an” opinion, but no rabbi can claim “the” opinion. I also want to be clear that both my wife and I are vaccinated, and my personal opinion is that adults be vaccinated if they are medically able, based upon the Jewish concept of pikuach ha’nefesh: that saving a life is of paramount im­portance as a Jewish value.

The current challenge theological­ly is not whether vaccines are good or bad, but whether they should or can be mandated based upon Jewish law.

There are a few powerful reasons that mandatory vaccinations are po­tentially antithetical to Jewish philos­ophy. The first is a historical concern. The “yellow stars” that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany segregated us from the rest of society. While many think this was a Nazi concept, it actu­ally goes back to the eighth-century caliphates, who demanded yellow stars on Jews because they believed that Jews carried diseases and so should be sep­arated from general society. The con­cept of segregating any group of peo­ple, of marking them, and of justifying it based on health reasons is a painful history that Jews have experienced, cul­minating in the concentration camps.

There is also the inherent challenge in basing any public policy on “science,” a practice that has historical­ly never re­sulted in any­thing positive for society. Jews and all people of faith base their de­cisions upon sacred texts, which are eternal. By definition, science is al­ways growing and changing as we learn more; and so it is dangerous to determine public policy on science. The 18th-cen­tury zoologist Carl Linnaeus determined that the “Af­rican race” (as opposed to those from Europe) were “sly, lazy, cunning, lust­ful, careless, and governed by caprice.” His “science” proved that Asians were “severe, haughty, greedy, and ruled by opinions,” whereas the Europeans were “gentle, acute, inventive, governed by laws.”

This “scientific racism” was ex­tended by Christopher Meiners (1747-1810), whose science demonstrated without a doubt that “negroes… feel less pain than others” and are “without emotion.” These and other “scientists” like them paved the way for justify­ing slavery. If those of African descent were less than human, then there was no reason not to treat them differently and even enslave them. And In 1912, Henry Goddard “scientifically” tested immigrants at Ellis Island and deter­mined that 87 percent of Russians, 83 percent of Jews, 80 percent of Hungar­ians, and 79 percent of Italians were “feeble minded and had a mental age of less than 12.” His scientific proof was the foundation for the Immigration Act of 1924, restricting American immigra­tion. Basing policy on the science of the time consistently leads to societal chal­lenges.

While saving a life is of supreme im­portance in Judaism, many people have legitimate concerns over the long-term effects of this vaccination, especially with regard to children. So are there re­ligious reasons to reject mandatory COVID vaccina­tions from a Jewish perspective that are also applicable to Christians?

The simple an­swer is yes, based upon two theolog­ical principles. The first is “free will,” a concept that is primary in Jewish theology, taking its roots in Deuter­onomy 30:19-20. Maimonides (1138-1204), in his codi­fication of Jewish law and belief, argues strongly for the primacy of individual responsibility (Laws of Teshuvah 5:2), and it is, therefore, the responsibility of every individual to make a personal de­cision to vaccinate or not. God gives us the opportunity to make choices, and we need to do so responsibly based on our own personal beliefs.

The other aspect that can come into play is “shalem bayit,” “peace in the house.” Judaism places a huge value on the relationship between husband and wife. We are taught that after Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam ate it as well in order to honor the relationship with his wife, even though he knew it was directly forbidden by God. From this act of Adam, we learn that if one’s spouse directly opposes the vaccination of his or her partner, the partner should not vaccinate. In the same way that a wife would not get breast augmenta­tion without her husband’s agreement, nor a man get a vasectomy without his wife’s support, this religious concept of shalem bayit would prohibit a spouse from getting a vaccination if the hus­band or wife was not supportive.

Again, it is important to express that my wife and I are vaccinated, our children have all of the typical child vaccinations, and I support COVID vaccinations for adults. But making any vaccination mandatory as part of pub­lic policy is antithetical to Jewish prac­tices as many rabbis understand them.

Judaism is not theologically mono­lithic, and each community has its own interpretation and understanding of halacha (Jewish law) and minhagim (customs). It is the position of each spiritual community to determine its own interpretation of how to respond to mandatory vaccinations. But if the spiritual community and leadership sides with the above understandings of Jewish law, mandatory vaccinations cannot be enforced upon any commu­nity member subject to the rights un­der the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and 42U.S. Code § 2000a – “Prohibition against discrimi­nation or segregation in places of pub­lic accommodation.”

If you are searching for other re­sources regarding COVID vaccinations, I suggest going to www.ForUnitedSo­lutions.org, which is a great resource and support system for those seeking exemptions. If you wish to get vacci­nated, all Rite Aid stores offer free vaccinations.

Most impor­tantly, we must all respect each oth­er’s choices, and especially support our friends and colleagues who disagree with our own opinions regarding this issue. Each in­dividual needs to make his or her own decision on this issue based on an un­derstanding of the information avail­able. We cannot and must not allow this issue of vaccination to divide our community and nation. Rather, like the sages of ancient times, we must re­spect each other’s individual decisions, especially when we disagree. Instead of letting the issue divide us, let us all develop a deeper respect for each indi­vidual’s choice.

Rabbi Michael Barclay is the Spiri­tual Leader of Temple Ner Simcha and the author of Sacred Relationships: Bib­lical Wisdom for Deepening Our Lives Together.