Sociocultural and Religious Perspectives Toward the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Haredi Jewish Community

The Haredi Jewish community is centered around its religious life and commitment to Jewish law. Understanding aspects of the community’s faith, as well as Jewish history and culture, are essential in examining the social determinants of health that affected the community’s perspective in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Haredi community’s trajectory throughout the pandemic was marked by high caseloads early on and throughout the pandemic, and a deep yearning to return to religious life. Some community members’ non-adherence to public health guidelines led to public attention and scrutiny, which led many community members to feel unfairly targeted. This exacerbated feelings of dissonance toward the medical community, which to date has led to low communal vaccination rates. We examined religious texts, along with cultural factors and historical precedencies that contributed to the Haredi response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We offer guidance as to how understanding the religious and sociocultural makeup of the Haredi community could have resulted in a more effective and engaged pandemic response and provide a framework for creating a more beneficial alliance with the community in the future.