WHAT A MESS

Two New York City Yeshiva Schools Close Due to COVID-19 Outbreaks

One of the schools, Magen David, called out “unacceptable behavior that must stop immediately” in a previous letter to parents.

New York City’s Health Department shut down a yeshiva elementary school in Brooklyn and a yeshiva high school in Queens after both experienced COVID-19 outbreaks, Jewish Week reports. In Brooklyn, Magen David Yeshiva told families on Tuesday evening that buildings would be closed through Oct. 12. Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway, Queens, also closed Wednesday night following a call from the health department. Though neither school has confirmed any further information on their outbreaks, city health officials said Tuesday that six heavily Orthodox neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens have contributed to 20 percent of all new virus cases across New York City, calling its rising caseload a “significant concern.”

An email from Magen David Yeshiva sent to parents last week urged families to follow social distancing protocols, specifically calling out “unacceptable behavior.” “At this time, it seems that we must use more direct and clear language in having people understand the seriousness of the current situation,” reads the Magen David Yeshiva email. “We are still in the midst of a pandemic, yet members of our community continue to choose to behave in ways that threaten other people’s safety and put at risk out ability to keep school open.”