MembersWhat Toll Will Another Holiday Lockdown Take on Israelis?

Israel’s Health Ministry is considering limiting family gatherings over Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year which begins the eve of September 6. This comes even as the booster vaccine distribution campaign appears to be reducing morbidity and the number of seriously ill coronavirus patients in hospitals. This comes even after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has repeatedly said that a national Rosh Hashanah lockdown would be a last resort and that he published an entire book prior to the election arguing against lockdowns.

However, the Israeli government tends to make decisions at the last moment, as the scheduling for the government decision on when students will be returning to school demonstrates, and thus having another lockdown over Rosh Hashanah is within the realm of possibilities. Therefore, a look at the potential psychological cost of another lockdown must be considered after over a year and a half of virus disruptions.

The executive director of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, Orit...