6 | APRIL 2 • 2020
W
e are living in
unprecedented
times. A global pan-
demic with a colorful graphic
attached to it has caused the
president to
declare a national
emergency, and
reports are the
reach of COVID-
19 will surpass
the concern
and financial implications of
anything we have imagined in
modern times.
But while our community
struggles to respond to the
novel coronavirus, we are
facing another outbreak: fin-
ger-pointing and scapegoating.
Unfortunately, the two viruses
appear inexorably linked — as
coronavirus fears rise, our
leaders and communities are
displaying increasingly severe
symptoms of bigotry. As out-
breaks of the virus cluster into
geographic areas or within
religious groups as a result of
close quarters, it becomes clear
we are fighting a virus on two
fronts: with concerns of grave
and potentially fatal physical ill-
ness and group-blaming, which
serves to destroy our communal
sense of human connections
though vile commentary and scape-
goating.
And, like with the biologi-
cal disease, the social disease
threatens to spiral out of control
if we do not act quickly.
COVID-19 is not a foreign
virus — it is a human virus.
Coronavirus does not dis-
criminate based on ethnic
background or race, nor does it
select its victims based on celeb-
rity or anonymity. Anyone can
contract and contribute to the
spread of this disease.
But the thing spreading faster
than the actual virus is fear.
The truth is, none of us has
ever really dealt with a situation
quite like this. To be sure, in the
past few decades, there have
been other pandemics — such
as HIV/AIDS and ebola — but
those diseases, which spread
quickly and indiscriminately in
terms of “victims,
” were limited
in scope to a subset of the gen-
eral public or particular conti-
nents. It was easier for people to
compartmentalize their fears.
Over the past few weeks,
confusing and mixed messages,
combined with a lack of under-
standing, have caused several
missteps. Well-known people —
without facts or understanding
— have made fun of the situa-
tion or have unknowingly given
visual miscues.
As humans, our urge to
find someone to blame is not
new. In the Middle Ages, Jews
were accused of causing the
Bubonic Plague. In the early
19th century, Irish immigrants
were blamed for cholera. The
LGBTQ community was vilified
Carolyn
Normandin
guest column
Coronavirus Surfaces a Familiar Disease:
Fear And Scapegoating
I
think I’
m getting a bit
loopy as I shelter in place.
This week I realized that
the prophet Elijah is the
GOAT social dis-
tancer.
(Here’
s a
bit of youth
slang for you
to annoy your
homeschooled
kids with today:
“GOAT” is an
acronym meaning “Greatest
Of All Time.” Not an actual
goat. Although the real Elijah
probably knew some great
goats in his time, too.)
Anyway, think about it.
Every year at Passover, we
invite Elijah into our homes.
And every year he stays safely
away. Instead of potential-
ly serving as a vector for a
contaminant that could have
spread across the entire global
Jewish community, he shelters
in place and sends his bless-
ings to us virtually instead.
This year, sadly, we are all
Elijahs. When the government
issues its guidelines for the
kinds of social gatherings we
should be avoiding to curb
the spread of COVID-19,
it might as well be flying a
giant banner that reads, “NO
PASSOVER SEDERS.”
The timing is terrible —
cases are exploding just as we
gear up for what’
s supposed
to be a festive holiday, a time
when we can sit around a table
with family and friends and
enjoy a nice, leisurely, lovingly
cooked meal. But for our own
health and safety, we can’
t
share our seders this year.
So now, instead of com-
memorating the Jews’
exodus
from slavery, we must pray for
an eventual exodus from our
own homes. Clearly, this night
is indeed different from all
other nights.
We must try, as much as
we can, to keep our hopes up
during these uncertain times.
Check out this issue and our
website, TheJewishNews.com,
for information on local “vir-
tual seders.” And you should
consider hosting one yourself
with your own loved ones.
Rituals still matter in dark
times; they can still bring us
comfort and purpose.
Our work at the JN is anoth-
er kind of ritual, one that we
hope can survive the current
crisis. For the moment, you
may see our print issues
shrink as we face reduced
advertiser support during the
economic downturn. But we
are still here. And we’
re also
committed to serving as a
community resource, which
is why we’
re taking initiatives
like making our e-edition free
and available to all for the next
several weeks.
As always, let me know how
else we can help during this
time: alapin@thejewishnews.
com. This Passover, be like
Elijah — be safe and stay
home. And I promise: If you
invite me to your virtual seder,
I will bring the tastiest virtual
matz
ah balls you’
ve (n)ever
eaten.
Andrew Lapin
editor’
s note
An All-Elijah Pesach
Views
continued on page 10
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