Citing Torah law, Israel’s Chief Rabbis declare vaccination a sacred duty as measles claims four young lives in Jerusalem’s haredi communities.
Israel’s highest religious authorities have sounded the alarm. On Thursday, the nation’s Chief Rabbis issued an urgent halakhic ruling, calling on all parents to vaccinate their children against the measles virus after a wave of infections led to the tragic deaths of four toddlers in and around Jerusalem.
Quoting the Torah’s commandment “You shall greatly safeguard your lives,” the rabbis declared that protecting health through vaccination is not only a medical necessity but a religious obligation. “The responsibility for caring for our body and soul rests upon the individual,” the rabbis wrote. “This applies both to treatment when necessary and to preventive care.”
The appeal directly confronts vaccine resistance within certain haredi sectors, where low immunization rates have fueled the outbreak. Of the four children who died this week, three had never been vaccinated, while the fourth—too young to receive the vaccine—was infected before reaching eligibility.
Israel’s Health Ministry has echoed the call, warning that measles continues to spread rapidly in under-vaccinated communities. The rabbis’ letter marks one of the clearest ever halakhic endorsements of modern medicine, underscoring that safeguarding life is a commandment central to Judaism itself.
