Wisconsin rabbis: Judaism requires vaccination | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Wisconsin rabbis: Judaism requires vaccination 

The Wisconsin Council of Rabbis approved the following statement unanimously.  

Over and over again, Jewish values and Jewish law prioritize health and life above everything else. As members of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, in conjunction with every mainstream rabbinical organization, we believe that Judaism requires all of us to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as it did for polio, measles, and other deadly diseases. We also have a moral obligation toward others, including doing what is necessary to keep others safe. By getting vaccinated, we engage in pikuach nefesh, preserving life, we support our community, and we take care of our bodies, which ultimately belong to God and must be treated with utmost care. 

There is no Jewish reason for a religious exemption from this vaccine; from our perspective, only medical professionals should determine an individual’s need for an exemption. 

For further information, visit these websites: 

Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform). 

Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative). 

Rabbinical Council of America (Orthodox) 

Reconstructing Judaism (Reconstructionist)