#ps jewblr you have been the most overwhelmingly supportive of protecting disabled people through wearing masks

[liminalweirdo]

The lack of coverage of this issue in the media “plays into the larger minimization of the pandemic and ongoing impacts of Covid,” Tran added. “Mask bans stigmatize mask wearing.” Health exemptions are very vague and narrow, and “they put too much power into authorities who are likely to abuse that,” he added. It will “lead to criminalization and further marginalization of impacted communities.”

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, echoed Tran’s concerns. In terms of immunocompromised people, she said (via email), “As we continue to grapple with COVID-19, a mask ban might well make subways more dangerous, exile people at high risk from public spaces, and open up people trying to protect themselves to harassment.”

Finally, there is a thoughtful, open letter from Jews for Mask Rights, in response to Hochul claiming the bans are being “demanded” by Jewish leaders in response to rising antisemitism, signed by more than 1,030 Jews, of whom 140+ are leaders. They summarize:

"Jewish tradition prioritizes the sanctity and protection of life, above all else. Jews are not permitted to endanger our own or others’ lives or behave in ways likely to spread illness or cause death. We have an obligation to protect the life and health of others. The principle of pikuach nefesh – ‘saving a life’ – prioritizes preserving human life over virtually all else. ...Wearing a mask is a mitzvah [good deed]. Forbidding it puts Jews at odds with our tradition, violating both our religious freedom and physical safety."