By Jerry Sandler For a few months now, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt has been working hard trying to protect us all.  Its not a pleasant message that he bears.  No one wants their smachot to be curtailed.  And most people, including this author, genuinely hate wearing masks.  But there are two types of “anti-maskers.” There are those who hate them but end up doing it anyway because they have to – and yet find any excuse not to be in such a situation.  For example, my kid has not gotten a haircut in almost two months.  I took him to the barber and there was a wait that was at least 30 minutes if not more.  I sat there for 17 minutes with a mask and couldn’t stand it any more.  I left with my kid. And then there are those whose hate for masks is such that they self-deceive and rationalize away not wearing a mask.  Those, in my opinion, are the people behind the attack on the good Dr. Glatt.  The letter of attack has circulated in WhatsApp groups throughout the Five Towns and Flatbush.  And now I hear it has spread even further. The letter starts off nice enough – “All of your efforts on behalf of this community in the past and present are appreciated. The fact that you genuinely care is beautiful.” Ah, but then comes the first of the sentences seething with the fruits of the self-deception:  “despite the adoration of your cult following, there is a huge segment of the community that is extremely disappointed in you.” Oooh!  Labeling those who follow medical guidelines and respect doctors  a “cult following?”  Oy vey!  What happened to the nation that was “ki hi chochmaschem uvinaschem l’einei ha’amim?”  Goodbye Jonas Salk!  Goodbye Einstein!  Hello quackery! The letter writers, who hide behind anonymity, claim that “it is time for us, the community, to get a chance to respond..” “We are upset because you only seem to care about Covid itself and the elderly and vulnerable.” Whoa.. Did we just read that correctly?  You only seem to care about the elderly and vulnerable??  When did Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche suddenly get Smicha that his views – once anathema to Torah Judaism suddenly become in vogue? “What about the students of Darchei and TAG sent home by your beloved pals at the DOH?” Yes, it was horrible that they were sent home and Dr. Glatt is not happy about it.  But truth to tell – were they masking and social distancing?  Kids got COVID.  Their parents got it too.  And people are sick. “Chinuch is decimated yet again as schools in our community are shuttered while gyms are open and protests in the streets are greenlighted.” It is sad that Chinuch was decimated – boruch Hashem it was only for a few days.  But if these closures saved even just a handful of lives and made us all take it more seriously during the uptick – wasn’t it perhaps worth it? “What about things like suicidality, depression, Shalom Bayis, mental health, parnassah, physical health, and so much more?” Yes, these are problems, no question.  But all that Dr. Glatt wants is that we take it seriously and stop the self-deception.  How many Darchei Boys, TAG girls and TMM girls have […]

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