Twenty Stamford Hill rabbis write letter: 'Avoid unlawful gatherings and events'

Rare intervention comes after raid as Yesoday Hatorah school two weeks ago and Jewish News' investigation into lockdown abuses

Twenty of Stamford Hill’s most senior strictly-Orthodox rabbis have signed an open letter calling on community members to “avoid unlawful gatherings and events”.

The rare and coordinated intervention acknowledges that the rabbis’ order was prompted by recent events, including the police raid on a wedding at Yesodey Hatorah girls’ school, Jewish News’ investigation into wider breaches and Hackney Council’s expressed disgust at the continuation of gatherings.

Binyomin Stern, president of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, said: “This call from our rabbonim makes clear everyone’s responsibility to adhere to the current lockdown in order to save lives.

“We will continue to reinforce this message so that it is not only heard but understood across the community.”

The letter, signed by 20 of Stamford Hill’s leading rabbis, has been widely disseminated across the community, including through synagogues and in the Charedi media, and urges people to adhere to government rules.

“In May 2020 we addressed the community about the seriousness of the Covid-19 regulations,” they said, in a letter that was written in both Yiddish and English.

“We spoke then about the critical risk to health, the precedence that preserving life takes over all else, and our fundamental duty to observe the law of the land.”