The Scientist, the Therapist, and the Conspiracy Theorist: Three Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic Within the Ultra-orthodox Jewish Revival Movement in Israel

This article examines the responses of three rabbis to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Israel and the distinctive approach and strategy expressed by each of them: (1) rational-scientific, (2) emotional support, (3) resistance and distrust. The first two rabbis maintain that they trust the medical institutions and the government, whereas the third rabbi evinces distrust, expressed through conspiracy theories. These different approaches can be explained by their dispositions prior to the pandemic, which were exacerbated by the Coronavirus. Hence, COVID-19 served as more of a reflecting phenomenon than an agent of change. Analyzing the dispositions of the three rabbis can show us how they are related to two significant forces of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—science (rational-scientific and resistance and distrust) and psychology (emotional support). Psychological discourse has been used to promote public health. On the other hand, the scientific discourse has been used to promote adherence to government and health ministry directives, as well as to oppose those directives.