Secular press juggles with statistics and blames the Orthodox over the secular
Numbers matter. Proofs count. Arguments cannot be dismissed for being inconvenient. Or should we not be confused with the facts?
A secular outlet juggles with statistics, accuses the Orthodox but when you actually look at the numbers, the seculars are the main corona spreaders.
The Times of Israel and Channel 13 claim police fine seculars ten times as often as the religious, but the former just sit alone on a park bench while the latter take part in mass demonstrations. Convinced? Think again.
Not every ultra-Orthodox Jew is in mass demonstrations all the time. But every day, thousands of secular violators of the lockdown are fined and only hundreds of ultra-Orthodox. These thousands are innocent, of course, and the ultra-Orthodox not? We all know that so that must be true?
But, the British corona variant is highly contagious in close quarters — just as many ultra-Orthodox live. They form just 12% of the Israeli population, but have 23% of the infections. That means: twice as often. (All numbers from the same TOI article.) But seculars are fined ten times as frequently.
The seculars live with 1.5-2.5 people per household, the ultra-Orthodox with say 7.5-9 people per family, modally — my estimation. That means that with the same amount of caution, the ultra-Orthodox should have 3-6 times more sick than the secular. But the number is two.
Conclusion: the secular are fined more and spread it more but blame the religious, and on top of that claim to be discriminated by the police. Also: the Haredics are infected by circumstance, the seculars by carelessness and violation. Just as reported: the number fined “per active coronavirus patient was 3.35 in Tel Aviv, 3.5 in Herzliya, and just 0.3 in Bnei Brak.”
Now, look again at their headline: “Low infection Tel Aviv gets 2.5 times more fines than high infection Bnei Brak.” Reconfirming false prejudices.
On average, the ultra-Orthodox are more cautious (though they never learned science, biology, health, and have no Internet). Reporting the opposite scandalized us the world over. No great accomplishment.
But when Muslims (tonight) hold a 10,000-men funeral it’s OK. They were angry, upset, and sad, so then are exempt from corona restrictions and Jewish public anger? Very telling.
The Times of Israel did not publish this post when I submitted it.
A tree is known by its fruit. Only this tree has quite a variety of produce, so please don't judge the trunk after one helping.
View more posts
