Not a shul but a school:
Thursday Afternoon, Parshas Ki Sisa.
Dear Parents,
The safety and security of our precious children has always been our highest priority, and that remains the case today as the world grapples with the outbreak of COVID-19, known as the Coronavirus.
Baruch Hashem, Yeshiva Darchei Torah has not had a single case of the disease. We daven that this should remain the case until the outbreak is over.
We have been engaged in discussions about this challenge for the last few weeks, and are taking all appropriate precautions throughout our campus.
When it came to scheduling the Mesivta's annual Purim chagigah, I consulted with four respected doctors - from branches of medicine as varied as pulmonology, infectious disease, and pediatrics - and their unanimous decision was to proceed with the event as usual, but to instruct the talmidim to be careful. I then asked Maran Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlita for his Da'as Torah, and he advised us to proceed as planned.
There has been somewhat of a tumult of late about closing yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs on a broad scale. At an urgent telephone meeting today of the Vaad Roshei HaYeshiva of Torah Umesorah - a council comprised of the senior Gedolei Yisrael in America - this matter was discussed at length. On the phone were gedolim such as the Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, and several other roshei yeshivos, including myself, in addition to a prominent doctor. A representative of Rav Dovid Feinstein was on the call as well, whose position conformed to the unanimous decision: that all yeshivos remain open, with proper precautions. (Torah Umesorah will be publishing a statement on this matter shortly.)
Here at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, we have been following the guidelines of the CDC and the New York State and New York City Departments of Health. Among many of the actions that we are taking on campus: All water fountains are being disconnected, so we encourage parents to send water bottles from home - which can be refilled from the regular sink faucets (our entire main building is filtered, as is the Mesivta). Purell dispensers have already been ordered and will be placed throughout the buildings.
On a personal note: I see no reason for a wholesale closure of yeshivos. (It goes without saying that any school dealing with a case of this virus is in a different category.) The public schools and most businesses are staying open - why should yeshivos close?
We urge you to keep any child who is not feeling well at home. We have also instructed all of our devoted staff members to be vigilant and to take off if they suspect that they may be ill.
The achrayus of the Torah learning and well-being of nearly 2500 talmidim weighs heavily on my mind, as it should for all mechanchim. As ma'aminim we know that the Torah learning of our children is the greatest form of protection for Klal Yisrael!
Let us remain vigilant, and let us redouble our tefillos, our learning, and our chesed.
My message is relevant to the current situation, and we will keep you posted with any significant updates.
Rabbi Yaakov Bender