Do Orthodox Jews Get Vaccinated?

This is a topic where the media narrative and the reality are pretty far apart, so let me set the record straight from the beginning: the overwhelming majority of Orthodox Jews vaccinate. Major rabbinical authorities — across Chassidic, Yeshivish, and Modern Orthodox communities — have come out strongly and clearly in support of vaccination. The Torah mandates that we protect our health and the health of others. Vaccination is the medical consensus for doing exactly that, and most Orthodox Jews follow both their rabbis and their doctors on this.

The Halachic Basis for Vaccination

Jewish law has a foundational principle called pikuach nefesh — the obligation to save and protect human life. This principle is so strong that it overrides nearly every other commandment in the Torah. You break Shabbat to save a life. You eat on Yom Kippur if fasting endangers your health. Protecting life is not just encouraged — it is commanded.

The Rambam, who was both a rabbi and a physician, writes extensively about the obligation to maintain physical health. He views caring for the body as a religious duty, not a personal choice. Shulchan Aruch, the primary code of Jewish law, explicitly requires removing health hazards and taking preventive measures against illness.

Vaccination fits squarely within this framework. It is a proven medical intervention that prevents serious illness and death. From a halachic perspective, getting vaccinated — and vaccinating your children — is not just permitted. Many poskim (halachic decisors) consider it obligatory.

What the Rabbis Have Said

The rabbinical response to vaccination has been remarkably unified. Some notable positions:

• Rav Elyashiv (one of the most prominent halachic authorities of the generation) ruled that parents are obligated to vaccinate their children
• Rav Asher Weiss, a leading contemporary posek, published a detailed halachic ruling in support of vaccination
• The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages) of Agudath Israel issued a public statement urging vaccination
• The Rabbinical Council of America (Modern Orthodox) has repeatedly endorsed vaccination
• Multiple Chassidic leaders have publicly supported vaccination within their communities

These are not fringe opinions. These are the most respected voices in the Orthodox world speaking clearly and directly.

Then Why the Misconception?

In 2018-2019, a measles outbreak hit several Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland County, New York. The media coverage created an impression that the Orthodox community as a whole was anti-vaccine. This was deeply unfair and inaccurate.

The reality: a small number of families — influenced by the same anti-vaccine misinformation that circulates in the general population — chose not to vaccinate. Because these families were clustered in tight-knit communities where people interact closely, the virus spread quickly. But even during the outbreak, the vast majority of families in those communities were vaccinated. The unvaccinated were a small minority.

Anti-vaccine pamphlets circulated in some neighborhoods, presented in a way that made them look like they had rabbinic backing. Major rabbinical authorities responded by publicly denouncing these materials and reaffirming the obligation to vaccinate. Schools in many Orthodox communities now require proof of vaccination for enrollment.

The Community Response

After the measles outbreak, the Orthodox community's response was actually a model of public health engagement:

• Synagogues and community organizations hosted vaccination drives
• Rabbis spoke from the pulpit about the importance of vaccination
• Schools tightened their vaccination requirements
• Community health organizations launched education campaigns

Vaccination rates in Orthodox communities — which were already high before the outbreak — increased further. The community took the problem seriously and addressed it head-on.

Why This Matters

The mischaracterization of Orthodox Jews as anti-vaccine is not just inaccurate — it feeds into a broader pattern of misunderstanding and sometimes prejudice against visibly religious Jewish communities. When a few families make a bad medical decision, it gets projected onto millions of people who had nothing to do with it.

Here is what I want people to know: Orthodox Judaism is pro-health, pro-science (when science is sound), and pro-life in the most literal sense. We follow doctors. We follow our rabbis. And both our doctors and our rabbis say: vaccinate. That is what we do.

My four kids are fully vaccinated. So are the kids in my class. So are the kids in their classes. The rare exception is just that — rare. And the Torah's position could not be clearer: protect life. That is not a suggestion. That is a commandment.