Drastic Times, Drastic Measures

Israel’s response to the coronavirus outbreak has been quicker and more restrictive than many other countries. Almost immediately, travel bans were enacted, borders were closed, and people returning from abroad were placed in quarantine. The man behind Israel’s hardline policy is Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, who has been at the post for nine of the last eleven years.

Litzman sounds and looks worried during our conversation on Sunday. And no wonder, he’s been working around the clock managing the corona pandemic. “The past few Shabbosos a goy from the ministry was nearby me, to be able to update me on the situation if necessary.”

Although Rabbi Litzman belongs to a relatively small party, United Torah Judaism, with just seven seats, and represents a sector that many in the general population resent due to their lack of army service and dependence on government funding, he continues to rank among the country’s most admired politicians.

How did a relatively older government official (Litzman is 71), who speaks Hebrew with an American accent, isn’t active on social media, and still uses an old-fashioned “kosher” cell phone, become so popular?