It’s Been Five Years Since COVID-19 Broke Out. Are We Finally ‘Okay’?

by Tabby Rafael for Jewish Journal

This week marks the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdowns. On March 19, 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order for California, and, like generations before, we were irreversibly touched by a pandemic that upended all areas of life and killed millions worldwide.

Thanks to COVID, we threw ourselves (though some were dragged) into the realms of online classes and working remotely; perhaps we still remember the carefully-managed lines to enter supermarkets in small groups, or the angst of attempting to reach medical professionals to ask about our loved ones’ well-being. And, lest we forget, we are effectively a generation that will always be a little uncomfortable at the sight of store shelves containing only a few rolls of toilet paper or water bottles.

In hindsight, how did we survive the pain and panic of that first unbearable year?

Seemingly involuntarily, I still hold my breath as if I’m under water if someone has the audacity to cough or sneeze near me. Since 2021, I have contracted COVID three times, and my short-term memory and executive functioning are charmingly pathetic. In fact, I can still recite Marc Antony’s speech in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” which I learned in eighth grade Honors English in 1997, but I currently cannot recall what I ate for breakfast this morning.

As a writer, I still remember how journalism, including Jewish journalism, was altered. When this paper took a print hiatus, I lost a precious Shabbat morning ritual: namely, sitting down with a warm cup of Persian tea each Saturday morning and lovingly reading each page, feeling the delicate paper on my fingertips and making pieces I especially enjoyed dog-eared. I was so appreciative and excited when we came back to print.

For this week’s column, I asked an array of people, whether physicians, small business owners, or young mothers, to reflect on the five-year anniversary of the week in 2020 when everything changed. I am grateful to them for their candor and compassion. The following has been edited for clarity and length.

The Hospital Chaplain
Reflecting on the experience of COVID-19 in the hospital remains deeply traumatic for me. It was an extraordinarily difficult and uncertain time in the hospital, marked by profound suffering and painful challenges. Witnessing the isolation of patients, enduring their illness without the presence of loved ones, was particularly tragic. The abnormally high death toll led to our morgue overflowing, a heartbreaking reality that underscored the gravity of the crisis.

Standing outside the overflow morgue, reciting Psalms, was an experience that was both tragic and deeply meaningful, as was posting signs on the doors of ICU patients during the first wave of COVID, letting them know that it was Passover, and striving to communicate with them and comfort them. It was a privilege to provide care for patients who were completely alone, offering them a measure of support and human connection during those uncertain days.

The bioethical dilemmas we confronted during that time were exceptionally challenging, forcing us to navigate difficult decisions with profound moral weight. Yet, as always, it was inspiring to see how timeless Jewish values provided guidance and wisdom in facing these complex contemporary dilemmas.

-Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner, BCC
Senior Rabbi & Executive Director, Spiritual Care Department, Cedars-Sinai

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