Dear Readers:
We have received a tremendous amount of feedback – both negative and positive – for printing two ads last week that showed readers the dangers of the COVID vaccine and why it isn’t necessary. While we don’t believe in censorship and generally agree with printing both sides of most issues, we acknowledge that it was indeed a mistake to print those ads, simply because they contained misinformation (which is corrected below). What we should have done is forwarded them to medical experts and people more knowledgeable than us, and once told that it included false information, omitted it from the issue. We apologize to our readers for that; those ads never should have been printed. We will be more careful in the future to make sure we don’t make the same mistake again.
The decision whether or not to take the vaccine is an individual choice – and making an informed decision by consulting with qualified healthcare professionals is highly advised.
We’d also like to add that our Rabbinic Consultant, Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, was in fact not consulted about these ads. For having to deal with the tremendous amount of feedback of which he bears no responsibility, we apologize to him.
While we cannot correct all the inaccuracies of the ads in this space, here are just a few points:
- The vaccines are not gene therapy, as they cannot affect one’s DNA.
- All vaccines went through all stages of clinical trials, are no longer in the experimental phase, and have received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA.
- There has never been any factual evidence that the vaccines impact fertility and there is no theoretical reason to think that they do.
- The claim that 81% of women who received the vaccine during the first two trimesters went on to miscarry is patently false and is an absurd manipulation of the quoted study.
Unfortunately, to date, there have been no highly effective treatments for COVID-19 infection at all stages of infection and for all variants, a fact that has been borne out in countless studies around the world. In contrast, the COVID-19 vaccines on the market significantly decrease your risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 infection, effectively protect against severe disease and death, and carry a lower risk profile than driving a car.
Again, for more accurate information about COVID-19 vaccination, please speak to a qualified healthcare professional.
(For the above findings, we consulted with Dr. Sarah Dienstag Becker, MD, Chair, COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, JOWMA.)
Yaakov Serle
Naftali Szrolovits
Co-Publishers, Queens Jewish Link
