Jewish Ethics in COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract Bioethical deliberations most frequently occur outside of the situation of concern. Not necessarily so in a global pandemic; there is no beyond. This paper offers preliminary reflections based on Judaic sources and ethics on how a pandemic is defined, where pandemics come from and how they spread, what to do during a pandemic (specifically, fasting, physical isolation and triage), what kind of evidence should be considered and determinative during a pandemic, and what kind of thinking is to guide norm-making during a pandemic. Jewish ethics in a pandemic sees it not as a problem in search of a solution but as an ever-unfolding circumstance requiring adaptive thinking and adjustable strategies.