By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

A newsletter quoting a defrocked doctor is currently circulating in our community with some serious accusations about meningitis vaccines, including a heartbreaking story of a young girl who became ill after vaccination.

That child’s suffering is real, and her family deserves compassion and proper medical care. But because emes and pikuach nefesh are so important to us, we need to look carefully at whether the claims in this newsletter are actually true — because getting this wrong has real pikuach nefesh consequences. I have seen young children die on account of meningitis and it is heart-wrenching.

The Injured Child

We don’t know what actually caused this girl’s illness. Transverse myelitis has many causes besides vaccines — including viral infections and autoimmune conditions. Happening after a vaccine doesn’t automatically mean it was caused by the vaccine. This family deserves real answers, not a predetermined conclusion. Importantly, the U.S. government has a formal compensation program (VICP) specifically for people injured by vaccines — so the medical world isn’t pretending injuries never happen.

The Science Cited Is Deeply Flawed

The newsletter leans heavily on Dr. Tom Cowan, who argues that bacteria don’t cause infectious disease at all. This idea is rejected by every credible medical and scientific institution in the world — and Dr. Cowan surrendered his medical license following disciplinary proceedings. Building an anti-vaccine argument on his foundation is like building a house on sand.

The VAERS data is also misused. VAERS is a reporting system where anyone can submit a report — it’s designed to flag potential signals for further study, not to prove causation. The CDC is explicit about this limitation.

The claim that 96% of Bexsero recipients have adverse reactions sounds terrifying — until you learn that the vast majority are a sore arm and mild fever lasting a day or two. Presenting that number without context is simply misleading.

The “Conspiracy” Angle Doesn’t Hold Up

The newsletter suggests that Exercise Pegasus — a government preparedness drill — was suspiciously followed by a real meningitis outbreak. But governments run preparedness drills because outbreaks happen. Finding that a drill preceded the event it was designed for isn’t a conspiracy — it’s evidence the drill was doing its job.

What the Torah Actually Says

This isn’t just a medical question — it’s a halachic one, and the Torah speaks clearly.

It is this author’s contention that vaccinations involve the fulfillment of a number of Torah mitzvos, aside from the basic mitzvah of v’nishmartem. We must also make sure that we not allow misinformation and fraud to affect crucial decisions in our lives.

The verse in Parashas Ki Seitzei discusses the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah, and the Gemara in Sanhedrin (73a) extends this to include saving someone’s life — v’hasheivoso lo. There is likewise the negative mitzvah of lo sa’amod al dam rei’echa — not standing idly by your brother’s blood (Vayikra 19:16, Shulchan Aruch C.M. 426:1). The She’iltos, based on the Gemara in Bava Metzia, derives from v’chai achicha imach a full obligation to save others, which the Netziv rules applies even when some personal risk is involved. The Ramban in Toras HaAdam understands v’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha as a directive to save our peers from medical danger as well. We thus have a total of six Torah mitzvos involved in vaccinating our children.

What the Gedolim Have Said

Leading poskim — including the Tzitz Eliezer, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, and the Steipler Gaon — have ruled that vaccination is obligatory when there is concern for epidemic. The Steipler, when informed of concerns about a particular measles vaccine batch, didn’t say to stop vaccinating — he said to ensure the next batch was problem-free and to take it.

It is not only these poskim. Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zatzal, Rav Moshe Shternbuch, Rav Asher Weiss, and numerous other Gedolim have likewise voiced their strong support for vaccination. And years ago, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, shlita — the Satmar Rebbe — publicly voiced his view against the vaccine-denying movement. His letter is reprinted here. That a Rebbe of his stature and independence took this position should give serious pause to anyone in our community who imagines that anti-vaccination sentiment is somehow the more traditionally “frum” position.

We should also note: when a posek rules against vaccination, we must ask whether the factual information he received was accurate and complete. We have seen in recent years that even great poskim occasionally reversed rulings — on the berachah for cashews, on bran, on pasteurized wine — when the underlying facts were clarified. The halachic conclusion is only as strong as the facts it rests on.

What About Doctors Who Oppose Vaccines?

It is true that some legitimate doctors have voiced opposition to certain vaccinations. But according to information verified by Dr. Kasriel Roberts, they are outnumbered by other legitimate doctors at a ratio of 10,000 to 1. Are there some allergic and other negative reactions to vaccines? Yes. But there are also deaths associated with wearing seat belts. This author was once trapped in a seat belt when his 1974 Chevy Vega caught on fire — and barely managed to escape. That does not mean one should become anti-seat belt. Seat belts save lives, and so do vaccines.

Whom to Listen To

It is important to listen to:

1. The pediatricians and primary care physicians who have faithfully served our communities for decades, and
2. The vast majority of Gedolim who say to follow their guidance.

And not to the growing chorus of online commentators who cast aspersions on our doctors, our Gedolim, and any article that points out the overwhelming benefits of classical vaccination. It is likely that these voices appear in such numbers because there is apparently an email network through which anti-vaccination advocates alert each other to comment en masse — giving the false impression that most observant Jews oppose vaccination. It is sad, and a macha’ah must once again be made against this view by our Rabbonim, doctors, and askanim.

The Bottom Line

Our community has every right to ask hard questions of medical institutions. Healthy skepticism is a maalah. But there is a profound difference between asking hard questions and spreading misinformation that could cost lives. Meningococcal meningitis can kill a child within 24 hours. The vaccines against it have been studied across hundreds of millions of people over decades.

V’nishmartem me’od l’nafshoseichem. That obligation cuts both ways — and it falls on all of us.

May Hashem open our eyes and bring yeshuos to Klal Yisroel.

The author can be reached at [email protected]