Rabbis Call Fast Day To Thwart Swine Flu

Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Ovadia Yosef declare a day of fast and prayer this Wednesday.

Sephardi rabbis declare day of fasting over flu
By DPA • Ha'aretz

Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Ovadia Yosef declared a day of fast and prayer this Wednesday because of the swine flu epidemic. 

The unusual fast day was announced in a joint letter published by Amar, Israel's chief Sephardic rabbi, and Yosef, the [former Sefardic chief rabbi and current] spiritual leader of [the ultra-Orthodox] Shas [political party]. 

The "evil" swine flu spread from Mexico throughout the world "because of our many sins," they stated in their letter. 

It called for fighting the disease by "medical means and by maintaining excellent hygiene," but also through fasting and prayer from sunset Tuesday to sunset Wednesday. 

Those who were unable to do so, should fast at least half a day, or take a vow of silence for half a day, they said. 

"We call upon everyone who is able to fast to accept upon himself a fast day on this coming Wednesday, the 29th day of Av, 5769, and pray much and recite the penitential prayers on the afternoon of Tuesday, the twenty-eighty day of Av," they stated in the letter. 

Swine flu started out relatively slowly and mildly in Israel, with the first local contraction confirmed in May and the first death only late last month. 

But, sparking belated widespread media attention and worry among the Israeli public, its spread has accelerated in August, with more than 2,000 cases and seven confirmed deaths.