When a physician working for biopharmaceutical company Moderna pushed a shot into the arm of Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld this past July as part of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine trial, the Orthodox Jewish leader offered up a blessing of gratitude.
Then he posted a video of the moment on TikTok.
“I say a blessing to God for this moment — for taking a shot that can help save people’s lives,” Herzfeld says in the video, which has been viewed nearly 390,000 times on the viral video website.
Speaking to Religion News Service this week, the leader of Washington’s Ohev Sholom synagogue said participating in the trial in such a public way made him proud of his faith. He also hoped the moment, which was captured in a widely distributed photograph by the Washington Post, modeled a science-forward vision of Judaism and showcased how religious belief and science are not incongruous.
“It’s the most important sermon I’ve ever given — by far,” said Herzfeld.
A growing number of faith leaders and religious groups are promoting the use of #vaccines or offering up their facilities to assist with the daunting task of distributing the drugs to hundreds of millions of Americans. https://t.co/cioHHemUPZ
— Religion News Service (@RNS) December 11, 2020