Article by Rebecca Epstein-Levi, “Ill Will: The Problem With Individualizing COVID Risk”

Posted by grimess on Friday, November 20, 2020 in News.

Rebecca Epstein-Levi’s new article in Bitch Media on COVID risk, STIs, rabbinic purity, and why thinking about it in terms of individual responsibility is inadequate— is live.

“COVID-19 and sexually transmitted infections both teach us that an all-or-nothing approach to risk isn’t just wrong; it’s dangerous. At the same time, however, calls for greater COVID risk tolerance can fail to appreciate the ways uncontrolled COVID spread disproportionately affects already-marginalized communities. A set of ancient texts that I study extensively…can help us think about risk in ways that prioritize justice and acknowledge the material realities in which real people live and die.”