Rabbi at large London synagogue ill with coronavirus after Morocco trip
Rabbi Yoni Golker of St John’s Wood Synagogue in quarantine with mild symptoms after visiting Jewish community in Casablanca last week
Cnaan Liphshiz was a Jewish World reporter at The Times of Israel
JTA — A rabbi at London’s iconic St John’s Wood Synagogue has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Rabbi Yoni Golker told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Friday that he has had mild symptoms and is feeling better than when they first appeared last week. He is isolated in quarantine in London.
The rabbi visited the synagogue and Jewish school in Casablanca, Morocco, last week, before he began displaying symptoms, he said.
Synagogue members who were in close contact with Golker in the past two weeks have been advised to self-isolate for a period of two weeks starting from the exposure, the Jewish News reported.
Rabbi Yoni Golker Ruv in St John's Wood shul tested positive for coronavirus After Morocco Trip, The shul is closed for cleaning and will not be open on Shabbes. Members who were in close contact him advised to self-isolate for two weeks. pic.twitter.com/gbwaFRJwZp
— Satmar550 (@Satmar550) March 13, 2020
Golker declined to answer any further questions. St John’s Wood Synagogue, an Orthodox institution with 1,400 seats, is aware of the rabbi’s condition but has not shut down services.
On Thursday, the synagogue reported having a member who is “seriously ill” from coronavirus.
St John’s Wood Synagogue has been closed for cleaning, but all other synagogues belonging to the United Synagogue umbrella group will remain open for Shabbat services this weekend, a spokesperson told the Jewish News.
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