Kindergarten teacher who died of COVID-19 left heartrending letter

Shalva Zalfreund, the kindergarten teacher who died Friday of coronavirus, had warned of the dangers of not keeping Health Ministry guidelines just days before her death.

In a letter, Zalfreund wrote, "In recent days, I received several phone calls from official sources, according to which it seems that I was infected in the kindergarten."

"You certainly saw that I wrote in the past that I am asking for people to take responsibility, since I am in a high-risk group. And now - it's happened. It's certain that the authorities are aware of families who violated the quarantine, or who did not follow the municipality's instructions not to send children if a family member is in quarantine. It was to protect people such as myself that these rules were made."

"Unfortunately," she added, "there were those who preferred to send their child to kindergarten out of a feeling of complacence, while critically harming the principle of mutual responsibility and the commandment, 'You shall not stand by [the shedding of] your fellow's blood,' (Leviticus, 19:16)."

"For me, it already doesn't matter who infected me and who violated quarantine. I had open miracles, and the fact that I am writing to you at all right now is not to be taken for granted. But I am begging you, and I am asking for the sake of the grandmothers and grandfathers, neighbors and older cousins who surround us - they don't deserve to die! Even if they have one pre-existing condition or another.

"I am not blaming anyone, G-d forbid," she added.

Turning to parents, Zalfreund added, "It's true, quarantining a small child is not a pleasant experience, but it is over within a maximum of two weeks. You can find a lot of reasons and excuses for why you don't really need to keep the quarantine. And in one second you can be true partners in saving lives. You can educate your children in mutual responsibility, respecting others, and protecting lives."

"Losing someone who is close to you, or the knowledge that someone fell ill because of you, is much, much harder than a two-week quarantine.

"Maybe these words are difficult to read. But they are written with my heart's blood, and with the prayer that I will soon merit to leave this journey of suffering, which I have accepted with love as coming from G-d.

"I wish everyone good health and only good news," she added. "Thank G-d, I am recovering, and the most serious stage of the disease is already behind me."

"If one person who reads these words understands the consequences and the obligation to quarantine, I hope it will be to my merit. I love each and every one of you. Give the kids a big hug," she concluded.

S., the uncle of one of the girls attending Zalfreund's kindergarten, told Arutz Sheva: "Since Friday, a letter that Shalva wrote a week and a half ago - while the kindergarten children were in quarantine - has been circulating. In that letter, she blames the parents for sending children to kindergarten when their siblings were in quarantine."

"It's important to emphasize that according to Health Ministry guidelines, the family is allowed to act as usual, and attend school. In addition, the siblings of the kindergarten children were in complete quarantine and tested negative.

"The parents acted properly! And obviously everyone is healthy - the kindergarten students and their families. Right now there are parents and siblings who feel the great burden of guilt for causing a death, and it's important that the public understand that they acted responsibly and according to protocol."

S. also claimed that most of the kindergarten children were tested for coronavirus after Zalfreund fell ill, and all of the tests came out negative, including those of the other staff members and their children.

In fact, the Health Ministry protocols offer two "tracks" for when a child or family member is required to quarantine due to exposure to a confirmed coronavirus patient.

The first option is that the exposed individual quarantines fully and properly, including when using the bathroom and eating, and is completely separated from the rest of the family. In such a case, if the exposed individual is completely separated from all other family members, the Health Ministry allows the non-exposed family members to attend work or school.

The second option, commonly chosen when the exposed individual is a young child, is to quarantine the entire family instead of only the exposed individual. In such a case, the individual can walk freely about the house, but the entire family is forbidden to leave their home or enter common areas of their building until the quarantine period is over. Families choosing this option cannot send their children to school or preschool, since none of the family members are allowed to leave their home.