Pindrus said, “We have come to dispel doubt, and show there is no reason to be afraid to get the vaccine, and as the chief rabbi said, there is no doubt that side effects are less of a risk than the virus. I hope that the public will follow the opinion of the leaders and go get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Bnei Brak Mayor Rabbi Avraham Rubinstein was vaccinated at the head branch of the Leumit healthcare provider. Rubinstein has participated in the rabbinical call to the haredi public to get the vaccine.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef issued a letter on Sunday, stating: “I am calling on our brethren in the Holy Land to follow doctors’ instructions. Allow them to heal us … Now that we have learned that a vaccine has been found that prevents COVID, and all the necessary trials were conducted and experts say that the vaccine is effective in stopping the pandemic and is not danger—each and every person must be vaccinated in accordance with doctors’ orders.”

Religious leaders weren’t the only ones who chose to be vaccinated on camera on Sunday—following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lead on Saturday night. The head of the IDF also chose to be vaccinated publicly.

“This past year, the army has done everything it can to protect operational capability,” said Kochavi. “The vaccination campaign is a real development that will allow Israel and the IDF to get back to routine sooner. I am calling on all IDF soldiers and commanders to get vaccinated, and serve as a personal example on this important issue.”

The IDF will begin vaccinating its personnel next week at 17 vaccine centers deployed across the country. Logistical preparations are already underway. Vaccines will be administered by teams of medics, overseen by registered nurses and a team of medical staff.

Each soldier or officer who receives the first dose will be alerted by text message when it is time for the second jab to complete his or her vaccination.