Flat Earth reaches Israel

And five children die.

Eighteen years ago, I started researching how the Sages of the Talmud understood the shape of the world, and realized that (at least in Babylonia) they believed it to be a flat disc, slightly elevated in the center (at Jerusalem), and covered with the dome of the firmament. I elaborated upon this in my essay on “The Sun’s Path at Night,” which I published in my book Rationalism vs. Mysticism, available on the museum website.

Fifteen years ago, I wrote a post about a fascinating book that discussed the ancient belief in a Flat Earth, which had finally gone extinct, but quite late - in the 19th century.

Three years ago, I posted about this book was now obsolete, because the belief in a Flat Earth had come back. Depending on which survey is correct, between 2 and 10% of Americans believe in a flat earth! I wrote about how there is also a small but vibrant Flat Earth movement in American yeshivish circles. Remarkably, two of the leaders of that group consider me to be some sort of intellectual hero. The reason is that while the majority of the yeshiva world denies that Chazal believed in a flat earth, I acknowledge it. True, I say that Chazal were mistaken and I’m therefore a heretic, but the more important thing from their pespective is that I say that Chazal believed it!

Three weeks ago, while scanning Facebook Marketplace in Israel for museum stuff, I came across a Flat Earth model for sale! Of course I instantly purchased it.

The model is very simple. There’s a picture of the flat earth map, with the North Pole at the center, on a circular wooden base, with a clear plastic dome over it representing the firmament. It also came with a sticker of the NASA logo with the word “LIES” on it. Underneath, there is a sticker which helpfully explains the cosmos in more detail:

The seller also sent me an invitation to join a Telegram channel. I don’t really use Telegram, but I was curious to see what it was. And it turned out to be a Hebrew group for Israelis that is all about pushing various conspiracy theories, leading with how the rabies vaccine is really some sort of evil conspiracy. (Indeed, the Lakewood Flat Earthers told me that they came to their belief by way of first doubting medical science.)

Personally, I’m very happy with the rabies vaccine that I received back when I kept bats. I’m also happy with (and highly recommend) the flu vaccination that I received this week, especially since my cousin, a woman at the peak of health, died from flu at age 40.

Conspiracy theories are no joke. In the last few months, five unvaccinated toddlers in Israel died of measles. Measles!

Measles is a completely preventable disease. Yet due to anti-vaxxers, five children died, and another 21 people are hospitalized in serious condition, mostly unvaccinated children. There are outbreaks in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modiin Ilit, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, and Ashdod.

Now, if you know Israeli social geography, you’ll recognize that every single one of those towns has a large charedi population. And indeed all five children who died were charedi.

In a charedi chat group that I’m on, some blamed the rabbinic leadership. Others said that they are personally familiar with antivaxxer charedim, and the leadership has nothing to do with it; the Edah Charedis has ordered its followers to vaccinate their children, but antivaxxers just believe that the Gedolim have fallen prey to the conspiracy.

You don’t need to be charedi to be either a flat-earther or an antivaxxer. But it certainly helps. When you don’t have any solid understanding of the scientific process, and you’re primed to believe that the scientists are Evil Goyim who are conspiring against the Toyrah with dinosaurs and evolution, it’s only a small step to believing that they are also conspiring against the Toyrah with a spherical earth and vaccines.

At the Biblical Museum of Natural History, we have a gift store, selling various animal- and science-related souvenirs. One of the most significant items that we sell is a globe that shows the global distribution of animals. The original thought was that it was the zoological aspect of it that was significant, but we realized that it’s the globe itself which attracts attention.

One charedi visitor - an adult - was shocked when he saw it. “That’s the whole world?!” he asked in amazement. That in turn may sound shocking to readers here, but that’s only because we are so used to seeing depictions of planet Earth, with everything from globes to the Universal Studios logo. If you grow up in a sheltered chareidi environment, you may never have seen it.

Thus, although at the museum we fastidiously stay away from presenting anything that is controversial for charedi visitors - there is no dinosaur exhibit, no evolution exhibit - we do have two large spherical earth models on display, along with several maps of the world that follow the Mercator projection rather than the Flat Earth projection. These days, you can’t even take the most basic things for granted, and never has it been more important to teach them. With things as crazy as they are, it could even save lives.

You can take part in the mission of the Biblical Museum of Natural History by donating at this link.