‘Stepping up and setting an example’: Hamilton religious leaders lend their voice to vaccination effort

A group of Hamilton faith leaders are lending their voices to a city-wide campaign aimed at getting more residents to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated.

The campaign, titled Faith in Vaccine, features leaders from several faiths including the Jewish, Hindu, Presbyterian, non-denominational Christian, Anglican, Lutheran and Muslim communities.

The campaign, set to launch this week, features posters designed with a picture of each faith-based leader alongside a personal quote about why they back the COVID-19 vaccine.

Deirdre Pike, a senior social planner at the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC), said the idea for the campaign was born out of the city's infection, prevention and control (IPAC) committee's subcommittee that involves industry, business and faith communities.

As a faith representative on the committee, Pike noticed there wasn't much happening" when it came to including faith communities in the conversation around vaccine rollout, COVID protocols and pandemic measures in the city.

That noticeable gap got her thinking - and eventually researching ways to fill it.

Pike began scanning the web and there she found a handful of examples across the province, including in Ottawa and Toronto, where faith leaders got involved in the city's vaccine rollout.

She brought the ideas back to the committee and the Faith in Vaccine campaign was born. And there was no apprehension from the religious leaders she reached out to asking to get involved.

There was no hesitancy from leaders to say this was so important and ask how they could help," she added.

Pike said the goal of the campaign is to hopefully help get more Hamiltonians vaccinated against COVID-19 by uplifting voices that some residents trust.

Hamilton's vaccination rate remains as one of the lowest in the province, with just over 75 per cent of the eligible adults having two doses as of Friday. Across Ontario, Chatham-Kent, Lambton, Porcupine and Renfrew County are reporting similar rates.

Pike acknowledged that not all religions are represented, but even those folks may take encouragement" from the campaign.

There are all kinds of people out there that just need a little push and you don't know what will impact someone," she said. A picture is worth lots of words, and I think these pictures and their words will have lots of impact."

With the campaign, Pike said each faith leader will be provided digital copies of the campaign images that can be shared on social media as well as through their bulletins and websites.

Faith leaders involved in the campaign include Bishop Susan Bell of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, Rabbi Jordan Cohen and Cantor Paula Baruch of Temple Anshe Sholom, and Pandit Shashi Bhushan of the Hindu Samaj Temple in Hannon.

Bell called the campaign a fantastic idea," noting that she was glad to add her voice to the vaccination strategy that benefits the whole community."

Putting others' welfare ahead of ourselves is core to who we are as Christians," said Bell. If faith leaders can be credible sources of correct information about vaccines, that is good for our culture and society and it builds trust within our churches but also outside of them."

Bhushan told The Spectator that he joined the campaign to assist in stopping the spread of COVID and help his neighbours, relatives and friends."

In an interview Sunday, Cohen said the Jewish community has an obligation" to get vaccinated that stems from their long standing traditions that require them to maintain the health and well-being of their entire community.

Cohen said religious leaders should have also already had their voices included in the calls for people to get vaccinated.

We need to be stepping up and setting an example," said Cohen. Just (get vaccinated) and let's get on with life."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com