A second Orthodox rabbi in Surfside says he has tested positive for COVID-19

Days after a rabbi at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue north of Miami Beach announced he had tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, another rabbi in the same community said he, too, appears to have the virus, according to local officials in Bal Harbour and Surfside.

Moshe Gruenstein, the rabbi at Young Israel of Bal Harbour in Surfside, tested presumptive positive Tuesday evening, according to Bal Harbour Village Mayor Gabriel Groisman.

“I can confirm that Rabbi Gruenstein of Young Israel of Bal Harbour has also tested ‘presumptive positive’ for COVID-19 this evening,” Groisman said on Twitter after 10:30 p.m Tuesday. “The Rabbi is doing well and is self-isolating at home at this time.”

On Sunday, Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar of The Shul of Bal Harbour, also in Surfside near Bal Harbour, told his community he had tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the time to take this seriously has come,” Groisman wrote. “In the meantime, I wish Rabbi Gruenstein and Rabbi Lipskar speedy and full recoveries.”

The two synagogues are less than a quarter mile away from each other near 96th Street in Surfside.

The town of Surfside also announced the news about Gruenstein in an email to residents Tuesday night.

Residents who have been in “close contact” with the rabbi or who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days should self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms, the town said.

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 11:20 PM.