Outside the synagogue in Jerusalem’s Ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood Har Nof, a poster bears the name of Osnat Ben Sheetrit, a pregnant mother of four who died of Covid-19, and the words: “For the ascension of her soul, get vaccinated.”

The stark message is part of a health ministry campaign aimed at Israel’s 1.2 million Ultra-Orthodox Jews, the community that was the hardest hit by the coronavirus but also blamed by many secular Israelis for prolonging the pandemic by ignoring lockdown rules.

Now the rate of infections among the Haredim, as they are known in Israel, has dropped sharply, falling below the national average for the first time since the pandemic broke out. Cases of severe illness have also dropped, and vaccine take-up is at 72 per cent, a comparatively high rate globally although still below the national rate of 86pc in Israel.

The shift comes on the back of a decree from the Haredim’s leading rabbis, who for some hold far more authority in their communities than the state, to endorse the vaccine as Israel began its national roll-out in late December.