I want to address Gershon Distinfeld’s article about finding ways to reduce communal costs with a call to action to our yeshivot (“A Viral Opportunity,” April 23).

It’s time to cancel winter vacation or shorten it to a long weekend. The costs involved in winter vacation, even if you do not travel, are in the thousands of dollars in lost wages and child care. Given the uncertainty in the economy, many parents will not be able to pay tuition next year, let alone forgo more money to take 10 days off in January. Furthermore, it is unclear if parents will even be able to get this time off next year, given that we are currently out of the office for so many months.

I call on the yeshivot to do the responsible thing, whether directed by the BJE or not, and cancel or drastically shorten winter vacation in 2021.