58.5 F
New York
Friday, April 26, 2024
type here...
Home Blog Page 1616

Parshas Mishpatim – The Stuff of Unity

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
G-d designated the Bnai Yisroel (Sons of Israel) as the Chosen People because they were chosen to serve humanity as examples and teachers of monotheistic morality and ethics

By: Rabbi Aron Tendler

There are families whose hold on Judaism and Jewish tradition is so tentative that the word “holy” is thought to be a reference to Jewish food, something having to do with bagels and lox. Yet, that same family will stubbornly insist that their children only marry other Jews. Why?

G-d designated the Bnai Yisroel (Sons of Israel) as the Chosen People because they were chosen to serve humanity as examples and teachers of monotheistic morality and ethics. At the same time we are commanded to be different than the surrounding nations. We are commanded to eat differently, worship differently, live only in Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), and only marry our own. How are we supposed to model for the other nations values that are supposed to be universal while steadfastly holding on and cherishing our differences? How are they supposed to learn to emulate our ways if we insist on being insular and escaping behind the protective walls of community, Halacha (Jewish law) and tradition?

When traveling abroad, especially in Europe, the sight of another Jew brings a smile to our lips and a feeling of greater security and comfort. Why?

How is it that a child can be away from his parent’s home for years and upon returning to the home of his childhood feel completely comfortable and secure? Following the hugs and kisses the returning adult-child will feel comfortable enough to go directly to the frig, open it up, look inside and say, “What’s there to eat?” Why is that?

Sitting down to a meal in a restaurant you chance upon a side dish that tastes exactly the way your mother used to make it. Assuming that you liked your mother’s cooking, the immediate association infuses you with fond memories and feelings of warmth, comfort, and security. Why?

For almost 40 years (if not longer) NCSY has brought back tens of thousands of young adults into the fold of their tradition with the formula, “Just one Mitzvah (commandment).” Over the course of a Shabbaton (weekend retreat) the otherwise unaffiliated and uninitiated are encouraged to take the small chance and commit themselves to doing “Just one Mitzvah.” There are thousands of fully engaged religious, traditional, Jews who will attest that the one Shabbos not turning on the TV, or not talking on the telephone, or making Kiddush, or lighting Shabbos candles and eating a piece of Challah changed their lives forever! Why? How does one small Mitzvah change a person’s life?

Following the extraordinary experience of Kriyas Yam Suf (Parting Of The Sea – Parshas B’shalach) and Matan Torah (Revelation – Parshas Yisro), G-d commanded Moshe to teach the Jews the basic laws of social engagement and responsibility (this week’s portion – Parshas Mishpatim). The placement of these social laws immediately following the giving of the Torah makes it obvious that G-d expected His Torah to elevate His Chosen People into paradigms of ethical and moral social behavior.

That this is G-d’s intention is reinforced through Hillel’s response to the convert who asked to be taught the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel answered, “That which is hateful to you do not do to your friend. Now go and study the rest of the Torah!” Meaning, G-d’s primary concern is the manner in which you interact with your fellow human being. That is the essence of the Torah! The rest of the Torah is intended to develop the ethical and moral human being by addressing all physical and spiritual aspects of the human experience.

If successful, the truly religious personality will be evident in how he or she interacts socially. If the individual’s interaction with society is concerned, sensitive, honest, and respectful, the person may also be G-dly and religious. If however the person’s social interaction is abusive, insensitive, uncaring, dishonest, and disrespectful that person is definitely neither G-dly nor religious! How religious and devotional he or she may appear to be is of zero consequence if the person is not socially moral and ethical.

However, how do we know if that which is hateful to me should also be hateful to you? How do I know if that which I find enjoyable should also be enjoyable to my friend? How do I know if my likes and dislikes are reflections of truth and morality?

The answer was contained in Hillel’s last words, “Now go and learn the rest of the Torah!” The only way to know whether our thoughts and feelings, desires and aspirations are true and moral is if we study G-d’s word. Through the intense study of Torah we are awoken to the absolute truths of G-d’s intentions and expectations. Torah becomes the template and scale by which we can guide and evaluate our relationship with G-d and society.

The bedrock of G-d’s expectations for our social behavior is belief in G-d and belief in the value of the individual. For example, a single moment of human life is as important to us as 120 years of life; it is neither more nor less valuable – it is of equal importance. Just as we must transgress Yom Kippur to save a person who might live to be 120 so too we are obligated to transgress the Yom Kippur to save a moment of life. Life is of infinite value and a little bit of infinity is no less infinite.

The essence of Parshas Mishpatim is the infinite value of the individual human. It, more so than any other value, is the basis of all true moral and ethical codes. It, more so than any other factor, is the essence of fairness and justice. Only a society that fully embraces the unalienable right of every single human to life can hope to succeed.

Following the giving of the Torah and our designation as G-d’s kingdom of priests and holy nation, G-d commanded Moshe to instruct the Bnai Yisroel in the basic laws of social interaction. In doing so, G-d gave us the means for accomplishing our national mission as His chosen teachers.

The prerequisite for Matan Torah was for the nation to attain the level of “As one man with one intent (heart).” The Bnai Yisroel had to be individually and collectively committed to doing G-d’s will with singular focus. The unity of the Jews was both the prerequisite and the ultimate goal; however, the ultimate goal was to extend that Achdus (unity) to the entire world, Jew and non-Jew alike. The ultimate goal of Achdus was for all of humanity to have equal commitment and devotion to the will of G-d. The Jew would always be the teacher. The Jew would always be commanded in more Mitzvos than the non-Jew, but the commitment and devotion to G-d would be exactly the same.

Unity does no require that everyone be and do the same thing. Just the opposite! It is far more difficult to find unity with two leaders who share equal talent, power and position than when there is unity between a single leader who delegates to his staff, each according to his or her abilities. I do not suggest that the Jew must be the ultimate king of humanity. There may be others (Eisav) far better equipped to “run the world;” however, the Jew will always be the teacher of G-d’s intention and wishes. It will always be the Jew who directs humanity toward their destinies as G-d’s servants.

The goal of the Jew, the goal of Matan Torah, was to effect unity in the nation and then the world. Parshas Mishpatim shows us how. Unity does not need sameness in appearance or thought. Unity does not require similar approaches to problem solving or organization. Unity requires that all components share the same goals and the same values. Starting with the value of human life, the most basic and fundamental of all values, the Torah commanded the Jew to be concerned, sensitive, honest, and respectful to everyone, regardless of social station or means. So long as the person is human, so long as the person has the capacity to serve G-d as G-d intended, we must respect the essence of that person’s existence.

            (www.Torah.org)

Parshas Mishpatim – How to Relate to Your Fellow Man

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
We learn that, even as G-d gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai, so too were the civil laws given at Sinai. Not only are the commandments regulating our relationship with G-d immutable, but so too are the ethical laws upon which our relationships with our fellow man are formulated. Photo Credit: YouTube

By: Rabbi Osher Jungreis

The parashah opens with a most unusual expression, “V`eileh hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem – And these are the commandments that you shall place before them.” (Exodus 21:1)

Normally, the Torah instructs Moses with the words, “speak”, “command”, or “teach”–so why is Moses here commanded to “place”?

Rashi, whose commentaries are a key to understanding Torah, gives a brief but cryptic explanation: “Placed in front of them like a set table.” But this leaves us even more puzzled. Our revered grandfather, HaRav HaGaon Avraham HaLevi Jungreis, explains that a good mother prepares a beautiful table for her children, bearing in mind the needs and tastes of each of them (one may like meat, the other prefers chicken, sweet or spicy, etc.). And once her children are seated at the table, the mother urges them to taste the many other delicacies that are available there. Similarly, when imparting the commandments, the Torah teacher must bear in mind the needs of each of his charges. He must offer something that will draw the student to the table. He must invite the student to experience the many other mitzvos and thus imbibe the wisdom of the Torah.

This commandment speaks to us with great relevance, for ours is a generation that has seen many young people fall through the cracks and lose their way. We must find a way to bring them to the Torah table and reach their hearts, and this teaching reminds us how we may do so. We need only set a beautiful table for them, taking into account their special needs, and, with the help of G-d, the transformation will surely take place.

This week`s portion also deals with Laws concerning our interaction with our fellow man, be it in the workplace or in a social venue. “V`aleh Hamishpatim,” — “And these are the judgments that you shall place before them” (Exodus, 21) are the opening words of the parsha. To commence a sentence, let alone an entire portion with the word “And” is most unusual. Our sages explain that whenever the word “And” is used, it is in order to connect the passage with the previous portion of the Torah.

Since we studied about the giving of the Ten Commandments in last week`s parsha, there is a very profound message inherent in this connection. We learn that, even as G-d gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai, so too were the civil laws given at Sinai. Not only are the commandments regulating our relationship with G-d immutable, but so too are the ethical laws upon which our relationships with our fellow man are formulated.

There are those who believe that moral and ethical laws are so logical that even had they not been promulgated at Sinai, man would have deduced them on his own. But this is totally erroneous. Firstly, there is no code of behavior that comes even close to the high standard that the Torah requires of us. Secondly, even on a most elementary level, twenty-first century man has yet to accept “Thou shalt not kill.” From Hitler to Arafat to Bin Laden to Ahmadinejad, it is obvious how desperately man needs G-d to regulate his behavior.

Moreover, the Ten Commandments open with “I am the L-rd Your G-d.” By placing the laws of business ethics after the Ten Commandments, the Torah teaches us that he who is not ethical in business does not really trust G-d, for if he believed in Divine providence, he would understand that it is G-d who provides, it is He who determines our income and therefore, it is futile to cheat, steal, or give vent to greed. Finally, this connection reminds us that we adhere to our moral and ethical laws, not because they appeal to our logic, but because they were given by G-d and are therefore not subject to change or compromise. They are our eternal guiding light.

  (www.Hineni.org)

Chefchaouen: Exploring the “Blue Pearl” of Morocco & its Jewish Heritage

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
Chefchaouen- New York Jewish Travel Guide

By: Meyer Harroch

Among my favorite stopovers in Morocco is this artsy, blue-washed mountain village of 45,000 people. It is a uniquely beautiful small city in the northwest part and set against the backdrop of the Rif Mountains. This quirky town is probably one of the prettiest I have seen in Morocco because of its gorgeous blue alleyways and blue-washed streets and buildings. That’s why it is nicknamed “the Blue Pearl of Morocco.” Chefchaouen’s medina is certainly one of the loveliest in all of Morocco, small, uncrowded and easy to explore. It’s a popular town in Morocco that is often considered one of the best places to visit in the country.

Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 in the Rif Mountains by Jews and Moors fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. There are a lot of different theories about why Chefchaouen is blue. One is that the Sephardic Jewish community that escaped the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century settled in and brought along their tradition of painting buildings blue. Some say it was painted blue by Jewish refugees in the 1930s fleeing Germany and others say it was to keep the mosquitos away and to prevent malaria, while others just said it represented the color of the sea. In Judaism, blue represents the sky and heaven, reminding all to live a life of spiritual awareness.

Some houses were painted in blue and some in white, while others were half painted – NY Jewish Travel Guide

There is a strong tradition among the Sephardic communities of painting things blue and blue walls spread outward from the city’s Jewish quarter until the entire city was aglow in blue. And another version is that one of the Jewish men fell in love with a Spanish woman but could not be together with her; her house was blue, so as a reminder of her he painted the entire city in that hue. Whatever the true reason for the blue color, even today the locals still apply a fresh coat of paint on their houses twice a year and a month before Ramadan.

Some houses were painted in blue and some in white, while others were half painted. Yousef, our guide explained that while Jews and Muslims were living in the same neighborhood, to distinguish each other’s homes the Jews painted half the wall in blue and the Muslims painted theirs white. “The Jews believed that the color blue represented the power of God and for the Muslims the color of white and green.” He added, ”Jews painted the bottom blue because they couldn’t reach the top and the same with Muslims.” The joke is that they could only paint half because they were too short!

There is a large Chinese community that operates five Chinese restaurants and hotels. Chefchaouen is a popular destination for Chinese tourists because of the popularity of social media sites such as Instagram; it is a very picturesque destination and a photographer’s paradise

The narrow street of the city was built in stone steps marching straight up the slope, giving your legs a good workout. But when you get to an open street in a public square, look above the city and toward the nearby Rif Mountains. The mountains above give the appearance of two horns, and it’s believed this is where the name Chefchaouen comes from (literally meaning “watch the horns” in a local Arabic dialect). Be aware of the different door shapes: “The square doors are for shops and the round ones are for houses. If someone wants to make changes to these doors, they need permission from the city architecture office,” Youssef, a local tour guide, said.

He pointed out that these front door house keys have been kept for more than seven generations of residents and were brought by their ancestors from Andalusia in the hope that one day they will return to their birthplace. The old medina is a delight of Moroccan and Andalusian influence with red-tiled roofs, bright-blue buildings, and narrow lanes converging on busy Plaza Uta El Hammam and its restored kasbah.

Busy Plaza Uta El Hammam and its restored kasbah.

Chefchaouen has a total of 150 hotels, including guest houses or about 2,000 rooms, and it is not enough for the growing tourist population. There is a large Chinese community that operates five Chinese restaurants and hotels. Chefchaouen is a popular destination for Chinese tourists because of the popularity of social media sites such as Instagram; it is a very picturesque destination and a photographer’s paradise. Visitors come to produce music videos and commercials but also to explore the other parts of the town and activities such as hiking and viewing the national parks and waterfalls. It offers many native handicrafts that are not available elsewhere in Morocco, such as wool garments and woven blankets. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the number of visitors coming to Chefchaouen is approximately 500,000 each year and is now the second most popular day-trip destination for the Chinese after Marrakesh.

In 1918 there were 22 Jewish families or 200 people out of a total population of 7000. Today, the population is 50,000 inhabitants and no Jews. You will find in each neighborhood for jews and Muslins five common elements: Mosque or a Synagogue, Fountain, School, Public Oven, and Hamman (similar to a Turkish bath). The last Jewish family emigrated to Israel in 1968. We visited the former Jewish Mellah where we met an artisan who had worked with the Jewish families for centuries and where he had learned his trade in making donkey saddles and baskets. He told NYJTG “life was good living with the Jewish families and even now the families’ descendants come back to visit us at the shop, from England, France, and Israel”. “these families emigrated to Israel for a better life as well as the Christians left for the same reason.” he added.

(New York Jewish Travel Guide)

Campus Racial Thought-Crimes – Part 2

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
Students & alumni at the University of Central Florida held a protest against controversial professor Charles Negy. Photo Credit: Pinterest

The consequences of perpetuating minority student victimhood

By: Richard L. Cravatts

(Continued from last week)

Another of Kane’s posts suggested that, due to race preferences, over 90 percent of Black students at Williams College would not have been admitted if it were not for their “Black’ness” [sic], and question why, while Williams College publicly condemned a white supremacist group, the college did not similarly condemn the Black Lives Matter movement and Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.

A second government professor at Harvard, Diana J. Schaub, also became a target for her alleged racism in suggesting that black people were responsible for some of the social and economic conditions in which they find themselves. Schaub, a visiting professor who was teaching a course at Harvard on African American political thought, is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and has actually served as a visiting professor at Harvard before.

In a 2010 article in National Affairs, “America at the Bat,” as one example of what students found objectionable, Schaub noted that “The trend [of the absence of blacks in baseball] has been noted, lamented in some quarters, but nowhere adequately explained. My strong hunch is that the declining interest and involvement in baseball is a consequence of the absence of fathers in the black community.”

In a 2000 article in The National Interest, Schaub observed, “I suspect that the contemporary phenomenon of angry middle-class blacks derives in substantial part from the erosion of both Bible-based faith and faith in Progress. Charitable and hardy souls have been replaced by suspicious and fragile selves, hypersensitized to perceived slights and perpetually aggrieved.”

And in a 2010 article in the Baltimore Sun that tracked reasons behind Baltimore’s population loss, Schaub suggested that, “The decline of marriage, particularly among African-Americans, is all too familiar. Not as well-known is that Maryland has a very high abortion rate (third highest among the states in 2005 . . .). The breakdown by jurisdiction reveals that Baltimore City is driving those deadly numbers, and also that the abortion rate among African-American women is at least triple the white rate.”

The opinions—and even the facts—presented in these articles apparently were too much for some Harvard students, including a Crimson editor majoring in government who wrote that Schaub’s articles are, “if not outright bigoted, ignorant, and deeply concerning.” Kane and Negy, too, articulated opinions which caused great discomfort for many who want to reveal endemic racism where it may or may not even exist, primarily because academia is in the thrall of diversity and inclusion and is more committed to perpetuating the victimhood of minority students than it is for dealing with facts, statistics, and opposing views about personal responsibility and academic performance. Those moral heretics who dare to express alternate, even factual, views about race are summarily censured, maligned as racists, and sometimes even purged from the campus community.

In writing about the Kane situation, for example, the censorious Editorial Board of the Harvard Crimson actually called for the professor’s firing. “The posts are unacceptable,” the editorial said. “Our issue with them goes beyond mere differences in political opinion . . . [and] if the allegations that the posts authored by “Field” were written by Kane are true, the suggestion that 90 percent of Black students at Williams don’t belong there and the defense of literal Nazism have irreparably damaged Kane’s ability to serve as an instructor . . . He simply cannot serve as an effective preceptor — certainly not to the Black students whose belonging at higher education institutions (and evidently in this country) he allegedly challenges, but also not to anyone with a basic intolerance for bigotry. In short, David Kane, assuming the allegations are true, must be fired.”

In June, UCF students and alumni held a protest against Negy while holding signs that read: “If UCF Keeps Racist Teachers, Then UCF=Racist,” “UCF Fire Negy. He is leaving a negative impact on your institution,” and “Don’t Let Racists Teach.” The message here was clear: not that the protestors and professor could engage in debate and dialogue about the complex issue of race, but that self-appointed guardians of the truth had decided that the professor’s views were fundamentally racist and worthless, and that the only acceptable response was his termination.

The efforts to rectify racial injustice have included such efforts as affirmative action in college admissions, robust and obsessive diversity and inclusion initiatives at universities, and the creation of programs to directly ameliorate purported racism. These endeavors are seen as reasonable and justifiable reactions to lingering racism in American society and are ostensibly designed to give substantive advantages to blacks to compensate for their historic marginalization.

As demonstrated quite saliently by the experience of these professors, however, anyone who questions either the utility or even the moral, legal, and ethical justification by which these efforts are maintained can expect to be denounced as a racist—and especially now as the country is experiencing paroxysms of racial reckoning and atonement. To question the hypocrisy and fairness of affirmative action, for example, is to step on moral landmines. And to claim, as professor Negy did, that, despite the normal assertions about America’s endemic racism, there is actually something one could consider the be “black privilege” is the type of radical notion that can cause someone to be subject to condemnation and cancellation, just as he has experienced.

The frequency with which students, faculty, and administrators have moved to suppress, and punish, viewpoints about race should be alarming, particularly in the time since campuses were thrown into a race frenzy in the wake of the killings of black victims by police last spring. But in their zeal to create campuses they believe to be free of bias and hatred, and which serve as sanctuaries—safe spaces—for marginalized individuals, the campus censors have shut off intellectual engagement and often moved to suppress dissenting thought.

This poses a grave threat to academia because, as John Stuart Mill astutely observed in On Liberty, “to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility,” something clearly lacking on the part of those on campus who cannot and will not abide opposing thought.

 (FrontPageMag)

Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D., is a Freedom Center Journalism Fellow in Academic Free Speech, President Emeritus of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, and author of Dispatches From the Campus War Against Israel and Jews.

 

Exercise During Coronavirus: Tips for Staying Active

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
As many of our daily routines remain restricted during the coronavirus pandemic, it can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise

Social distancing, self-quarantining, and the closure of many gyms have made it harder to exercise. But these tips can help keep you active and healthy during this difficult time.

By: Shannon Collins, PT

 

The importance of staying active during COVID-19

As many of our daily routines remain restricted during the coronavirus pandemic, it can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise. With the challenges of working from home and limited access to fitness facilities, you may be finding it hard to stick to a workout routine. You may be missing the camaraderie of the gym, the relaxation of swimming laps, or the social connection from walking or hiking with a group of friends. If you were used to attending a fitness class with a motivating instructor, you might be disappointed in the intensity of workouts on your own.

Maintaining an exercise routine at home can seem more like a ‘should’ than a ‘want to’ at the moment. And with so many people out of work and struggling financially, staying active can seem like much less of a priority. However, even a small amount of activity can make a huge difference to how well you think and feel. In fact, exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have for staying physically and mentally healthy.

Exercise can help ease depression, stress, and anxiety, and aid in the management of chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. By finding new ways to get moving and stay motivated, you can take charge of your mood and well-being and regain a sense of control during this time of great uncertainty.

 

Exercise and your immune system

While being fit won’t prevent you from catching the virus, it does have many other protective effects. Physical activity releases endorphins, chemicals in your brain that revitalize your mind and body, and it can help to improve all aspects of your health. In addition to boosting your mood and improving sleep, exercise can also strengthen your immune system, something that is particularly important at this time, especially for older adults who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Even a small amount of activity can make a huge difference to how well you think and feel.

But don’t overdo it. While moderate physical activity supports immune function, too much intense activity—especially if you are not used to it—may have the opposite effect and suppress your immune system.

If you use exercise to keep up your energy and spirits in trying times such as these, you might be less inclined to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as drinking too much, which can also wear down your immune system.

 

Making an exercise plan that’ll keep you motivated

Whether you’re teaching your kids and working at home or you’re unemployed and worried about finances, this is likely not the time to undertake a challenging new fitness plan. Consider your energy levels (many people report fatigue from coronavirus-related stress), any ongoing health concerns, and the time you have available, then set reasonable goals focusing on activities you enjoy. You’re more likely to stick to an exercise plan if you start small, celebrate your successes, and build up gradually.

Prioritize your workouts. People who put their fitness activities on the same calendar as their regular appointments tend to stick to their plan. You wouldn’t cancel your appointment with your dentist because you were busy with work or just didn’t feel like it at that moment. Rather, you’d fulfill your obligation and then return to work afterwards.

Workout at the time that’s right for you. Many people who maintain a long-term exercise program workout in the mornings. Completing your fitness routine in the morning can energize you and set a positive tone for the rest of the day. Others find it helpful to take a break from work and get moving in the afternoon when their energy is flagging. A burst of activity can stimulate the brain and help you push through the rest of the tasks on your to-do list.

Be specific in your goals—and track your workouts. Rather than aim to “get in better shape,” set a concrete goal such as “walk 30 minutes in the morning on Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday.” Try one of the many fitness trackers or smartphone apps available to keep a record of your progress—or simply use a calendar to note the length of your workout, distance, and effort level. Tracking your progress can help keep you accountable, provide a sense of accomplishment, and encourage you to keep going.

Say it out loud. Tell a friend what your goals and routines are or post about it on social media. You’re less likely to skip a session if you know your friends will be asking about how you got on. And if they give you positive feedback, it will give you a boost for your next session. Working out with a buddy can also help keep you on track. Set up regular times to exercise together—either at a social distance or on a phone or video call—and offer each other support and encouragement.

 

Tips for getting the activity you need during COVID-19

As with exercising at any time, it’s important to be safe, wear good footwear, start slowly, and give your muscles and tendons time to adapt to any new activity. Always seek your physician’s advice if you have any underlying health conditions, take medication for a heart problem or to control blood pressure or blood sugar, or experience dizziness, balance problems, or joint issues. And if you feel pain during an activity, STOP.

Get outside as much as possible. Unless your area is under a stay-at-home order or you need to remain in quarantine, try to exercise outside as much as possible. Take a walk, jog, or ride a bike outside, just remember to wear a mask and/or maintain a safe distance from others. The fresh air and sunshine will provide a further boost to your mental health.

Keep your workouts interesting. Watch your favorite streaming show or listen to a podcast or some great music while working out. While walking, explore a new area in your neighborhood or catch up with a friend on the phone to keep things from getting stale. Or try activity video games or “exergames” that simulate dancing, skateboarding, soccer, bowling, or tennis. These can be great alternatives if you’re unable to participate in the real thing at the moment.

Walk in a new way. Immerse yourself in the full experience of walking outdoors by adding a mindfulness element. Notice the smell of the air, the variety of flowers and trees and the feel of the sun or the wind as you move. Bringing your attention to these things can give your conscious mind a break from your worries and unleash your creativity. You might find new ideas and solutions coming to you when you weren’t even aware you were working on them. If you find you need to up the intensity of your walks, look for hills, do some step ups on the curb at each corner, skip, or even jump up and down the curb a few times (if appropriate for your fitness level and joints).

Try something new. Always wanted to try barre exercise, line dancing, cardio funk, or HIIT (high-intensity interval training)? Find a free video online, subscribe to one of the many online classes available, or download an app to guide you from the safety of your own home (see the Get more help section below). Many people find they are more comfortable trying something new when no one else is watching. You just might find your new passion! Try boxing, Pilates, or yoga. Don’t be intimidated to try something new and refine your online search to be more specific to your needs, like ‘yoga for over 50’, ‘golf-specific exercises’ or ‘basic Pilates for beginners’. There are many new, and often free, classes being posted daily to support people in their fitness pursuits during the pandemic. Just remember to avoid causing pain.

Join the kids. Play catch or tag, go for a bike ride, shoot baskets, or pass the soccer ball with your kids. Taking the focus away from schoolwork or chores and playing together can even help repair a strained relationship.

Prioritize your workouts. People who put their fitness activities on the same calendar as their regular appointments tend to stick to their plan. Photo Credit: Pinterest

Miss the gym? Create a home workout area. If you have space available, designate an inviting area of your home to exercise and keep your equipment handy. Try using resistance bands, water bottles, or your own body weight to perform resistance exercises. You could start by doing push-ups against the wall then progress to doing them against the kitchen counter, the coffee table, and finally the floor. Have stairs in your house? Stair climbing is an efficient strength training activity. Keep one foot on a step and step up and down several times (or try stepping up two steps for an even tougher workout).

 

Build more movement into your day

For many of us, spending more time at home means sitting more—watching TV, working at the computer, being on Zoom meetings. But you can still find ways to incorporate more movement into your day. Try to think of physical activity as a lifestyle choice rather than as a designated event. Getting up every 30 minutes for a quick bout of activity can add up over the day.

  • Intersperse household chores into your sitting time: vacuum a room, scrub a sink, do some yard work, or wipe down your appliances.
  • Move around while you are on a call, stand for an online meeting, do squats or lunges while you’re waiting for a meeting to start, or jumping jacks in front of the TV during the credits or commercial breaks.
  • Try ‘microwave exercises’ (short bursts of movement) like countertop push-ups while you are waiting for the kettle to boil or toast to pop up.

 

How much exercise is enough?

During this time of uncertainty and fear, it’s important to remember that when it comes to exercise, something is always better than nothing. Going for a walk around the block will not only stretch your legs but help clear your head as well. It might even inspire you to walk a little further the next day.

That said, the current recommendation for adults is to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity) with two sessions of strength building activities per week. That’s about 30 minutes of movement, five times per week. It’s also okay to break it up. Two 15-minute workouts or three 10-minute workouts can benefit you just as much. Include warm up and cool down time as part of your workout—as well as heavier activities around the house or garden.

 

Moderate intensity vs. vigorous intensity

Moderate intensity means that you’re working, breathing faster, and starting to sweat. You’re still able to talk in full sentences, but not able to sing. Examples of moderate intensity activities include: brisk walking, cycling on level ground, hiking, weight training, or skateboarding.

Exercise can help ease depression, stress, and anxiety, and aid in the management of chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Vigorous intensity means that you’re really working, breathing hard, sweating hard, and too breathless to talk in full sentences. Examples of vigorous intensity activities include: jogging, skipping rope, cycling fast or on hills, aerobics, or circuit training.

 

Reward yourself

If the current situation has made it difficult for you to partake in your favorite forms of exercise, it’s normal to feel a little frustrated. Don’t beat yourself up but keep experimenting with new workouts until you find something that you enjoy. And if you feel your motivation to get moving start to flag, focus on how much better you’ll feel after even a little exercise.

It also helps to give yourself an extra treat as a reward for sticking with your exercise program. Take a long, hot bubble bath, for example, make a fruit smoothie, or call a friend or family member. And remember: the healthy habits you build now can help you to stay healthier and happier far beyond this global pandemic.

(www.helpguide.org)

Shannon Collins, PT, is an Integrative Manual Physical Therapist. She is the founder of Peak Performance in Santa Monica, CA.

Attorney-at-paw? Filter Makes Lawyer Look Like Cat In Court

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0

(AP) — A West Texas judge has a word of caution to those attending court hearings via Zoom: Always check for filters before logging on.

Judge Roy Ferguson’s warning comes after an attorney accidentally joined a video court hearing while using a Zoom filter that made him appear like a fluffy white kitten.

“I’m here live. I’m not a cat,” the attorney said.

“I can see that,” replied Ferguson, whose district covers five counties in West Texas, including the town of Marfa.

The short video clip, which was shared online by Ferguson, ends with others coaching the attorney on how to remove the cat filter.

The judge said on Twitter: “These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession’s dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace. True professionalism all around!”

Man Who Wore Horns, Hat Apologizes For Storming Capitol

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. A judge ordered corrections authorities to provide organic food to an Arizona man who is accused of participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

(AP) — An Arizona man who participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns said he regrets storming the building, apologized for causing fear in others and expressed disappointment with former President Donald Trump.

In a statement released late Monday through his attorney, defendant Jacob Chansley said he has re-evaluated his life since being jailed for over a month on charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riot and realizes he shouldn’t have entered the Capitol building. Chansley, who previously said Trump inspired him to be in Washington that day, said Trump “let a lot of peaceful people down.”

Chansley said he’s coming to terms with events leading to the riot and asked people to “be patient with me and other peaceful people who, like me, are having a very difficult time piecing together all that happened to us, around us, and by us. We are good people who care deeply about our country.”

Chansley’s attorney, Al Watkins, released the statement about a half-day before the second impeachment trial of Trump was scheduled to begin in the U.S. Senate.

Watkins, who unsuccessfully sought a pardon on Chansley’s behalf from Trump, said the Senate didn’t take up his offer to have his client testify on how he was incited by the former president.

The defense lawyer said his client’s apology wasn’t self-serving but rather a genuine expression of culpability. Still, he said he doesn’t think it’s right for the government to prosecute people who were incited.

“If you believe the government is correctly prosecuting the (former) president, you can’t at the same time hold criminally culpable those who were incited, because the people incited become victims,” Watkins said in an interview.

Chansley has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of civil disorder and obstructing an official proceeding, plus four other misdemeanor charges.

The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment Tuesday on Chansley’s apology.

Chansley was among hundreds of rioters who charged past outnumbered police officers and stormed the Capitol as Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral win.

Authorities say Chansley was one of the first people in the Capitol building, disobeyed orders by an officer to leave, refused the officer’s request to use Chansley’s bullhorn to tell rioters to leave the Senate chamber, and wrote a note to then-Vice President Mike Pence saying, “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

Prosecutors said a spear on top of a flagpole carried by Chansley was a weapon, though his attorney has characterized the spear as an ornament.

Since being jailed, Chansley has had two instances in which he wasn’t eating because the detention facilities where he was being held didn’t serve organic food. He lost 20 pounds (9 kilograms) during the latest starvation episode. Chansley, who calls himself the “QAnon Shaman,” said he has been following such a diet for eight years while practicing Shamanism.

Last week, a judge ordered corrections officials to provide Chansley with organic food. He was later moved to a jail in Virginia after the District of Columbia Department of Corrections said it couldn’t honor the court’s order to feed him organic food.

Dr Bertman – the owner Advanced Dental Arts – has been sculpting smiles and calming those in crisis

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
ByHollie Mckay
Even in the throes of a harsh winter blizzard and the protracted scourge of a coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Todd Bertman has one of the brightest smiles in New York City – and it is infectious.

For almost two decades, Bertman – the owner of Advanced Dental Arts – has been sculpting smiles and calming those in crisis – and that hasn’t changed even amid a global pandemic.

“At has been very interesting just to observe how different people are coping,” said Bertman – whose boasts a “family style” practice nestled into the snowy streets of Greenwich Village. “Some of my patients are coming in super scared to be back in the chair, and others are laid back.”
And the homely feel hits you the very moment the glass doors open. It is a practice speckled by state-of-the-art technology and familiar faces ready to serve – but it’s a different kind of place during a global crisis. It is the dentists’ new normal. Hand sanitizers adorn the benches like bunches of flowers, and the once scattered selection of toys have been cleaned and closeted from view.
After shuttering the doors in the early months of the coronavirus onslaught, Bertman re-opened in the late Spring and is steadily bringing smiles back to life – with a myriad of twists. The team – even the receptionists – are now minimizing aerosols in a bid to destroy bacteria and relying more on the use of laser tools than the ultrasonic water sprayers, all to ensure patients that a trip to the dentist is a safe and soothing one.
“Statistically speaking, dental offices have had minimal infection rate. All our precautionary measures are working. Compared to many other places, the dentist is a safe place to be,” Bertman continued, emphasizing that his office has not had a single case of COVID-19. “Patients should feel comfortable to come in and get whatever they need to get done, done.”
From his lens, the protracted pandemic is somewhat reminiscent of the overhaul the industry endured during the AIDS epidemic in the 80’s – uncertainty over transmission and hygiene protocols – which led to increased measures such as masks and gloves. Three to four decades ago, such basic provisions weren’t even taken – how times have changed.
“Training in recent decades has been pretty intense, now precautions are just a universal thing,” Bertman surmised.
Indeed these days, it’s a far more complicated closet of personal protection equipment (PPE). Think goggles, gowns, head shields, suits and slippers. And while a trip to the dentist may seem ever-more laborious in such strange times, Bertman stressed its more crucial than ever.
Like many of his colleagues, he said he has seen a disturbing uptick in emergency cracked teeth, likely induced by increased grinding and clenching – likely a result of increased stresses triggered by everything from loss of loved ones and COVID fears, rising employment, and homeschooling, to lack to recreation and heightened uncertainty. Fractured chompers and gum inflammation can also spawn from stomach issues, muscle spasms, and poor posture as a consequence of long days working from home.
Yet even in the darkness that has cluttered New York City – which in the early stages of the coronavirus mayhem served as the world’s contagion epicenter – Bertman has observed firsthand the silver linings that emerge during tough times.
The small victories we as humans mark in a bid to take back some semblance of self-care and indulgence when the horizons appear bleak.
“What is happening now is that more people are coming in wanting to do cosmetic procedures, and there are few reasons that play into that,” he explained. “People have been stuck at home. They haven’t been able to go on their regular vacations; they have to stare at themselves a lot more on Zoom meetings. So people are putting money into themselves. They are going and getting the braces or Invisalign they have long wanted; they use their stimulus checks and improve the way they look and feel about themselves. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Bertman also pointed out that he has witnessed a leap in patients in the 60-70 year demographic taking action to fix the dental woes that have plagued their pasts for too long.
“Once you hit that age and start losing your teeth, your quality of life really goes down,” he conjectured. “You lose the simple pleasures of life – like enjoying a nice meal. People are now taking matters into their own hands, taking back control of their lives and health.”
Nonetheless, the uphill battle of the past year has also functioned as a poignant reminder of why the University of Pittsburgh graduate got into the business in the first place.
“I always liked the idea of working with my hands, and I loved exploring the art of what is behind the smile,” Bertman noted. “Creating a beautiful smile is a lot of fun; you can change someone’s life with their smile. That is the most rewarding thing for me.”
And for that, he said, he refuses to charge patients extra despite the acerbated costs associated with the ancillary protocols surrounding PPE and cleaning now required, and the reduction in the number of patients that can come through the doors each day, as per Centers for Disease Control guidelines. But from Bertman’s lens, the layered costs, the donning of something akin to a “spacesuit” to go to work, the restricted patient stream and the extensive cleaning measures are poised to become the “new normal” in the medical industry even after the coronavirus comes under control.
It is a bullet Bertman said he simply has to bite – so to speak – to keep his community thriving.
“The dental industry is going to change for the long-term. A lot of these things are going to become standard,” he added. “And the most important thing is making sure our patients feel safe.”

Trump Impeachment Trial Begins: Highlights & Video

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
screenshot

(TJVNEWS) Notes from the opening of Trump’s second impeachment trial

By a vote of 56-44, the senate declared the impeachment trial was constitutional, 6 Republicans joined with the Democrats

Trump attorney David Schoen spoke about jurisdiction, Schoen says the trial will tear the country apart because people will see it as a group of partisans trying to eliminate Trump, an “ill-advised” impeachment process that was flawed.

Schoen argues only presidents can be impeached/convicted because only current presidents can be removed from office.

Schoen says the Senate does not have jurisdiction because Trump is “no longer president.” He tries to make the case that Pelosi deprived Trump of his due process rights (having Chief Justice Roberts presiding).

Schoen also played a video of Democrats calling for impeaching Trump dating back to the beginning of his presidency, highlighting the incendiary language of many Democrat members of senate and congress

Bruce Castor spoke first on behalf of Trump and received lots of criticism from conservatives on social media saying his performance was rambling and unfocused

Democrat rep Rep. Cicilline (D-RI)  says impeachment exists to protect our constitutional system and safeguard our democracy. He says things could have been much worse on January 6 as the rioters/mob “could have killed” all of them. He says Trump was impeached while in office for conduct while in office. House Managers intent on proving Trump was solely responsible for the insurrection. He made a dramatic and Holywoodesque presentation

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the lead House manager, spoke first. Raskin says their case is “all about the facts” and he won’t be lecturing on the Federalist Papers. He accuses Trump’s lawyers of wanting to prevent facts from being heard. He says their argument is that if you commit an impeachable offense in the last weeks of office, you do it with constitutional impunity. He says this “January exception” is the Founders’ worst nightmare and will give a president a free shot to do anything on his way out the door, including using violent means to lock it.

Raskin warns about how Jan. 6 could be the future and plays a clip of Trump telling his supporters that he would walk down to the Capitol with them. He plays a video of rioters calling cops “pigs”  and storming the Capitol building. After video of rioters storming the Capitol, Raskin says if that is not an impeachable offense, nothing is. He says Trump started a “violent insurrection” and he wants the Senate to decide that it is powerless. “That can’t be right,” he says

OAN Report: Mathematician Says Biden Election Win A Statistical Impossibility

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
1

Jared Evan

The fearless upstart conservative news network One America News (OAN) continues to report the topics, that will instantly get you banned from social media.

In November the news network had its YouTube Channel suspended and demonetized indefinitely after reporting on a peer-reviewed drug Ivermectin, a drug that is FDA approved and is a noted inhibitor of the COVID-19 causative virus. Even though there are literally several peer-reviewed studies on Ivermectin (LINK HERE) the google owned YouTube called the video ” medical misinformation”. TJV News also had its YouTube channel suspended for posting a video of the OAN report.

OAN regardless of censorship has continued to report hard-hitting and interesting news.

Their latest hot report, which YouTube will instantly ban if posted on their site  is on a mathematician  who explains how Joe Biden’s victory  was statistically impossible

TJV News would like our readers to explore other video hosting sites, such as Bit Chute and Rumble to watch uncensored news and opinions.

Below is the OAN report, from a Bitchute channel, share it if you will, but share it carefully.

TJV News does not endorse the views expressed in the video but presents it because we encourage free-speech and the claims are interesting.

36 People Develop Rare Blood Disorder, Thrombocytopenia, After COVID Vaccine, 1 dead

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
(Frank Molter/dpa via AP)

(TJVNEWS)At least 36 people have developed a rare, life-threatening blood disorder, called thrombocytopenia, after receiving either of the two COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the US.

One of them, Miami obstetrician Dr Gregory Michael, died after thrombocytopenia caused his platelets to drop to virtually zero. He was just 56 and died of a brain hemorrhage just 16 days after receiving Pfizer‘s shot. , Daily Mail reported

 36 similar cases had been reported to the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, VAERS, by the end of January. The cases involved either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, the only two authorized so far for emergency use in the United States, the NY Times reported.

Thrombocytopenia is basically  a lack of platelets, a blood component essential for clotting.

Daily Mail reported

Thrombocytopenia has been seen after other vaccines as well, and experts suspect that the shot does act as a trigger in some way – they just don’t know why yet.

But so far, the platelet-suppressing condition appears exceedingly rare – affecting just 36 people out of 43 million doses administered in the US – and scientists theorize that only a small fraction of the population may have some predisposition that could lead vaccines to trigger the blood disorder.

In a statement, Pfizer said: “We take reports of adverse events very seriously,” and added that it was aware of thrombocytopenia cases in vaccine recipients.

NY Times noted :

Moderna also provided a statement, which did not address the question of the platelet disorder, but said the company “continuously monitors the safety of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine using all sources of data” and routinely shares safety information with regulators.

 

Trump Offered to Deploy 10,000 National Guard Troops in DC Ahead of Jan. 6: Mark Meadows

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

BY ISABEL VAN BRUGEN(EPOCH TIMES) 

Former President Donald Trump offered to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops in Washington D.C. prior to Jan. 6, the day of the Capitol building breach, according to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Meadows told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that although Trump had been vocal about offering Capitol Police and National Guard presence at the Capitol on multiple occasions last month, his offer was rebuked “every time.”

“We also know that in January, but also throughout the summer, that the president was very vocal in making sure that we had plenty of National Guard, plenty of additional support because he supports our rule of law and supports our law enforcement and offered additional help,” Meadows told host Maria Bartiromo.

“Even in January, that was a given, as many as 10,000 National Guard troops were told to be on the ready by the Secretary of Defense” Meadows said. “That was a direct order from President Trump and yet here is what we see … all kinds of blame going around but yet not a whole lot of accountability.”

“That accountability needs to rest where it ultimately should be and that’s on Capitol Hill” Meadows added.

The Pentagon and the office of Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment by The Epoch Times.

Democrats allege that the president incited the violence at the Capitol in a speech he delivered near the White House on Jan 6. In his address, Trump used the words “fight like hell” in reference to his team’s legal efforts around election integrity. The Democrats allege that Trump used the words to incite his followers to commit violence.

House Democrats, joined by 10 Republicans, voted on Jan. 13 to approve a single article of impeachment against Trump for “incitement of insurrection,” making him the first president to be impeached twice. When the Senate trial opens on Feb. 9, he will become the first former president to stand trial.

Meadows described the impeachment effort against the former president as “political theater.”

“It’s really about Democrats trying to once again make a political point,” he said. “This whole impeachment is designed to remove someone from office. President Trump is a private citizen at this point. And yet they can’t stand it. They have to continue to go ahead and try to put forth some kind of narrative that scores political points.”

He added, “But we have seen it before. The American people are not going to have it. We have already had 45 senators say that this is unconstitutional. But it’s more than that. It’s a violation of due process. It’s not what our founding fathers set up. And it sets a very bad precedent of future officeholders.”

Attorneys for Trump on Monday set out their defense for his Senate impeachment trial, arguing that the Senate has no jurisdiction to try a former official, that the House’s charge against the 45th president is deficient, that their client was deprived of due process and had his right to free speech violated by the article of impeachment.

In the 78-page trial memorandum, the attorneys posit that the Senate taking up the impeachment amounts to a bill of attainder, an act that the Constitution prohibits the legislature from taking because it would amount to inflicting punishment without a jury trial. The defense also contends that the “incitement” accusation is contradicted by the plain text of the transcript of the president’s Jan. 6 speech.

“The Article of Impeachment presented by the House is unconstitutional for a variety of reasons, any of which alone would be grounds for immediate dismissal. Taken together, they demonstrate conclusively that indulging House Democrats’ hunger for this political theater is a danger to our Republic democracy and the rights that we hold dear,” the trial memo, authored by Bruce Castor, David Schoen, and Michael van der Veen, states.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.

Super Bowl Ratings Crash to Lowest Level Since 1969, Least Watched Since 2006

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
AP

WARNER TODD HUSTON

The ratings for Super Bowl 55 are in, and the news is not good. The numbers show that viewership fell nine percent, making the game the lowest-rated Super Bowl in more than 50 years.

“CBS averaged 91.629 million TV-only viewers for the Buccaneers’ blowout of the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, the game’s lowest TV viewership since ’06 when Steelers-Seahawks averaged 90.75 million on ABC. That figure is down from just over 100 million TV-only viewers for Chiefs-49ers last year,” Sports Business Daily reported.

But that is not the worst of it. Sports Media Watch also published the ratings numbers for the entire history of the Super Bowl and this year’s ratings crash is precipitous. According to the numbers, the 2021 ratings (38.2) are the lowest since 1969 (36.0). And Super Bowl 55 is the first game falling below the 40.0 ratings mark since the 1990 Super Bowl between San Francisco and Denver (39.0).

However, digital numbers were up 65 percent this year, proving that TV viewing continues to migrate away from broadcast TV and to streaming and mobile outlets.

Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand noted that Super Bowl 55’s numbers are “hard to spin” into a “positive story.”

“It’s hard to spin these Super Bowl ratings into a positive story. The numbers are down despite a highly-touted matchup of star QBs, snowstorms in the Northeast, etc.,” he tweeted Tuesday.

However, Ourand also noted that despite the lower numbers, the Super Bowl would have earned the biggest audience of stand-alone broadcasts for the year. He also pointed out that all regular TV viewership is off seven percent overall.

Breitbart

W.H.O. Stands with Beijing, Absolves Wuhan Lab of Coronavirus Leak

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
Peter Embarek, of the World Health Organization team holds up a chart showing pathways of transmission of the virus during a joint press conference held at the end of the W.H.O. mission in Wuhan, China, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

SIMON KENT

It is “extremely unlikely” the coronavirus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, and is more likely to have jumped to humans from an animal, World Health Organization (W.H.O.) investigators said Tuesday as they wrapped up their visit to the country’s central Hubei province.

Peter Embarek, leader of the W.H.O. team, told a media conference instead of investigating laboratories in the country,  frozen meats sold at the wet market in Wuhan where the first cluster of cases was detected should instead be pursued as a line of inquiry.

Our initial findings suggest that the introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely pathway and one that will require more studies and more specific, targeted research,” Embarek said, as reported by AP.

“However, the findings suggest that the laboratory incidents hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus to the human population,” Embarek said.

He backed Beijing and dismissed claims of transmission “in Wuhan or elsewhere” in China before December 2019 – despite allegations the virus was circulating globally months earlier than that, as Breitbart News reported.

Professor Liang Wannian, an expert with China’s Health Commission, told the same press briefing he agreed there had been no substantial spread of the virus in the city of 11 million before the late 2019 outbreak, Reuters reports.

Winnian said while transmissions from animals to humans via bats remains the likeliest origin of coronavirus, the original host “has not been identified.”

Bats and pangolins are potential animal sources of the virus, the professor said, but the coronavirus samples found in them were similar, but not identical to the virus found in humans.

He claimed studies showed the coronavirus “can be carried long-distance on cold chain products,” a nod towards the theory of possible importation of the virus – a point that has gained strength in China in recent months.

Chinese authorities have kept a tight hold on information about the possible causes of the pandemic that has now sickened more than 105 million people and killed more than 2.2 million worldwide.

 Breitbart/ The Associated Press contributed to this story

 

WATCH LIVE: Former President Trump Impeachment Trial Day 2

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

 

Top Health Ministry Official: Israel May Not Achieve Herd Immunity Against COVID-19

By
Sholom Schreirber
-
0
Shops are closed following restrictions in nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

(JNS) – Israel may be unable to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 even if 100 percent of those eligible to be vaccinated against the disease are inoculated, a Health Ministry expert told the Knesset on Sunday, as the country began lifting its third national lockdown.

Speaking to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, which had convened to discuss COVID-19 regulations, Dr. Alroy-Preis, head of public health services at the ministry, said that while Pfizer’s BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is effective, it may not be effective enough. Compounding the issue, she said, is that none of the currently available vaccines may be administered to children.

“At the moment we have 2.5 million children who can’t be vaccinated … [and] the Pfizer vaccine is 95 percent effective, which means that 5 percent won’t have full protection” she said, noting that for the older cohort the vaccine’s tested efficacy was even lower, approximately 90 percent.

Herd immunity occurs when a large enough segment of a population community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, rendering its further spread unlikely. Once herd immunity is achieved, even those members of the population that are not immune are protected.

The exact percentage of the population that must be immune in order for herd immunity to be achieved varies depending on the disease. As a general rule, the more contagious the disease, the higher the percentage needed.

According to the World Health Organization, herd immunity against measles requires about 95 percent of a population to be vaccinated, while for polio the threshold is about 80 percent. The figure for COVID-19 is not known, according to the WHO, and “will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritized for vaccination, and other factors.”

The highly contagious U.K. variant of the COVID-19 virus has “changed the game” in Israel, warned Alroy-Preis.

“We’re in a situation in which the [virus’s reproduction number is one] and we’re relaxing restrictions,” she warned.

While the country has mounted a massive and effective vaccination campaign during the lockdown, she said it might not be sufficient.

“If we thought that after the first round of vaccine shots, everything would be different, that’s not the case. We are seeing mutations [of the COVID-19 virus] around the world that are re-infecting people,” she said.

While more than one third of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine and nearly a quarter have received the second dose, and despite weeks of lockdown, morbidity remains high, standing at 8.8 percent on Sunday.

The Military Intelligence COVID-19 task force has found that despite a decrease in the number of seriously ill patients, the number of daily new cases remains high and hospitals continue to be overwhelmed. During the lockdown the virus’s reproduction number surpassed one; it now stands at a high 0.99.

According to the task force, this statistic, along with the easing of some lockdown restrictions on Sunday and the prevalence of the U.K. variant of the virus (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the Cabinet meeting on Thursday that the variant accounts for some 80 percent of all new cases) is expected to lead to a sharp increase in morbidity in the coming weeks.

Israel already leads Western countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Austria in the number of new infections per 1 million people, according to the report

There has, however, been a decrease in verified cases as well as in severe cases of the disease among patients aged 60 and over, likely due to the influence of the vaccination campaign. Over 15 percent of that age group, however, has neither received the first dose of the vaccine nor recovered from the virus.

Jerusalem’s Herzog Medical Center, which specializes in medical care for the elderly, is currently treating 100 coronavirus patients, 42 of which are in serious condition.

“We have a critical week ahead of us,” said the center’s director, Dr. Jacob Haviv. “The wards are still full with seriously ill patients, and on the other hand, lockdown restrictions have been eased. I call on everyone to go and get vaccinated. The vaccine has proven itself. There are almost no outbreaks in nursing homes. This is a significant success for the vaccine.”

1...1,6151,6161,617...2,275Page 1,616 of 2,275
DONATE NOW
Subscribe Now

© The Jewish Voice. All rights reserved.

Website managed by Napollo

About Us

Popular Category

Editor Picks