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USNS Comfort in NY to Treat Corona Patients After Several Mix-Ups

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A Navy spokeswoman told the N.Y Post multiple coronavirus patients were mistakenly transferred from New York’s Javits Center to the Navy hospital ship Comfort on Friday, according to Fox News, citing three US officials. Photo Credit: AP

By: Gerald McKinnon

A Navy spokeswoman told the N.Y Post multiple coronavirus patients were mistakenly transferred from New York’s Javits Center to the Navy hospital ship Comfort on Friday, according to Fox News, citing three US officials.

These mix-ups apparently prompted a sudden change as NJ Governor Murphy tweeted: President Trump has approved a request for the naval hospital ship the Comfort to treat New Jersey patients, The Hill reported

The 1,000-bed US Navy ship, which docked at Pier 90 on Manhattan’s West Side after its arrival Monday, is intended for non-COVID-19 patients only.

Until Friday, Javits Center was only treating non-coronavirus cases until President Trump – at NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s request – authorized the facility to bring on COVID-19 patients. This meant that the existing patients at Javits – a few dozen – had to be transferred to Comfort some 10 blocks away. The ship is only supposed to treat trauma patients, not those infected with coronavirus.

The number of coronavirus patients on board Comfort is “less than five,” according to one official. Of note, the patients had initially screened as negative for the virus, while up to half of those infected with coronavirus show no symptoms, according to new data. Now there will be NJ Codid-19 victims.

The top general leading the coronavirus response for the U.S. military told Fox News there was another COVID-19 patient who showed up to the hospital ship Comfort in New York earlier Saturday after being delivered by ambulance. The patient later that a “few” patients did test positive after arriving at the ship, but only while still isolated from the non-COVID-19 patients on board.

“They were isolated immediately upon arrival and received care for the entirety of their time aboard the ship” before being transferred to the Javits Center, which is now treating COVID-19 patients, said the spokeswoman, Lt. Marycate Walsh.

The Comfort in general has around 20 patients’ period while having 1000 beds. A tangle of military protocols and bureaucratic hurdles has prevented the Comfort from accepting many patients at all, the NY Times reported.

The Times explained: Guidelines disseminated to hospitals included a list of 49 medical conditions that would exclude a patient from admittance to the ship.

Ambulances cannot take patients directly to the Comfort; they must first deliver patients to a city hospital for a lengthy evaluation — including a test for the virus — and then pick them up again for transport to the ship.

UWS Rabbi Turns to Zoom App to Prepare Jews for Passover

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The popular zoom app is being used by Rabbis to help people prepare for Passover (zoom blog)

By: Denis Cyr

In the age of soaring deaths and strict social distancing rules all across America and the world rabbis are turning to Zoom movie calls ahead of Passover to enable housebound Jews put together for their Seders — and come to feel much less by yourself for the duration of the typically family members-oriented holiday getaway.

The NY Post reported: Rabbi Shlomo Kugel, who is the director of Chabad of the West Side, said that he will be hosting a model Seder via Zoom on Tuesday, the night before Passover begins, to guide viewers through the rituals.

“The synagogue has also established up a rabbinic connect with middle by which folks can set up 15-moment get in touch with slots with rabbis to check with concerns about Passover, he mentioned.

“It’s hand-keeping,” Kugel claimed. “It’s reassurance, building people know that it is not as terrifying as it may feel.”

Rabbi Yossi Blesofsky, who serves the Chabad Lubavitch of Northeast Queens, stated he hopes Passover assistance can present some reassurance to the neighborhood Jewish community during an uneasy time.

“We see it as our position ideal now to — as when the Jews left Egypt — break up that sea of stress and uncertainty, and build an island of relaxed,” he said. “So, on 1 hand, we’re right here to teach the fundamentals of religion and belief, that at the conclusion of the day we are in God’s palms and it will function out Ok.”

“We have, in a general sense, reached out to everybody, to make sure that everybody is OK in our community,” said Rabbi Moshe Hecht, who is from Windsor Terrace and part of a network of rabbis within the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, the Post reported.

Zoom Video Communications is an American remote conferencing services company headquartered in San Jose, California. It provides a remote conferencing service that combines video conferencing, online meetings, chat, and mobile collaboration.

Zoom’s namesake software is among the most popular remote meeting solutions in many countries. It is noted for its reliability and ease of use, especially when compared to competitors.

By June 2014, Zoom had 10 million users. In February 2015, the number of participants utilizing Zoom Video Communication’s chief product, Zoom Meetings, reached 40 million individuals, with 65,000 organizations subscribed. The company had hosted a total of 1 billion meeting minutes since it was established

By June 2014, Zoom had 10 million users. In February 2015, the number of participants utilizing Zoom Video Communication’s chief product, Zoom Meetings, reached 40 million individuals, with 65,000 organizations subscribed. The company had hosted a total of 1 billion meeting minutes since it was established

LI Doc Touts Hydroxychloroquine Success; Trump Attacked for Pushing Anti-Virus Drug

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Hydroxychloroquine has become a political talking point since Trump touted it as a possible treatment for coronavirus (AP)

By: Mike Mustiglione

Dr. Mohammud Alam, an infectious disease specialist affiliated with Plainview Hospital, said 81 percent of infected covid patients he treated with hydroxychloroquine at three Long Island nursing homes recovered from the contagion, The NY Post reported.

“In this crisis, I realized I had to do something,” Alam said. ” I realized if this was my dad, what would I do? And I would do anything I could to help.”

Hydroxychloroquine has become a political talking point for the anti-Trump leftist media for the last 3 weeks. The second President Trump touted the malaria fighting drug as a promising option in treating coronavirus, the corporate media went into a feeding frenzy. CNN, MSNBC and such pseudo-journalistic laughingstocks like The Daily Beast, Vox and the rest went on the hard-anti-Trump attacks. The corporate media instantly accused Trump of endangering everyone’s lives for even uttering the word Hydroxychloroquine.

When an Arizona man died from drinking aquarium cleaner containing the drug which was not the pharmaceutical version, instantaneously the media with their usual online clickbait, blamed this man’s death on Trump. Trump never told anyone to go out and consume the drug without a doctor’s prescription or drink aquarium cleaner, however this did not stop the stream of disinformation.

Even as Governor Cuomo publicized that the drug is being used in NY and has been effective in press conferences, the media harped on and on. You Tube began pulling videos down from any doctor who claimed Hydroxychloroquine worked on their patients. One can conclude the media and social media outlets were more concerned with trying to demonize Trump than people’s safety and well-being. Any glimmer of hope was instantly squashed by the leftist overlords, who place politics over anything else.

The NY Post reported: Alam said he decided he could not apply the touted combination of the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine and antibiotic azithromycin because the side effects could be potentially fatal for his high-risk patients, many of whom had underlying heart issues. So instead, Alam replaced azithromycin with another decades-old antibiotic that doesn’t pose any known risks to the heart. “Doxycycline is an anti-inflammatory with properties similar to azithromycin but without the safety concerns and without cardiac toxicity,” he said. “So I decided why not choose that?” added Alam, a board-certified internist, who shared the results of an observational report consisting of 47 patients he treated.

The Post also reported: Alam began treating his patients, 45 of whom had tested positive for the coronavirus after they developed a high fever, shortness of breath and cough. He received permission from their families before starting them on the medications, which have not yet undergone randomized controlled trials. “The majority had clinical improvement,” said Alam. “We had very good outcomes.”

Alam said that 38 of 47 patients treated returned to their baseline and their symptoms resolved. Seven of the patients were transferred to a hospital and two died. Alam noted that an 87-year-old woman with hypertension and coronary issues beat the virus. “Her daughter was so thankful that I didn’t need to transfer her to a hospital.”

“At the end of the day we feel like we sent fewer patients to the hospitals, we saved ICU beds and we saved some of the ventilators at the hospital,“ Alam said.

Eden Roc Passover Scam?? Brooklyn Yeshiva Files Breach of Contract Suit

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Brooklyn’s Magen David Yeshiva had planned to spend their Passover holiday at the iconic Eden Roc hotel in South Beach, however the deadly pandemic that has been ravaging the world has prevented New Yorkers from leaving home. Photo Credit: Edenroc.com

By: Denis Cyr

As the Coronavirus continues to keep New Yorkers sequestered at home, all travel plans for the upcoming Passover holiday have cancelled. It now appears that an ugly legal dispute has arisen between a Brooklyn school and a Miami Beach hotel.

According to published reports, Brooklyn’s Magen David Yeshiva had planned to spend their Passover holiday at the iconic Eden Roc hotel in South Beach, however the deadly pandemic that has been ravaging the world has prevented New Yorkers from leaving home.

The private school, established in 1946 and rooted in Sephardic Jewish tradition, services students from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade. As with schools across the nation, the viral outbreak has forced the Brooklyn campus to shutter and move classes online, as was reported by the Miami Herald.

Magen David’s attorney, Daniel Blonsky of the Miami law firm, Coffey Burlington, told the Jewish Voice that the contract agreed upon by Magen David, Elegant Travel and the Eden Roc includes a provision entitled “Force Majeure” which grants legal permission for the school to cancel the contract for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the outbreak of disease. Photo Credit: coffeyburlington.com

Working with the tour operator, Elegant Travel, the school first booked a Passover trip in 2018, and followed up with another in 2019. Then, it signed a three-year contract to keep the event at the hotel.

Because of rapid spread of the Coronavirus, Magen David had no other option but to cancel the trip. Eden Roc, however is refusing to issue a refund to the school for its down payment of $2.3 million. The school had rented 621 rooms at the iconic hotel for 10 nights for their 1200 guests to enjoy all of the amenities that the hotel provided

According to the breach of contract lawsuit filed by Magen David’s attorney in Miami-Dade circuit court, the school has cited a passage in the contract that would allow for a cancellation in the event of a “disease outbreak.”

The NY Post reported that on March 9, the school told the hotel that many of the families who were traveling with the elderly wouldn’t be able to attend because of the “escalating problems presented by COVID-19,” the court documents say. The Miami Herald reported that after Magen David made this announcement, the hotel’s vice president of sales, Sergio Rivera, responded by “demanding” that Magen David pony up an additional $1.2 million toward the rest of the cost of renting out the hotel.

An attorney representing the hotel “did not recognize or acknowledge the mushrooming COVID-19 catastrophe,” the court filings declare.

On March 18th, the school (working with the tour operator Elegant Travel) formally cancelled the trip. Within days, New York’s governor issued a statewide “shelter-in-place” order that forbade travel and Miami Beach ordered hotels to cancel existing reservations, according to the Miami Herald report.

At about the same time, the Eden Roc’s summarily rejected the notion that disease outbreak was a legitimate or credible reason for the trip to be canceled and according to the court filings, said that the Eden Roc will ‘retain the entirety” of the school’s deposit.

Magen David’s attorney, Daniel Blonsky of the Miami law firm, Coffey Burlington, told the Jewish Voice that the contract agreed upon by Magen David, Elegant Travel and the Eden Roc includes a provision entitled “Force Majeure” which grants legal permission for the school to cancel the contract for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the outbreak of disease. The lawsuit reveals that the other matters include “acts of G-d, natural disasters, union strike, terrorist attacks in the city in which the hotel is located, or declared war on the United States.”

Moreover it includes the following: “In the event that the Force Majeure event causes Group (Magen David) to cancel the Event, all monies paid to the Hotel shall be returned to Group.”

The hotel is insisting the event be rescheduled or “proceed as scheduled with whomever was foolhardy enough to travel from New York to Miami Beach for the Passover 2020 event,” according Mr. Blonsky.

The suit also said that the hotel showed an “utter and contemptuous disregard of the health and safety” of attendees and locals due to the inherent dangers of the virus. Mr. Blonsky added that the school hoped to avoid a lawsuit and reach a business resolution, but that it was forced to file suit when the Eden Roc refused to recognize what was happening with the pandemic and claimed that the entire deposit was forfeited when the Force Majeure provision was invoked.

The Jewish Voice has made repeated attempts to contact the Eden Roc for comments on this case but calls have not been returned by Julie Cabaleri of the public relations department or general manager Michael Chin.

According to an unnamed source familiar with the case, the obstinacy on the part of the Eden Roc is emanating from the ownership, which is based in Mexico. The source also revealed that the Eden Roc is an asset of Key International (key-international.com) and is managed by brothers Inigo and Diego Ardid, who are co-presidents. Said the source, “Diego seems to be the one responsible for the Eden Roc. They’re originally from Spain.”

For More Information please go to these links:

More information here

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241632126.html

https://nypost.com/2020/04/01/brooklyn-jewish-school-sues-miami-hotel-over-canceled-trip/

Coalition Talks Collapse, Unity Gov’t Looks Far Away Despite Progress

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (r) and Blue and White Leader and Speaker of the Knesset Benny Gantz (Flash90)

“Understanding was reached on all issues in preparation for signing an agreement,” Blue and White said.

By: David Isaac

Monday was supposed to end with the happy announcement that the two parties had reached agreement. A government would be formed. Instead, coalition negotiations between Likud and Blue and White collapsed.

The issue that exploded the talks was that of the selection of judges to the High Court. The Likud had conceded the issue to Blue and White, giving it power over the court’s makeup, but reversed itself, apparently regretting the decision, and reopened the issue on Monday, causing Blue and White to pull away from the negotiating table.

“Understanding was reached on all issues in preparation for signing an agreement – but the Likud sought to re-discuss the issue of the Judicial Selection Committee,” Blue and White said in a statement.

While Likud had conceded on judicial selections, Blue and White had conceded on the matter of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Likud wanted to bring the issue up with the Americans in four months. Blue and White had argued for six months or a more vague timeline in which first the coronavirus emergency would be fully addressed.

According to reports, the Likud had succeeded in winning agreement in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would only have to wait two-and-a-half months before bringing up the sovereignty issue with the Trump administration. Trump’s deal of the century affords Israel the chance to extend sovereignty over more than 30 percent of Judea and Samaria.

The breakdown in talks may have resulted from strong protests by politicians to the right of Netanyahu. The Yemina faction had accused Netanyahu of collapsing on the issue of reforming the courts.

Yemina party leaders, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, expressed disapproval with the way negotiations were going. Bennett went so far as to suggest his party would sit in the opposition.

On Saturday evening Shaked, who had been instrumental in placing more conservative judges on the High Court, said “Handing over the Justice Ministry to the Left doesn’t just mean stopping the revolution but going backwards, to the days when the judges would appoint themselves.”

Supreme Court activism has been a bugbear of Israel’s Right, which has insisted that the court has arrogated too much power to itself. The Right has also accused the court of leaning Left.

With the collapse of talks, it’s unlikely a government will be formed before the end of the Passover holiday. Benny Gantz, leader of Blue and White, has already told President Reuven Rivlin that he might ask for a 14-day extension to his mandate to form a government.

            (World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

Netanyahu Announces 4-Day Nat’l Lockdown to Fight Pandemic

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An Israeli border Policewoman inspects drivers at a checkpoint located at the exit of Bnei Brak, April 3, 2020. (Flash90/Gili Yaari)

Prime minister tells nation travel ban, home-confinement aimed at preventing spread of virus over Passover holiday when millions of Israelis would normally visit relatives.

By: Paul Shindman

A somber Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israelis Monday the government was imposing a total nation-wide lockdown as the country prepared to mark the Passover holiday, known as the “time of our freedom.”

Intercity travel will be banned from Tuesday through Friday and citizens will be totally confined to their homes Wednesday evening as Jews hold the traditional Seder meal and recite the story of the Jewish people’s biblical exodus from slavery in Egypt. Police had earlier said they would deploy in force to impose heavy fines and send violators back home.

“The virus is running wild, [it’s] rampant in New York, and we see hundreds of dead every day in Europe. The situation is much better here and there is a trend to improvement,” he added.

The prime minister spoke only minutes after the latest health ministry statistics showed 8,904 Israelis were confirmed to be infected and four more patients died during the day bringing the death toll to 57. Netanyahu said if the infection rate started to slow over the week-long holiday the government may start to reduce some of the restrictions after Passover.

“There are positive signs on the horizon, but we cannot be complacent,” he said, adding that it lifting restrictions in the future will depend on everyone staying at home to stop the spread of the virus.

Netanyahu added that if all goes well “we can start opening up the economy after Passover.”

Netanyahu spoke from his official residence in Jerusalem where he is in quarantine after Health Minister Yaakov Litzman tested positive last week for the virus. Assuming he continues to test negative for the virus, Netanyahu will come out of isolation on Wednesday in time to sit at the Seder table with his wife and two sons.

The lockdown will occur in two stages with a travel ban between cities and towns going into place Tuesday at 4 P.M. that will remain in force until Friday morning. With stores set to close Wednesday afternoon and stay closed until Friday, the curfew will ban all traffic and limit Israelis to stay within 100 meters of their homes.

The second stage will be a mandatory total curfew in order to prevent Israel’s Jewish population from visiting family for the traditional Passover evening Seder meal that takes place Wednesday evening. The home-confinement will start Wednesday at 6 PM and will remain in effect until Thursday morning.

The Passover holiday traditionally sees millions of Israelis take to the roads to join with extended family in order to celebrate the Seder meal that launches the week-long holiday. Highways that would normally be jammed for hours Wednesday afternoon and evening will be empty, with police sent to enforce the curfew, hand out heavy fines and send home those attempting to travel.

Addressing the issue of ongoing coalition talks for a government of national unity, Netanyahu said despite the current stalemate with the Blue and White Party opposition leader Benny Gantz, he still thinks it will be possible to reach an agreement.

“I am convinced that we can reach a unity government. The path is not yet blocked. There are obstacles, but I believe that with good will … we can get there soon, and we must,” he said. “Unity is needed not just at the political level, but also within Israeli society.”

                                                (World Israel News)

IDF Chief Quietly Asks that Coronavirus Leadership Pass to Army Control

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IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi (c) visiting coronavirus hot-spot Bnei Brak, April 6, 2020. (IDF)

IDF Chief of Staff requests that the military take over managing the coronavirus crisis in Israel.

By: Lauren Marcus

In a confidential letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, IDF Chief of Staff General Aviv Kochavi asked for the IDF to take over responsibility for managing the coronavirus crisis in Israel.

Israel Hayom reported that Kochavi’s letter was sent discreetly, likely to bypass possible objections from parties currently involved in managing the pandemic.

It’s reported that Kochavi wanted to avoid being perceived as interfering in the ongoing political negotiations between Netanyahu and Bennett, and in the debate over the transfer of crisis management from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Defense.

Kochavi highlighted several issues in his letter, explaining why he believed that, moving forward, the IDF should be spearheading efforts to manage the virus.

Among other things, he wrote that the IDF should be responsible for conducting the coronavirus tests in order to achieve a much larger scope of testing than is currently taking place.

The chief of staff further wrote that the IDF could concentrate all the information collected on the coronavirus crisis in one central place, which would streamline efforts against the virus.

This point likely addressed criticism of a lack of centralized strategy in the government’s efforts and that information had been siloed, preventing the sharing of data between ministries.

Kochavi listed other areas in which the IDF has a distinct advantage and why it should take the lead in handling the crisis.

The letter confirms that the IDF is ready to assume full responsibility in efforts to manage the health crisis. The IDF has been preparing for this possibility since the outbreak.

Several weeks ago, army leadership unanimously decided that they wanted to formally request to take over responsibility for fighting coronavirus from the Ministry of Health.

The IDF has volunteered troops and resources to carry out tasks assigned by the health ministry, such as distributing food to residents of the hard-hit city of Bnei Brak, and has made several proposals to undertake additional efforts in other areas.

Many assume that Kochavi’s letter expresses dissatisfaction within the IDF about the way the crisis has been managed thus far.

When asked for comment by Israel Hayom, the IDF spokesperson said in a statement: “The IDF maintains an ongoing dialogue with the political leadership throughout the crisis, focusing on the concept of expansive, shared responsibility, between all parties. We will not address the content of Kochavi’s letter.”

According to reports, the health ministry is resisting efforts to have the crisis transferred from its authority.

            (World Israel News)

Read more at: www.worldisraelnews.com

PA Claims Israel Hurting Efforts to Fight Virus; Cooperation on the Ground Continues

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The Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to claim in diplomatic forums that Israel is hindering its efforts to stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), even as the cooperation between the two sides continues on a daily basis and as the United Nations’ Security Council (UNSC) praises support for Israeli-PA cooperation. Photo by Yehonatan Valtser/TPS on 5 April, 2020

By: Aryeh Savir

The Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to claim in diplomatic forums that Israel is hindering its efforts to stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), even as the cooperation between the two sides continues on a daily basis and as the United Nations’ Security Council (UNSC) praises support for Israeli-PA cooperation.

The PA Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour sent a letter to the Security Council accusing Israel of hampering the PA’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus in PA territory, and “exploiting the emergency situation to demolish Palestinian homes and expand settlements.”

In his letter to council members sent Thursday, Mansour alleged that Israel confiscated equipment intended for the construction of first aid tents, arrested four Arabs while scavenging public facilities and obstructed volunteers in Hebron who were disinfecting neighborhoods and conducting advocacy activities for residents.

The letter also claimed that IDF soldiers are spitting on Palestinian vehicles and door handles to infect them with the virus, echoing a similar accusation made by PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon responded to the accusations by stating that “even during an international crisis, the Palestinians are unable to break free from their repetitive and baseless complaints.”

“The contempt they have for the truth and how to address a crisis situation is unparalleled. With one hand, they receive Israeli aid to curb the coronavirus in PA territory, and with the other they continue to make false allegations against Israel at the United Nations,” he noted.

Danon added that “those who exploit this crisis to condemn the soldiers of the IDF must be ashamed.”

In the meantime, Saeb Erekat, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and chief negotiator with Israel, published an op-ed in the United Arab Emirates’ The National in English asserting that “as the Palestinian public sector was mobilising to protect our people from this fearsome pandemic, Israeli raids on Palestinian areas have continued.”

After listing several false incidents that allegedly attest to Israel’s war on the PA’s battle against Coronavirus, Erakat wrote that “even with all the barriers imposed by the Israeli occupation, we are going to defeat coronavirus. Our resilience and co-operation with those who believe in a rules-based world order will also lead us, sooner than later, towards freedom, dignity, security and peace.”

Israel has, in fact, significantly assisted the PA in its struggle to stem the spread of the virus, and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has praised the cooperation between Israel and the PA on the issue.

Speaking last month, Guterres stated that “Israelis and Palestinians are a prime example of cooperation in the fight against Corona.”

Earlier last month, President Reuben Rivlin called PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and gave official confirmation of the contacts that have been taking place since mid-February.

(TPS)

Israel Dispatches Passover Essentials to Jewish Community in Egypt

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Israel’s Foreign Ministry launched a joint initiative with the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Jewish organizations to provide the Jewish community in Egypt with the essentials that will enable them to celebrate Passover properly. Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS on 6 April, 2020

By: TPS

Israel’s Foreign Ministry launched a joint initiative with the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Jewish organizations to provide the Jewish community in Egypt with the essentials that will enable them to celebrate Passover properly.

Israel over the past week transferred matzos and kosher food to members of the Jewish communities in Cairo and Alexandria.

Transferring the parcels to Egypt involved a complex operation because of the severe restrictions on cross-border movement due to the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said that “even in the harsh realities of the global Corona crisis, we do not forget our Jewish brothers in the small Jewish community in Egypt, and I am glad that we are helping them celebrate Passover this year.”

“The connection to Jewish communities throughout the world is a key part of the work of Israeli diplomats in the Foreign Ministry and in our representations throughout the world,” he added.

The Jewish population of Egypt was estimated to number 100 people in 2018 by Professor Sergio Della Pergol

In other developments, Israel’s Police on Monday raided a mosque in Lod and a few synagogues in Jerusalem that were hosting groups of worshippers who congregated in contravention of a law banning such gatherings to stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVIS-19).

In its activities to enforce the emergency regulations and public health orders, the police arrived on Monday morning at a mosque in the Neve Yarak neighborhood of Lod and found seven worshipers praying there in contravention of the regulations.

The police found two worshipers hiding in the mosque’s bathroom.

The worshipers were dispersed and received fines, and the prayer organizer was fined and was detained for questioning at the police station.

In Jerusalem, the police raided two synagogues in the Bucharim neighborhood and found some 30 worshippers inside each. All adults were fined NIS 500 for breaking the law.

In Ashkelon, the police slapped a store owner who opened her shop in breach of the law with a NIS 5,000 fine. The police had previously warned the store owner not to open shop and fined her after discovering she did not heed their warning.

             (Tazpit Press Service)

Israelis Launch App that Can Help Stem Spread of Coronavirus in US

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A group of Israelis has joined together to create an app that can connect millions of people across the world and stem the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), with a focus on the US, which is readily becoming the epicenter of the global outbreak. Photo by Hodaya Kalman/TPS on 1 April, 2020

By: Aryeh Savir

A group of Israelis has joined together to create an app that can connect millions of people across the world and stem the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), with a focus on the US, which is readily becoming the epicenter of the global outbreak.

The app will provide authorities and citizens with data to monitor the spread of the pandemic and will enable to user to know at any given time whether they were exposed to a person carrying the virus, and will predict outbreaks at an early stage using advanced medical information analysis tools.

Named COVUNITY, the platform, which was launched last week, is already drawing the interest of authorities around the world and has received an investment from the New Jersey-based IDT telecommunications company.

The group of five friends, including a medical student and two recently discharged IDF cybersecurity experts, decided to join in this effort after some were put on unpaid leave and with an understanding that they did not want to stay hone idly during the lockdown in Israel.

One of the developers, Gilad Ganz, told TPS in a conversation that they were prompted to create the app by the “extreme global crisis that has affected billions of people around the world, and as the Start-Up Nation, we knew that sitting at home was not what we should be doing at this time, but rather we should be doing the best we can to help by contributing our technological know-how and abilities to launch this application.”

A pilot of the platform will begin in Corona-battered New Jersey this week and is expected to come into use in many countries in the coming weeks.

New Jersey registered on Tuesday 18,696 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 5,310 cases in 24 hours, placing it second in the list of states with the highest number of Coronavirus cases in the US.

An additional 106 deaths were also reported across New Jersey on Tuesday, raising the state total from 161 to 267.

The app is essentially a combination of two already existing Israeli platforms, the Ministry of Health’s HaMagen application and the Weizmann Institute of Science’s method of tracking the spread of Coronavirus.

The “HaMagen” (The Shield) app tracks users’ locations to establish whether an individual has encountered someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The app utilizes information on users’ movement of the past 14 days, the incubation period for Coronavirus, while the Ministry of Health feeds epidemiological findings and data of confirmed patients into the system.

The Weizmann Institute of Science is using a Big Data-based system to predict where major Coronavirus outbreaks are likely to occur based on the information fed daily by the population to the system.

The platform has put an emphasis on reducing the compromising of a user’s privacy to a minimum and enables him or her to choose the level of monitoring.

Gantz noted that the app will enable the authorities to focus their efforts in a better way, thus clearing funding and manpower for other needed endeavors during these challenging times.

He emphasized that the program was created “to generate social solidarity around the Coronavirus issue.”

The app will enable safer streets “for all us, a reality that will require social solidarity, and we are harnessing the existing technologies to make a better world for everyone, and this is how we will beat Coronavirus.”

(TPS)

A Passover Like None Other

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It is ironic that the seder has always been held within our homes. During the original Pesach, we were warned to stay inside for it was unsafe to venture outside one's door. We have come full circle, we are once again confined for our safety. Photo Credit: myjewishlearning.com

Jews around the world will be celebrating the glorious holiday of Pesach this week. It will take a lot of grit, strength of purpose and belief for most of us to sit back and joyfully go through the appointed prayers, rituals and feast that, for years, culminated with visiting families and friends hugging one another and promising to replicate the event the coming year. The “Mah nishtannah,” question will be highly relevant, not only to this night, but to this special horrific year, as well. Sadly, it is a year as no other in recent memory.

This year, Pesach, for millions of Jewish families around the world will be different. Many seder feasts will be held around tables with reduced numbers of four, two or even a solitary one. People of all faiths, in all nations are in virtual quarantine by either government order or self imposed. All to slow down the spread of the Hunan/covid-19 virus. For Jews who have practiced the traditions of Pesach for over a thousand years, a change is in order. It is now considered holy to practice social distancing; and that means, for this year only, to cancel most large seder gatherings. For preserving life takes precedence over everything.

It is ironic that the seder has always been held within our homes. During the original Pesach, we were warned to stay inside for it was unsafe to venture outside one’s door. We have come full circle, we are once again confined for our safety, but this year we must give special thought to see ourselves as part of a greater identity, to reach out beyond the confining and protecting walls of our residences and understand that we all are members of the broader family of Jews.

Although we are now isolated, we must consider us all responsible for one another. Just as in the days when we were slaves in Egypt, we were there for each other, always available to give each other strength and support during our tortuous labor. We never said to one another that we have our own problems and cannot be concerned for the other. We were one big united family; with the knowledge that Hashem would redeem us as He promised our forefather Abraham. Indeed, we were redeemed thousands of years ago and we know that Hashem will once again redeem us from this nightmarish exile.

As we each beseech Hashem for rachmanus, we beg that this horrific plague will cease and we will once again emerge as a stronger and more unified nation. Perhaps we will be more thoughtful of our brothers and sisters who live always under threat of bigotry and violence. We must reach out to them to give them support, moral, financial and physical to keep them out of harm’s way.

We must reshape our lives to cherish our loved ones, to give thanks for what we have been given, to value one another but most of all, to join ranks as Jews to support and even fight for one another. We are one. Let’s learn from the situation we are now in. When this is over, let’s stand as a united front, never again to be separated, to be victims. Now let us celebrate Pesach and pray for our safe deliverance.

Some Hints to Stay Sane During this Crisis

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Schedule a few dedicated times during the day to check in to get updates. Don't spend endless hours getting depressed by the rants of the networks.. Photo Credit: Pinterest

OK, you’ve been cooped up in your residence for the last few weeks and there’s no telling when life will return to normal. The situation is too big for any of us to handle on our own. The worst thing you can do now is panic and make things worse. As a president once told our country during a crisis: “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself!” Great words to heed back in 1941 that are up to date even today. Let’s look at some little things that will keep you from going nuts:

KEEP TO A ROUTINE. Get up and out of bed as early as you can after a good night’s sleep. Get dressed, shower, eat a hearty breakfast and listen to music that you like. Each evening, make a list to organize your activities for the following day. Keep a schedule and follow it. Plan out simple chores such as doing laundry, cleaning and the preparation of food. Stick to it!

GET SOME FRESH AIR: Don’t make yourself a housebound victim. Wearing your mask, go outside. If you’re in an elevated building, try not to use the elevator. Walk down the stairs for exercise and to avoid meeting people. Be cautious!

CONNECT WITH RELATIVES AND FRIENDS: Spend time on the phone to chat and to check on others whom you miss seeing. Cheer them up. Remember, this therapy works both ways.

STOP ENDLESSLY LISTENING AND WATCHING THE NEWS: You don’t need hourly reports. Your job is to keep yourself and others safe by following simple precautions. Schedule a few dedicated times during the day to check in to get updates. Don’t spend endless hours getting depressed by the rants of the networks.

DON’T BE SCARED: Focus on things you can control. Leave the big decisions to our medical advisors and elected officials. Keep a positive outlook by doing the right things to keep safe.

DON’T PANIC ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF FOOD OR SUPPLIES: Stores WII restock their shelves. We are a nation that feeds itself. Keep your anxieties and patience under control. Shop early and don’t hoard items.

BE A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUR FAMILY: Let your family see that you are not panicking. Talk to your kids as you would to adults. They understand more than you realize about this situation. They look up to you, their parent, for leadership and this is a perfect time to exhibit solid, rational, clear headed behavior.

Remember, this crisis will be over, sooner or later but the negative effects of it will linger….unless you take control and overcome the fears, anxieties and stress that accompany all such situations. The ball is in your court. Hit it out of the ballpark!

Letters to the Editor

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Remembering to be Thankful

Dear Editor:

As the Corona crisis grows and we are asked to shelter in place at home, our daily lives have changed. One constant for my wife and I continue to see Jonathan, our mailman. Despite all the challenges of dealing with the Corona Virus, Jonathan comes through, delivering our mail. Receiving and reading the mail has become one of the daily highlights, one which we no longer take for granted. Keeping busy paying bills, making some charitable contributions to food banks and other worthy causes along with reading our magazines and weekly newspapers delivered to our door, helps us pass the time of day.

Being retired, we have come to appreciate and enjoy getting the mail six days a week. A day without Jonathan delivering our mail is a day without sunshine! We can fully appreciate the connection between senior citizens and the local mailman. Hats off to Jonathan and all the other brave mail carriers who continue making their appointed rounds

During these challenging times, we also give thanks to our police, volunteer ambulance, fire, sanitation, nurses, doctors, deli, supermarket, take out delivery, fast food, UPS, Fed X, truckers, gas station, pharmacy, public transportation, utility, power, water, bank tellers along with those producing critical medical supplies who continue working day and night. Don’t forget the radio, television and newspaper reporters who continue to keep us informed.

There is daylight at the end of the tunnel.

Sincerely,

Larry Penner

 

American Jewish Priorities

Dear Editor:

Jonathan S. Tobin, editor in chief of JNS, ‘An Object Lesson in Misplaced American Jewish Priorities’, “National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, the new $150 million building in Philadelphia, filed for bankruptcy….Even if one accepts that the museum still provides a wonderful learning experience, the scale of its expenses was still way out of proportion to the good it could do. Jewish museums have sprung around the United States like opera houses in the ghost towns of the Old West. But the truth is that there is a finite amount of Jewish resources at American Jewry’s disposal. You have to wonder what history will say about a community that preferred to spend lavishly on a monument to its past rather than doing all it could to ensure its future.”

Compared to the population of the world, 6.2 billion, the Jewish population is only 13 million, which is 0.2% of the total world’s population yet we are the most targeted group worldwide, for hate crimes, online Nazi demonization of Jews and vicious smearing of Israel as the cause of the world’s and Arabs’ woes. Michael Bloomberg spent millions on his ego filled, failed campaign. I read about successful Jews buying baseball teams, vineyards, donating millions to a charity. But I do not read about a focused effort to form a news agency to impart facts to refute the lies mainstream media routinely prints about Israel or the Arabs’ completely false attempts to rewrite us out of our centuries old historic existence in the middle east. Nor am I reading about American Jews funding a journalism program to train young students to refute the fast growing, vicious stereotypes about Jews. Our resources are not infinite. Put them towards our future where it will have lasting and meaningful impact before it’s yet again, too little, too late.

Sincerely

Randolph Esselberg

 

Joe Biden and the Media Need Rehab

Dear Editor:

The media and Joe Biden, should be taking advantage of self quarantine to undergo Rehabilitation for their relentless, false blaming of Israel for Gaza’s woes. Rehab programs have a Ten Step Program. Try Step One for a start: Ethics 101 which requires you fact check and check your bias, before spewing ignorant, false blame.

JNS, “Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden was just the latest to blame Israel for Gaza’s woes. However, once again, facts prove these media and observers wrong: The principal source of Gaza’s isolation and desperation is, in fact, Egypt. Why does the media ignore Egypt’s critical role in keeping Gaza boxed in and isolated? The answer is simple: When in doubt, blame Israel…Egypt could open its border with Gaza tomorrow, declare a free trade zone to aid the shattered Gazan economy. So why doesn’t Egypt open their arms to their Gazan brethren?

Simple—thanks to Hamas and PIJ, Gazans are thoroughly indoctrinated in militancy and terrorism. Islamist elements that have made it into Sinai from Gaza have murdered Egyptian citizens and soldiers on a large scale. What’s more, Egypt has enough trouble containing the Muslim Brotherhood on its own territory—remember the Morsi regime? The last thing Egypt wants is to allow the free movement of Hamas operatives into Egypt; Hamas is, after all, the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The focus on Israel as the culprit in Gaza’s misery is misplaced and hypocritical.”

Gatestone, “While Israel is working overtime with Palestinians to curb and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Arab states appear to be doing what they do best when it comes to helping their Palestinian brothers: nothing at all. Israeli delivered 200 coronavirus testing kits to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, sector despite the thousands of rockets and incendiary and bomb-carrying balloons that the ruling government, Hamas, has launched from there towards Israel, and coordinated the transfer of 20 tons of disinfectant material from Israeli factories to the Palestinian health sector. It is worth noting that Egypt, which has a shared border with the Gaza Strip, did not send any test kits or disinfectant materials to the Palestinians living there.”

So to the media and to Biden, may your time in quarantine be well spent-undergo Rehab for Fact Checking and Ethics Training. I would also recommend you give up your addiction, your myopic, relentless obsession with Israel and instead, start reporting and giving speeches about the true atrocities in Syria, and elsewhere in our world. Try it. You’ll sleep better.

Sincerely

Sylvia Mankowitz

Coronavirus Lessons for the Coalition Talks

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An unknown number of months ago, through unclear means, the coronavirus broke out in China and landed in the rest of the world shortly thereafter.

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the fact that we live in an age of uncertainty. In such times, granting a veto over Israel’s borders to neighbors that are falling apart before our eyes does not advance the cause of peace

By: Caroline Glick

We are living through a grave crisis. And crises have a knack for clarifying fundamental truths. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed several of them.

First, our ability to control our world is limited. An unknown number of months ago, through unclear means, the coronavirus broke out in China and landed in the rest of the world shortly thereafter. Over the past month, everything that makes up our lives and our world came to a grinding halt. Schools closed. Workplaces shut down. Israel’s previously stable and promising economic outlook has disappeared. No one can tell us when or if our lives will ever go back to normal and what our economy will look like when this is over.

The second truth the pandemic has shown us is that no matter how bad things are in Israel, the plight of our neighbors is immeasurably worse. Consider Egypt. The Egyptian economy has been teetering on the brink of collapse for a decade. The Egyptian health system failed long before the coronavirus was a gleam in a bat’s eye. Government hospitals lack both basic equipment and a sufficient number of physicians.

The Egyptian government is trying to enact social distancing. Mosques and churches have been shuttered. But it appears that Cairo’s overarching strategy for handling the pandemic is to punish anyone who discusses the dimensions of the outbreak in Egypt.

A week and a half ago, authorities in Cairo stripped the press credentials from a Guardian reporter who published the findings of a study on Egypt’s coronavirus status that had been reported by the Lancet medical journal. The Lancet report claimed that the number of people in Egypt with the coronavirus is far higher than the official data.

At the start of this week, the Egyptian government claimed that Egypt had 286 coronavirus patients and that eight people had died in Egypt from the virus. The Lancet report alleged that more than 19,000 people in Egypt have coronavirus.

Then there is Lebanon. The coronavirus pandemic arrived in Lebanon just as the Hezbollah-controlled government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab defaulted on $1.2 billion in foreign loan payments. In the months that preceded the virus, thousands of protesters had flooded Lebanon’s streets demanding massive constitutional changes. The pandemic got them off the street, but it also hammered the final nail into the coffin of Lebanese nationalism. The Hezbollah-controlled Health Ministry, and Hezbollah itself, are focusing their resources on treating Shi’ites. Meanwhile, the Druze, Christian and Sunni militias, as well as political parties, are catering to their constituencies.

Jordan entered the pandemic after having barely survived a profound economic crisis that brought hundreds of thousands of Jordanians into the streets demanding government reform and destabilizing the government. Jordanians from all ethnicities have lost faith in the Hashemite Kingdom, which owes its survival to Israeli and U.S. support.

Iraq and Syria are both failed states, engaged in varying levels of civil war. They are run by combinations of warlords, Iranian proxies and Iran. They have no means of contending with normal life, let along with a pandemic.

Then there is Iran. The greatest state sponsor of terrorism and the author of much of the instability and suffering afflicting the region is also the greatest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Like Egypt and Lebanon, the crisis befell Iran in the midst of an economic meltdown. Iran’s economic difficulties aren’t the only reason it cannot contend with the coronavirus, however. The regime has exhibited total incompetence in managing the outbreak. Although the virus has raged through the country for more than a month, the regime still won’t shut down shrines in Qom, the epicenter of the outbreak.

According to Iran’s official midweek data, 47,593 Iranians have been infected, and 3,036 have died from coronavirus. Unofficial findings placed the number of infected at anywhere between 70,000 and 2,000,000, and 15,000 dead.

It is hard to know how Iran and the other states in the region will look when this pandemic has passed. But it is safe to assume that they will be less stable than they were when it first hit.

The Egyptian government is trying to enact social distancing. Mosques and churches have been shuttered. Photo Credit: vietnaminsider.vn

This returns us to Israel, which entered the crisis with a strong economy and an advanced, well-funded and functioning health system.

The coronavirus and the chaos engulfing our neighbors tell us two things. First, we need to preserve and strengthen the bonds that hold us together as a nation. Social solidarity is the vital foundation of all national efforts in times of crisis.

The second lesson is that in a world and region plagued with uncertainty and instability, we must do everything we can in the spheres that we do control to minimize uncertainty and maximize stability.

A week ago, Israel almost lost it all. Last week Israel was on verge of internal unrest and chaos the likes of which we hadn’t seen since the 2005 expulsion of ten thousand Israelis from their homes and communities in Gaza and northern Samaria. Indeed, the social cleavages that emerged since last month’s election foretold an even greater disaster than the crisis we experienced back then.

The fact that three former Israel Defense Forces chiefs of general staff were willing to work in concert with the Joint Arab List placed a question mark over the future of our society and state.

The Joint List is an alliance of parties that rejects Israel’s right to exist. Its members work openly in the Knesset, in the courts and in the international arena to delegitimize the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and to undermine Israel’s ability to defend itself from external attack and internal subversion. Blue and White’s willingness to work with the alliance called into question the Israeli center-left’s commitment to the continued existence of the Jewish state.

The public outcry their actions provoked compelled Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz and his fellow former IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi to reverse course and seek a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right-wing bloc.

The coronavirus pandemic arrived in Lebanon just as the Hezbollah-controlled government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab defaulted on $1.2 billion in foreign loan payments. In the months that preceded the virus, thousands of protesters had flooded Lebanon’s streets demanding massive constitutional changes. Photo Credit: Sunniva Rose/Twitter

By abandoning their coalition with the Joint List, Gantz and Ashkenazi prevented large-scale civil unrest which would have been devastating at any time. In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, it would have been disastrous. But while they recognized the need for social and national solidarity, it is far from clear that Gantz and his colleagues understand the need at this time to introduce certainty and stability into our strategic reality.

With our neighbors all teetering on the edge of the abyss, Israel needs to take bold action to make clear what its red lines are to restore some order to our neighborhood. The first means of drawing these essential lines is by fortifying borders and making clear we will defend them.

Israel’s borders with Egypt and Lebanon, and (thanks to U.S. recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights) with Syria, are clear to all sides. Our neighbors know where the line is located, and they know not to cross it.

This is not the situation on Israel’s eastern border. It is not the situation in Judea and Samaria. There, for 53 years, Israel has failed to set out lines or make clear its intentions.

To protect itself from chaos to its east Israel must apply its laws to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea region and follow up the move with mass expansion of its communities and transportation and road infrastructures linking the eastern frontier to the rest of the country.

Gantz and his colleagues claim that to preserve its peace with Jordan, Israel must first receive Jordan’s approval before applying its law to the border. But their concerns are misplaced. Providing Jordan with a veto over Israel’s right to determine its border will empower the most extreme actors in Jordanian society at the expense of the regime’s stability. In contrast, unilateral action on Israel’s part will stabilize its relations with Jordan by dispelling uncertainty about Israel’s intentions.

The same logic holds in relation to the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria.

Then there is Iran. The greatest state sponsor of terrorism and the author of much of the instability and suffering afflicting the region is also the greatest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Like Egypt and Lebanon, the crisis befell Iran in the midst of an economic meltdown. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

This week, Israeli Health Ministry officials briefed reporters that Israel must “annex Judea and Samaria from a public health perspective.” They meant that from a medical perspective there is no difference between the population of sovereign Israel and the population of Judea and Samaria. What happens in one happens in the other because the populations are intertwined.

P.A. health officials clearly agree. They are following Israel’s lead and seek its guidance in all their efforts to slow and the spread of the virus and care for its victims.

The P.A.’s willingness to work so closely with Israel owes to their faith in their Israeli counterparts. If the ministry was conveying a sense of confusion and uncertainty about its actions in relation to the pandemic, the Palestinians would reject its authority. This, in turn, would raise the level of uncertainty among Israelis and Palestinians alike and fuel hysteria and chaos.

A parallel dynamic prevails in relation to Israel’s security control over Judea and Samaria and its commitment to its cities, towns and villages there. The more certainty Israel signals about its long-term intentions in relation to its security control over the areas and its attachment to its communities in Judea and Samaria, the more willing the Palestinians will be to live and let live.

The peaks in Palestinian violence and rejection of Israel and its permanent presence and control over Judea and Samaria have come when Israel has expressed the greatest confusion about its intentions and plans in relation to these areas. A clear Israeli position on Judea and Samaria will work like its clear borders with Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to engender stability. Everyone knows Israel’s red lines and understands the price of crossing them.

Gantz and his colleagues reportedly oppose applying Israeli sovereignty to these areas and their opposition is a major stumbling block in coalition talks. Perhaps their opposition stems from their attachment to the left’s hidebound and false belief that the only way to secure peace is through appeasement. If so, they need to reconsider their views.

The coronavirus, and the failure of the societies and regimes around us, point to the fact we live in an age of uncertainty. In these times, Blue and White’s desire to grant a veto over Israel’s borders to neighbors who are dependent on Israel for their well being on the one hand and falling apart before our eyes on the other does not advance the cause of peace. It removes all possibility of peaceful coexistence. It raises the prospect of war by increasing uncertainty and instability unnecessarily. Israeli sovereignty and strength are the greatest stabilizing forces in the region today. Applying Israeli sovereignty to these areas now is the best way to promote peace and expand stability in our chaotic region.

            (JNS.org)

Caroline Glick is an award-winning columnist and author of “The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East.”

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom

Whither Woke Culture in an Era of Pandemic?

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Last week, in the New York Post, Kyle Smith made a thoughtful argument that, in the COVID-19 era, “the woke virus,” too, “is spreading faster than ever.” He quoted a statement on Twitter by actress Fran Drescher that the Chinese virus is a product of capitalism; he noted the “vomitatious ‘Imagine’ video praising open borders, socialism and atheism” that was posted online by Gal Gadot and other C-list celebrities in response to the pandemic

What effect might this plague have on the Left’s pampered soy boys and pussy-hat feminists?

By: Bruce Bawer

Last week, in the New York Post, Kyle Smith made a thoughtful argument that, in the COVID-19 era, “the woke virus,” too, “is spreading faster than ever.” He quoted a statement on Twitter by actress Fran Drescher that the Chinese virus is a product of capitalism; he noted the “vomitatious ‘Imagine’ video praising open borders, socialism and atheism” that was posted online by Gal Gadot and other C-list celebrities in response to the pandemic; and he cited inane claims by various activists that the coronavirus disproportionately disadvantages women or people of color. “Next year,” Smith concluded, “there will probably be a vaccine for coronavirus. But there will never be an inoculation for woke stupidity.”

President Donald Trump speaks during press briefing with the coronavirus task force, at the White House, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Washington, as Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma, Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, listen (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

He may be right. But during these strange weeks when all the world has been united in being apart, I’ve kept nourishing the hope that woke culture may turn out to be one of the casualties of this plague. In fact I’ve pretty much talked myself into believing that it will be. After all, what could more effectively expose the absurdity of the concept of microaggressions than a macroaggression on the scale of the coronavirus? When an increasing number of Americans are infected by a very real and malignant corporeal contagion, how many people are going to keep buying the leftist fiction that no country on earth is more riddled with the contagion of prejudice than the United States? In a time when we’re all “social distancing” to save our skins, who will dare to carry on about the need for “safe spaces” as protection from mere words?

If the religion of intersectionality survives the pandemic, how can its adherents not come to discern that if there are indeed legitimate victim groups in twenty-first-century America, they’re not women or gays or Muslims or racial minorities but the old and infirm? (Unless, of course, you’re talking about the Christians, Jews, Hindus, women, gays, and others who are the victims of systematic Islamic oppression.)

And what about the whole “trans” business – the insistence that men can become women, that women can become men, that there are more than two sexes, and that sexual identity is determined not by chromosomes but by how a given individual feels on a given day? Not only do some of these contentions contradict others – they all defy biology. And when everyone on the planet is preoccupied with a virus, biology is one thing that’s very hard to deny. If a lethal contagion came along that took down only men but not women, who would be more worried for his or her own life – a biological man who identified as a woman or a biological woman who identified as a man?

To be sure, as Kyle Smith points out, the mainstream media are still playing the same old tune. For example, they charge that calling the Chinese virus the Chinese virus is racist. On March 18, the New York Times ran a ridiculous piece that was presented as a news article and credited to no fewer than three reporters – Katie Rogers, Lara Jakes, and Ana Swanson. Its lede read as follows: “President Trump on Wednesday defended his increasingly frequent practice of calling the coronavirus the ‘Chinese Virus,’ ignoring a growing chorus of criticism that it is racist and anti-Chinese.”

Trump’s continued use of this term, we were informed, “has angered Chinese officials and a wide range of critics, and China experts say labeling the virus that way will only ratchet up tensions between the two countries, while resulting in the kind of xenophobia that American leaders should discourage.” Naturally, the article (which failed to acknowledge that the Times itself had used the term “Chinese virus” in a January 20 headline) went on to claim that Trump’s word choice had made Asian-Americans the targets of “racial slurs and physical abuse.”

Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, at the main market in Gaza City, Thursday, March 19, 2020. The Middle East has some 20,000 cases of the virus, with most cases in Iran or linked to travel from Iran. The vast majority of people recover from COVID-19. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Notably, the Times article referred to “the erroneous perception that China is the cause of the virus.” Of course, no one thinks that China is the virus’s “cause,” whatever that might mean; but it’s an established fact that China was its place of origin, that the virus would never have arisen if not for certain disgusting cultural and culinary traditions that are indigenous to China, and that the virus probably would never have spread so widely and taken so many lives if not for the treacherous duplicity of the Chinese Communist Party. Scott Kennedy, a “China expert” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Times that the term “Chinese virus” was “fueling a narrative in China about a broader American hatred and fear of not just the Chinese Communist Party but of China and Chinese people in general.”

Yes, there is a narrative to that effect taking root in China: it’s a narrative that’s being pushed, in the most devious and cynical fashion, by the Chinese Communist Party. (Note, moreover, the implication here that hating and fearing the Chinese Communist Party, or any Communist Party, is a bad thing.)

On March 20, the Washington Post ran a similar story, which also masqueraded as a news article, by Allyson Chiu, who, like her compeers at the Times, maintained that Trump’s use of the term “Chinese virus” had dismayed certain “critics.” (As with the Times, there was no mention that the Post itself had used the term “Chinese virus” on January 17, January 21, January 22, January 24, and January 27.)

These critics, charged Chiu, worried that Trump’s word choice “could lead to increased discrimination and racism toward Asian Americans — a marginalized group with a long history of being scapegoated amid public health crises.” Chiu quoted Harvey Dong, who teaches Asian American studies at Berkeley, as saying that Trump’s word choice was “racist” and “dangerous”; she cited Gilbert Gee, who teaches public health at UCLA, as saying that Trump & Co. had “made it okay to have anti-Asian bias”; and Charissa Cheah, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland, told Chiu that Trump was throwing Americans “of Chinese and Asian descent ‘under the bus.’” Like the Times reporters, Chiu asserted that “[s]cores of Asian Americans nationwide” had been “targeted in verbal and physical attacks linked to coronavirus fears.”

In treating the coronavirus as yet another excuse to cry bigotry, the Times and Post are hardly alone. Other major media, such as CNN, have also sung from the same hymn sheet. These are, needless to say, the same media that were quick to heap scorn on President Trump’s January 31 ban on visitors from China — a ban now recognized as having saved lives. On February 5, the Times ran an op-ed headlined “Who Says It’s Not Safe to Travel to China?”

Dr. Giorgio Palù, a virologist at the University of Padova, told CNN that “a proposal to isolate people…coming from China” was rejected outright by the Italian government because it was “seen as racist” – and this decision, he said, was the chief reason for Italy’s brutal death tolls. Photo Credit: sovereignnations.com

Accusing Trump of “xenophobic rhetoric,” the author, Rosie Spinks, suggested that the reason for his China travel ban was that “destinations perceived as ‘Western’ benefit from a kind of cultural familiarity and presumption of safety that so-called foreign or exotic places do not.” Who’s Rosie Spinks? A virologist? No. She’s a “global tourism reporter.”

Good try, Rosie. But at a time when we’re all constantly washing our hands in an effort to avoid perishing, how many of us are going to be inclined to wring our hands over the claim that hordes of Asian-Americans (none of them, to be sure, ever identified by name) are being verbally bashed or physically beaten from coast to coast because of the Wuhan plague? In any event, in the weeks after Spinks’s piece appeared as the U.S. and scores of other countries cut off travel to and from almost anywhere abroad, the media finger-pointers, instead of issuing apologies, began attacking President Trump for not acting sooner. At one White House presser after another, reporters have shown themselves to be less interested in obtaining information about the pandemic that might be of use to the public than in using the world crisis to try to tear down the president.

Again, Kyle Smith is right: they’re still stuck in pre-pandemic propaganda mode. But by taking this route at a time when they should be playing a critical role in the reliable dissemination of vital information, they’re proving themselves more useless – and downright dangerous – than ever. Most Americans, knowing that they’re being fed fake news rooted in woke ideology, already distrust the news media. How can the media’s decision to stick with propaganda in a time of crisis not send their approval ratings even further south?

As if we didn’t already have enough reasons to want to see the woke mentality quashed, this crisis has given us a new reason. Just as fear of being called racist kept colleagues and neighbors from blowing the whistle on the San Bernardino and Fort Hood terrorists (among others), and kept British police officers, social workers, journalists, and public officials from sounding the alarm about Muslim grooming gangs in that country, so the same woke-engendered fear reportedly kept Italian authorities from taking prompt, sensible action against the coronavirus.

Dr. Giorgio Palù, a virologist at the University of Padova, told CNN that “a proposal to isolate people…coming from China” was rejected outright by the Italian government because it was “seen as racist” – and this decision, he said, was the chief reason for Italy’s brutal death tolls.

It’s a consummation devoutly to be wished, then, that this bad dream we’re all dreaming together will put an end, once and for all, to the whole woke package, from microaggression to intersectionality to phony victimization. Is it a realistic wish? Am I kidding myself when I think that the experience of this plague might be a sobering, maturing experience for at least some of America’s privileged, pampered soy boys and pussy-hat feminists, turning them into rational grown-ups with a mature understanding of the challenges, uncertainties, tragedies, and responsibilities of life?

            (Front Page Mag)

What to Watch in Quarantine: 10 Great Jewish Films

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Gentleman's Agreement (1947) Photo Credit: imdb.com

This story was originally published courtesy of American Jewish Committee

You’ve tried to behave by limiting your screen time and staying off the couch. But cut yourself a little slack and pop some corn. Why not use this time at home to brush up on your knowledge of Jewish issues by watching some of the most memorable movies ever made? Here are 10 films—with some trivia to boot—that reflect the AJC mission to stand up for the Jewish people and Israel.

 

  1. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

This black and white film tells the tale of a journalist who goes undercover as a Jew to research antisemitism in New York City and certain affluent Connecticut suburbs. Gregory Peck accepted the role as leading man against his agent’s advice; Cary Grant already had turned it down.

The controversial film was a box office hit and won that year’s Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. But it also caught the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Its director, producer, and two of its cast members were called to testify. The two cast members refused to cooperate and landed on the Hollywood blacklist as a result.

Though no reporters went undercover, the most recent piece of journalism documenting a surge of antisemitism and other dangerous bias in the U.S. has been Documenting Hate, a collaborative project over the last three years by ProPublica and 180 other newsrooms across the country. Journalists tracked underreported hate crimes and white supremacists, leading to arrests and proposed legislation to improve hate crime reporting.

Available on Apple TV, Vudu, FandangoNOW, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Video.

 

  1. Raid on Entebbe (1977)
Raid on Entebbe (1977) Photo Credit: imdb.com

Made for TV and starring the legendary Charles Bronson, Raid on Entebbe recounts one of the greatest covert missions in modern history: the heroic rescue of more than 100 hostages at Uganda’s Entebbe Airport by the Israel Defense Forces just one year prior to the film’s release.

On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139 from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists who redirected the flight from its stopover in Athens to Entebbe, Uganda. After the 148 non-Jewish passengers were released by the terrorists, Captain Michel Bacos, along with the other 11 crew members, elected to stay with the Jewish hostages. The crew and the 94 Jewish passengers, most of them Israeli, were held hostage and threatened with death.

During the rescue raid on July 4, Yonatan_Netanyahu (Yoni) Netanyahu, brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and three of the hostages, were killed. A fourth hostage, an elderly woman who had been hospitalized, was murdered by the Ugandans.

In 2016, AJC bestowed Moral Courage Awards to Bacos and Tzvi Har-Nevo, lead navigator for the Israeli commandos who flew 5,000 miles round-trip to carry out what was arguably the most daring rescue operation in the country’s history.

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

 

  1. Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations (2020)
Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations Photo Credit: imdb.com

Who knew there would be an actual virus spreading around the world to poignantly illustrate the analogy in Andrew Goldberg’s latest documentary? In Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations, Goldberg depicts how the latest wave of anti-Jewish hatred has been impossible to stop as it mutates, moves, and wreaks havoc across borders.

Goldberg travels through four countries – France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Hungary – to interview victims, antisemites, and leaders on the frontlines of the battle against the far right, far left, and radical Islamist instigators. The film features an appearance by AJC Europe Director Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, along with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, a rebellious Holocaust survivor in Budapest, and others.

Hear Goldberg discuss his documentary on People of the Pod, a weekly podcast brought to you by AJC and the Times of Israel.

Airs May 26 on PBS. Check local listings. The DVD is also available for pre-order on Amazon.

 

  1. Exodus (1960)
Exodus (1960)

Pop a lot of kernels for Exodus, the three-and-a-half hour smash hit that portrays the story of Israel’s birth as written by novelist Leon Uris. Legendary producer and director Otto Preminger tapped Dalton Trumbo, who had been on the Hollywood blacklist for more than a decade, to write the screenplay. Paul Newman played the lead role.

The movie was filmed in Israel and on the British-controlled island of Cyprus, which had been the actual location of British internment camps for Jewish refugees.

Many believe the film fueled Zionism and support for Israel in the U.S. It’s also believed to have contributed to the end of Hollywood blacklisting.

Available on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and Redbox.

 

  1. Denial (2016)
Denial (2016)

At first, the trial seemed too tedious for a screenplay. But when renowned Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt published a memoir about what it was like to be sued by a Holocaust denier, Hollywood pounced. Rachel Weisz was cast to star as Lipstadt, the Emory University professor and author of History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier.

Because British law places the burden of proof on the accused, Lipstadt an academic with limited means, stood to lose a lot of money and her scholarly reputation if the team failed to prove plaintiff David Irving purposely twisted facts to deny the mass murder of Jews during World War II.

Spoiler Alert: Lipstadt remains an icon of Jewish historical scholarship and a favorite guest on People of the Pod.

Available on Apple TV, Hulu, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, FlixFling, Redbox, FandangoNOW, Kanopy, and Vudu

 

  1. Schindler’s List (1993)
Schindler’s List (1993)

You thought we forgot about this one, didn’t you? Starring Liam Neeson in his breakout role, Schindler’s List recounts the real-life story of Oskar_Schindler, a German magnate who, together with his wife Emilie, saved more than 1,000 Jews from deportation to Auschwitz by employing them in his enamel and ammunitions production plants during World War II.

Little known fact: There wasn’t just one list. Schindler and his associates compiled seven lists during the war. Only four are known to still exist. Two are housed at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial and museum, and one is at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The other is privately owned. The movie focuses on the first two lists drafted in 1944, dubbed “The Lists of Life.”

Schindler is recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. Learn about other heroes named as Righteous Among the Nations here.

Available on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, FandangoNOW, Apple TV, Vudu, Starz.

 

  1. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)

You won’t be visiting any resorts any time soon, so dive into this film instead. The Red Sea Diving Resort refers to a fictional vacation spot in Sudan to which European tourists flocked for its seaside yoga, but which also served as the base of a complex operation to rescue Ethiopian Jews.

The film is loosely based on the events of Operation Moses or Operation Joshua in the mid-1980s, in which Israeli spies set up the resort as a façade to secretly evacuate Jewish Ethiopian refugees. After nightfall, intelligence agents drove thousands of Ethiopians from camps and loaded them on to rescue boats to be ferried to Jerusalem.

“Anyone who saw Ethiopian Jews in their impoverished villages in Gondar Province, and now sees a growing number of Ethiopian Jews in universities, in the diplomatic corps, in the IDF as officers, and in other spheres of Israeli life, can’t help but marvel at a story of literally biblical dimensions that happened in our era,” wrote AJC CEO David Harris in The Times of Israel. “And how inspiring that it was Israel which did it!”

Available on Netflix.

 

  1. Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)

Leading man Kirk Douglas gets most of the credit for the success of Cast a Giant Shadow. But in truth, it was Western film hero John Wayne who rescued this pro-Israel blockbuster.

Inspired by real-life events, Douglas stars as U.S. Army Reserve Col. David “Mickey” Marcus, who is asked to help prepare Israeli troops to defend the newly declared State of Israel against an invasion by its Arab neighbors.

Marcus ends up commanding units of the nascent Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Many of the soldiers are newcomers to Israel and to armed combat. Though Marcus calls them the “schnooks,” he realizes he is proud to stand alongside them as a fellow Jew. The real-life Marcus became the IDF’s first general.

Because of its content, the film faced some difficulty reaching the silver screen. Writer and producer Mel Shavelson said both Jewish and non-Jewish elements of Hollywood wanted to avoid drawing attention to the Jewish background of anyone in the industry. But with the support of John Wayne, the film eventually was financed and distributed by United Artists. He also played a supporting actor role.

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

 

  1. Operation Finale (2018)

There have been a number of films made about the 1960 capture of one of World War II’s most notorious criminals Adolf Eichmann, including The House on Garibaldi Street and The Man Who Captured Eichmann. But the most recent was Operation Finale, a historical drama about the audacious mission by Israeli Mossad agents to spirit the Holocaust mastermind out of Argentina to stand trial for war crimes in Israel.

After Germany’s defeat in 1945, American forces captured Eichmann, who then escaped from a detention camp. He lived in Lower Saxony until 1950, when he emigrated to Argentina using false papers. Argentina had a history of turning down extradition requests for Nazi criminals, so in 1960, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion authorized Eichmann’s covert capture. The stunning operation and subsequent trial captured the world’s attention and enabled many Holocaust survivors to talk about their experiences for the first time.

Available on FandangoNOW, Vudu, Google Play, Apple TV, Redbox, Hulu, Epix, and Amazon Prime Video.

 

  1. School Ties (1992)

This film is chock-full of young but familiar faces – Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, Ben Affleck, and Chris O’Donnell. It may have been released more than 25 years ago, but it has taken on new significance in the 21st century with antisemitism on the rise.

Fraser plays David Greene, a working-class Jewish teen from Scranton who wins a football scholarship to an elite preparatory school in his senior year. It soon becomes painfully clear that his new buddies don’t like Jews and Greene becomes the target of antisemitic attacks.

School Ties is set in the 1950s, but high schools and colleges have once again become a fertile ground for antisemitism. According to AJC’s recent landmark survey of American Jews on this topic, young Jews are significantly more likely to have been victims of anti-Jewish hate. Nearly half of those surveyed, ages 18-29, said that they have been targeted by antisemitic remarks or have been physically attacked for being Jewish.

AJC offers LFT (Leaders For Tomorrow) to give high school students the tools to talk about the issues impacting world Jewry today, and the confidence to stand up for these issues in college and throughout their lives, no matter how difficult the situation.

Available on Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Redbox, Vudu, Google Play, Pluto TV, FandangoNOW, and Apple TV.