Rabbi Daniel Bortz founded Jteen of San Diego, an organization dedicated to educating and empowering teenagers. He then created SOUL X, an organization offering experiential events for adults that foster deep soul connection.
This week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) – begins with a set of purity regulations for priests. It then continues to list the main high holidays and to tell the story of a blasphemer who is stoned to death by the community. Our discussion focuses on the counting of the Omer and its meaning.
A May 7 report from The Jerusalem Post chronicled how the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority (PA) have been cooperating with each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report highlights documents from the Israeli Health Ministry and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT); the documents released in response to a petition calling for more Israeli COVID-19 aid to the Palestinians.
The documents stated that Israel has donated 1,950 COVID-19 testing kits and 2,400 testing swabs to the Palestinians thus far; Israeli medical personnel in Magen David Adom — Israel’s emergency service — and Sheba Medical Center also have provided training to Palestinian doctors on how to handle COVID-19 patients.
Additionally, Israel keeps the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the loop on Palestinians that enter the West Bank from Israel or Jordan that need to be quarantined for two weeks to ensure they’re not infected with COVID-19. Israel also informs the PA on any Palestinians residing in Israel who have contracted the virus.
Israeli aid was used toward a hospital in the Gaza Strip that specifically treats COVID-19 patients; Israel has a team ready in case a mass outbreak occurs in Gaza.
According to the Post, the documents state there are further cooperation efforts between the Israelis and the Palestinians that can’t be revealed “out of concern for harming Israel’s human relations.”
However, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, the organization that filed the petition, argued that Israel needed to provide more aid to the Palestinians to better address the shortage of medical supplies in the West Bank and Gaza.
“In order to ensure that the crisis that already exists in Gaza does not deteriorate into a humanitarian crisis, we must significantly increase the amount of aid and do so transparently,” Physicians for Human Rights Israel CEO Ran Goldstein said.
In March, the PA acknowledged that it formed a joint operations room with Israel on the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 25, Israel facilitated the delivery 3,000 test kits and 50,000 masks from the World Health Organization to the West Bank.
“Once more, COGAT is cooperating closely with the World Health Organization to make assistance possible in the Palestinian Authority’s struggle against the coronavirus outbreak,” COGAT Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun said in a statement at the time. “I commend the teamwork of the international organizations in this important shared endeavor, I wish steady good health to all the residents of the region, and I hope that we will continue to work together in the fight to halt the spread of this dangerous virus.”
However, PA spokesperson Ibrahim Milhem downplayed Israeli COVID-19 aid in April, accusing the Jewish state of being “agents of this [COVID-19] epidemic.”
“They are raiding Palestinian cities and villages. Do they call this assistance?” he added. “They open tunnels to allow workers [to return from Israel to the West Bank]. Is this the assistance they are talking about? They are throwing infected workers at the side of the road. Is this assistance? They come and arrest and spit in the streets. Is this assistance?”
PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has also accused Israeli soldiers of intentionally trying to infect Palestinians with the virus.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted in April, “Beneath contempt, [Palestinian] leaders have zero interest in or capacity for peace and reconciliation.”
Corrupt pay-to-slay PA like Hamas in Gaza offer Palestinians not hope, but lies, not policies to deal with new virus but heavy dose of oldest virus—Jew hatred. Beneath contempt, leaders have zero interest in or capacity for peace and reconciliation. https://t.co/qzqn0ex2Jb
MONTREAL (JTA) — Canada experienced a record number of anti-Semitic incidents for the fourth straight year – and they’re becoming more violent.
According to the annual audit by B’nai Brith Canada, the 2,206 reported incidents in 2019 represented an 8% increase over the previous year. The Jewish community remained the most targeted religious minority in Canada.
Violent incidents in ’19 rose by 27%. They included Hasidic children sprayed with tar by construction workers in Montreal and Toronto-area Orthodox Jews being assaulted.
Among the overall incidents, Ontario saw a 62.8% increase and Quebec was up 12.3%. Areas outside those provinces, however, saw declines.
The coronavirus is only making Jew-hatred worse, according to Ran Ukashi, the director of the B’nai Brith League for Human Rights. Ukashi spoke of “utterly false” notions that Israel developed the COVID-19 virus to boost the pharmaceutical industry and that Orthodox Jews are deliberately spreading the virus.
“That’s the nature of the anti-Semitic activity that we are hearing regarding the alleged culpability of Jews in COVID-19,” B’nai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn said.
The audit noted that last year, the Canadian government adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Southeast and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued statements condemning the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Ga.
The killing occurred on Feb. 23; video of it was released on social media on May 5 and has since gone viral. The video shows an African American man, identified as Arbery, jogging as two white men in a truck confront him. An altercation ensues, and one of the white men shoots and kills Arbery. The two white men have been identified as Gregory and Travis McMichael, who are father and son.
ADL Southeast said in a May 7 statement, “ADL is deeply disturbed by the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. While the public facts of the case remain limited, there are serious and legitimate concerns that the initial investigation was improperly handled. Additionally, it is deeply troubling that a video was needed to bring more attention and resources to this incident.”
Their statement called for federal authorities to get involved in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI)’s probe into the killing.
“Because Georgia does not have a hate crime law, federal authorities should be involved in this investigation so that if a bias motive be found, charges under the Hate Crimes Prevention Act can be brought forward,” ADL Southeast said.
Greenblatt similarly tweeted, “This does not reflect a nation with justice and fair treatment to all. We are calling for an independent, transparent, federal investigation into this repugnant murder. There needs to be justice for #AhmaudArbery.”
This does not reflect a nation with justice and fair treatment to all.
We are calling for an independent, transparent, federal investigation into this repugnant murder. There needs to be justice for #AhmaudArbery. https://t.co/C8HSwJXSDn
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) May 7, 2020
Gregory had told police in February that he and Travis saw Arbery jogging that day and thought he matched the description of a wanted suspect in a burglary, so they chased him. They took two shotguns with them because they didn’t know if Arbery was armed, Gregory said. He said that when Travis left the truck, Arbery attacked him and tried to take Travis’ gun. Travis shot and killed him in self-defense, Gregory alleges. Prosecutors didn’t charge Gregory and Travis because they thought the McMichaels had acted in accordance to state law allowing for self-defense during a citizen arrest.
However, S. Lee Merritt, the Arbery family attorney, said in a statement that the video debunks the McMichaels’ version of the incident.
“Mr. Arbery had not committed any crime and there was no reason for these men to believe they had the right to stop him with weapons or to use deadly force in furtherance of their unlawful attempted stop,” Merritt said. “This is murder.”
According to attorney David French, George court precedent states that citizen arrests can be lawfully conducted only if a citizen knows “that an offense is being committed.” French also argued that because Travis reportedly pointed his gun at Arbery, Arbery had every right to act in self-defense.
“Probable cause exists to arrest the McMichaels, now,” French wrote in The Dispatch, a conservative website. “There is compelling evidence of their guilt.”
Numerous high-profile figures, including Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, have condemned Arbery’s killing.
For any man who has a defect should not approach Behold the defects which prohibit you from
dwelling in the Lord’s presence. (I use the word Lord anachronistically as
the idea that God is a man is as ridiculous
as the things on this list.) If you’re blind (Seems cruel.) If you have a sunken nose
(Unclear if they mean your nose went
down with a ship. Look for treasure!) If your limbs are mismatched
(Didn’t God make everyone’s limbs?
Surely that’s not their fault.) If your arm or leg is broken
(We’re, literally, adding insult to injury here.) If you have long eye brows
(Finally those long eye-browed maniacs
are getting what’s coming to them!) If your testicles are crushed
(No comment.) There are more…the commingling eye
the weeping sores. Any excuse to separate human
from holiness, it seems. I prefer Abraham’s whole open-tent vibe.
Let all who are anything dwell amongst the holy presence.
There’s enough of God’s food
to go around
Los Angeles poet Rick Lupert created the Poetry Super Highway (an online publication and resource for poets), and hosted the Cobalt Cafe weekly poetry reading for almost 21 years. He’s authored 23 collections of poetry, including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion“, “I’m a Jew, Are You” (Jewish themed poems) and “Feeding Holy Cats” (Poetry written while a staff member on the first Birthright Israel trip), and most recently “Hunka Hunka Howdee!” (Poems written in Memphis, Nashville, and Louisville – Ain’t Got No Press, May 2019) and edited the anthologies “Ekphrastia Gone Wild”, “A Poet’s Haggadah”, and “The Night Goes on All Night.” He writes the daily web comic “Cat and Banana” with fellow Los Angeles poet Brendan Constantine. He’s widely published and reads his poetry wherever they let him.
Many in the Jewish community were stunned this week to learn that Orlando-based, Christian missionary “GOD TV” received a seven-year license to broadcast its television programs in Israel.
Although there already are numerous Christian programs available on Israeli cable TV, this one is different because GOD TV’s “Shelanu” channel will be exclusively in Hebrew, with content directed at Jews.
A spokesperson for GOD TV praised the decision to grant it a license as a historic accomplishment that will give a voice to the missionary work of hundreds of messianic (Hebrew-Christian) groups operating in Israel.
The messianic movement shares similar Christian evangelical beliefs with “Jews for Jesus”; however, its leaders are called “rabbis,” and their congregational churches are called “messianic synagogues.”
Despite rejecting historical rabbinic Judaism, they utilize rabbinic traditions to give themselves an air of legitimacy. This approach has attracted hundreds of thousands of Jews worldwide, many of whom are intermarried and find it convenient to mix Christianity and Judaism. Sources estimate 30,000 Israeli Jews are part of this movement.
There is no doubt GOD TV’s Shelanu channel has an agenda to proselytize and convert Jews to Christianity.
The messianic movement shares similar Christian evangelical beliefs with “Jews for Jesus”; however, its leaders are called “rabbis,” and their congregational churches are called “messianic synagogues.”
Ward Simpson, the head of GOD TV, stated they intend to “take the gospel of Jesus into the homes and lives and hearts of the Jewish people.” This program will reach young and adult Jews with “the message that Jesus is the Jewish messiah and savior.”
This missionary activity is especially serious during a pandemic when Jewish individuals are more vulnerable because they are homebound, lonely and glued to their TVs and devices.
The fact that GOD TV, while describing the Shelanu program, intentionally avoids mentioning they believe Jesus is God demonstrates they have adopted a deceptive strategy implemented by the founder of Jews for Jesus. By avoiding mention of Jesus’ divinity — a belief rejected by all denominations of Judaism — they camouflage their Christian message to make it more palatable to Jews.
This missionary activity is especially serious during a pandemic when Jewish individuals are more vulnerable because they are homebound, lonely and glued to their TVs and devices.
For years, missionaries have used social media to reach Jews in the privacy of their homes. This tactic has proven to be more effective than standing on street corners or knocking on doors.
It’s no wonder that every week, more than 20,000 people turn to Jews for Judaism’s website,YouTube channel and social media outlets. Our dynamic education resources provide answers to missionary claims and an inspirational and relevant approach to Judaism.
Jews for Judaism has formally protested to the Israeli government and requested it reconsider and reverse the decision to grant these deceptive missionaries access to the homes of hundreds of thousands of Israelis. The Israeli Communications Minister already has expressed his opposition to GOD TV’s missionary programing.
The Jewish community must stand together to build a strong Israel and simultaneously keep Jews Jewish.
Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz is the executive director and founder of Jews for Judaism.
Jewish-run nonprofit HIAS, which resettles refugees, has come under fire from Jewish groups, especially the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), which alleges HIAS is in bed with figures and organizations associated with anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.
The Jewish Journal spoke with HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield and ZOA president Morton Klein about some of the accusations against HIAS.
HIAS was founded in 1881 when the acronym stood for “Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.” Its original mission was to help destitute Jewish refugees pay for legal aid and travel to the United States and other sanctuary nations.
In recent years, as the number of indigent Jewish refugees decline, HIAS has expanded its mission to aid refugees regardless of their religious or ethnic background. For that reason, and its leadership’s belief that the term “Hebrew” was “exclusionary and outdated, much as the word ‘’colored’’ is to refer to African Americans,” HIAS abandoned its original name for its initials.
GOZ AMIR, CHAD – APRIL 20: (ISRAEL OUT) A Sudanese refugee child holds up a drawing as part of a project by HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) in Goz Amir Refugee Camp on April,20, 2007 near the border with Sudan in Chad. HIAS conducts psychlogical projects for refugees including painting classes where the refugees convey their experiences in drawings. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
“At HIAS, we used to help refugees because they were Jewish; today, we help refugees because we are Jewish,” HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield told The Journal. However, in recent weeks, the name change has drawn judgment, with critics claiming that it is symbolic of HIAS disowning its Jewishness and stance against anti-Semitism.
The idea of HIAS becoming a “generic” refugee-assistance group has upset some who valued the organization for its specific aid to Jewish families and individuals.
The idea of HIAS becoming a “generic” refugee-assistance group has upset some who valued the organization for its specific aid to Jewish families and individuals.
HIAS’ 2018 annual report does report assisting Jewish refugees; however, the majority of it talks about HIAS’ general assistance efforts around the world to those of all faiths.
According to ZOA, “In 2016, a total of 239 Jewish refugees entered the United States, and HIAS resettled 169 Jewish refugees (70.7% of the total). In 2019, only 38 Jewish refugees entered the United States. If HIAS resettled the same percentage (70.7%) as in 2016, then it would have resettled only 27 Jewish refugees last year.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: Activists hold a banner during a demonstration organized by HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, outside the U.S. Capitol September 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
Is HIAS anti-Israel?
“HIAS is steadfastly pro-Israel, as we recognize that a strong Israel fulfills HIAS’ founding mission — to ensure that Jewish refugees finally have a homeland to go to,” Hetfield said on behalf of the organization. “HIAS has stood with the Conference [of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations] in its public positions against BDS and against U.N. bias against Israel.” According to him, HIAS does not affiliate with organizations that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS).
“HIAS is steadfastly pro-Israel, as we recognize that a strong Israel fulfills HIAS’ founding mission — to ensure that Jewish refugees finally have a homeland to go to,” Hetfield said on behalf of the organization.
HIAS supports Israel’s immigration policy of aliyah, runs scholarship programs for olim, Jews who invoke their right to return. For the past three decades, HIAS has given higher-education scholarships to olim. HIAS, however, has challenged Israeli policies, including penning a joint letter with the Anti-Defamation League in 2018 to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him not to deport African asylum seekers.
Does HIAS partner with anti-Israel or anti-Jewish organizations?
The major complaint from detractors is that HIAS affiliates with anti-Zionist groups, which undermines the nonprofit’s pro-Israel stance. A recent column in the Jewish publication Israel Hayom alleged that “HIAS collaborates with Islamic groups that allegedly have links to Hamas and terrorist activities. It also works with other post-Jewish, pro-BDS groups like IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace.” While HIAS has signed petitions that these groups have also have signed, the groups have never partnered for a program.
“Allegations that HIAS ‘partners’ with organizations like IfNotNow, MPAC and CAIR are not true,” Hetfield said. He also noted that HIAS partners with AIPAC.
“Allegations that HIAS ‘partners’ with organizations like IfNotNow, MPAC and CAIR are not true,” Hetfield said. He also noted that HIAS partners with AIPAC.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 06: Ibrahim Hooper (R), Corey Saylor (C), and Gadeir Abbas (L), of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), speak to the media about the executive order U.S. President Donald Trump signed today about middle east travel, on March 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
However, ZOA has pointed out that on the HIAS website, it states, “HIAS is partnering with the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Children’s Services in another pilot program to support successful Syrian refugee resettlement through a range of activities including resource development, bridging cultural differences, and educating the community about their potential contributions to the community. The program also works closely with the Council on [American-] Islamic Relations [CAIR] and other faith-based organizations.”
CAIR, the leading American Muslim civil rights organization, has connections to the terrorist group Hamas. It does not formally endorse the BDS movement, but several CAIR leaders have publicly supported it.
Hetfield maintains HIAS does not affiliate with CAIR. “All ZOA points to is a single episode of cooperation by one of our local refugee resettlement partners in Florida, an agency which is completely legally independent of HIAS,” the CEO said.
Hetfield maintains HIAS does not affiliate with CAIR. “All ZOA points to is a single episode of cooperation by one of our local refugee resettlement partners in Florida, an agency which is completely legally independent of HIAS,” the CEO said.
HIAS does not dispute ZOA’s claim that it works with Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), which Hetfield frames as “a completely apolitical humanitarian organization with no position on BDS.”
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: Signs are seen during a demonstration organized by HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, outside the U.S. Capitol September 14, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
ZOA asserts that IRUSA is a terrorist-affiliated organization, citing how its parent company, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), was banned in 2014 from operating in Israel for allegedly funding Hamas. IRW denied connections to the group, reporting that an audit by an unnamed “leading global audit firm” cleared its name and challenged the decision in Israeli courts. Additionally, the United Arab Emirates and Germany have ruled that IRW was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Bangladesh banned the organization from working on behalf of the Rohingya people, alleging that it funds militants.
Islamic Relief denies all these terrorist affiliations, as does HIAS.
“Allegations against Islamic Relief Worldwide, also an apolitical humanitarian organization, remain unsubstantiated,” Hetfield said.
Another charge from ZOA is that “HIAS collaborates with anti-Semitic U.N. agencies,” in which it names U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNICEF as anti-Semitic. HIAS does not dispute that it works with these and other U.N. agencies. “These vital partnerships have never prevented HIAS from standing up against U.N. bias against Israel in the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, or anywhere else,” Hetfield said.
GOZ AMIR, CHAD – APRIL 20: (ISRAEL OUT) Sudanese refugees paint as part of a project by HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), HIAS conducts psychological projects for refugees including painting classes were the refugees draw their experiences in the Goz Amir Refugee Camp April 20, 2007 in Goz Amir, Chad. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
When asked if other Jewish organizations should be chastised for working with these U.N. agencies, Klein told the Journal: “I would have to see what they are trying to do with them.” He said that HIAS’ collaboration with these councils is more concerning “because they’ve done such work with such inappropriate groups that are so hostile to the Jewish people.”
Does HIAS partner with BDS activist Linda Sarsour?
Many in the Jewish world see anti-Zionist American activist Linda Sarsour as radioactive. The former Women’s March leader repeatedly has been condemned byleft-wing, right-wing and big tentJewish groups for her connections to the Nation of Islam group and rhetoric about Jews and Israel.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 21: Women’s March Co-Chairwoman Linda Sarsour stands onstge during the Women’s March “Power to the Polls” voter registration tour launch at Sam Boyd Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
On the day of the Tree of Life shooting in 2018, in which the assailant explicitly invoked the Pittsburgh synagogue’s work with HIAS as motivation for his violence, Sarsour started a fundraiser on her personal Facebook page for the organization.
“This act was neither solicited or coordinated in any way,” Hetfield said.
The letter he is referring to is from 2017, titled “Jewish Leaders Statement Against Attacks on Linda Sarsour.” It condemned often threatening harassment of the activist, explicitly stating that “We will not stand by as Sarsour is falsely maligned, harassed and smeared, as she, her organization, and her family suffer vicious public threats and intimidation.” However, Hetfield claimed HIAS did not sign the letter as an organization.
“In my personal capacity, I was among over 170 Jewish leaders who signed a statement which explicitly did not endorse her views, but was simply a call for civility urging an end to personal attacks and threats against Sarsour and her family,” Hetfield said. “I do not regret signing the letter at all.”
“In my personal capacity, I was among over 170 Jewish leaders who signed a statement which explicitly did not endorse her views, but was simply a call for civility urging an end to personal attacks and threats against Sarsour and her family,” Hetfield said. “I do not regret signing the letter at all.”
Linda Sarsour speaking onstage during the Women’s March on Washington in Washington, D.C, Jan. 21, 2017. Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images
The letter explicitly states the leaders don’t offer a stamp of approval to all of Sarsour’s messages, but “with Sarsour and others, we work as allies on issues of shared concern and respectfully disagree when our views diverge.”
ZOA counters that by stating an individual cannot sign under the name of his or her organization without invoking the organization’s clout. “HIAS President Hetfield and HIAS Vice President [Jennnie] Rosenn cannot now claim that they signed in their individual capacities, when they listed HIAS together with their names.”
ZOA added, “Further, for top leaders of an organization, there really is no such thing as signing such a letter in one’s personal capacity. When a president and vice president of an organization signs such a letter, it is widely viewed as a statement of the organization. Mark Hetfield and Linda Rosenn are HIAS. Most organizations do not let its leaders sign such letters, and certainly do not allow them to sign together with the organization’s name, unless the organization has approved of their action.”
Although Klein says he personally condemns violence against Sarsour, he feels the letter went beyond that.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 08: Morton Klein of Zionist Organization of America attends a hearing at the National Oversight and Government Reform Committee on moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on Capitol Hill on November 8, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
“I want to make clear if that letter defending Linda Sarsour simply said ‘there have been physical threats against her and her family, and no matter what we think of her or her views or how hostile threats against her are unacceptable, we deplore them, I would not have said one word,” Klein responded. “But the letter said we condemn people who malign and smear her — meaning criticize her — and look forward to working alongside her.”
Klein also added that by signing with prominent-BDS supporters and even vocal anti-Zionists, Hetfield lent them credibility.
Has HIAS disowned its Jewishness?
The overarching thesis of all these allegations against HIAS is that it no longer qualifies as a Jewish institution, whether that be from its expansion in mission or policy takes. “HIAS is, by its own definition, not a Jewish organization,” Klein wrote.
HIAS’ board is 100% Jewish.
“HIAS’ board is 100% Jewish, HIAS’ main partners are Jewish congregations and Jewish family service agencies, we are completely branded as a Jewish agency, we invest over $1 million per year just on engaging Jews and Jewish institutions in our work,” Hetfield said. “Helping those few Jewish refugees who need our assistance are a top priority.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 22: Atmosphere at the HIAS #RefugeesWelcome Thanksgiving at the Old Pine Community Center November 22, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bill McCay/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)
ZOA asserts that HIAS is not “Jewish enough” to be a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP), a nonprofit coalition of 51 national Jewish organizations that bills itself as the voice of organized American Jewry. HIAS is a member of COP.
“Under the COP’s rules, the faith of the members of HIAS’ board is irrelevant. If General Electric had an all-Jewish board, it would not qualify for COP membership,” ZOA countered. “The organization thus must serve the American Jewish community. Thus clientele — the people who HIAS resettles — is what counts here.”
“We welcome the stranger and protect refugees, as the Torah commands us to do 36 times. No act is more Jewish than that.” — Mark Hetfield
As to Hetfield’s mention of the financial assistance HIAS provides, ZOA said, “$1 million per year is a drop in the bucket compared to HIAS’ $50.9 million annual budget.”
“We welcome the stranger and protect refugees, as the Torah commands us to do 36 times,” Hetfield said. “No act is more Jewish than that.”
Ariel Sobel is the Journal’s social media editor.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Alpha Epsilon Pi partnered with all the U.N. agencies mentioned. It also incorrectly stated that B’nai B’rith International had partnered with the U.N. agencies.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who directs infectious disease research for the federal government, advised Orthodox Jews to phase in communal prayer as local governments lift coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
“The kind of social interactions which is the core of the beauty of your culture has unfortunately led to a higher risk,” Fauci said Thursday in a webcast organized by the Orthodox Union.
He encouraged the people on the call to take baby steps toward reestablishing in-person prayer.
“If you said, for the time being, ‘How about once a day and five days a week as opposed to three times a day, seven days a week,’ if you could phase that part in,” that would be a good idea, Fauci said. He added, “I don’t want to be presumptuous to know what that would mean to you from a spiritual standpoint.”
Synagogues across the country have been closed since mid-March, when states shuttered houses of worship and other gathering places in an effort to curb the spread of the disease. While some synagogues have begun holding services online, that practice is not compatible with Orthodox practices, so Orthodox Jews have not prayed together in months.
Now, as some state and local governments begin relaxing restrictions, it may become legally permissible to hold communal services again — though synagogue leaders have yet to take advantage of the right to open.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the Orthodox Union’s executive vice president, told Fauci that his organization was advising congregations to wait two weeks past government opening dates to start returning to congregational prayer, to designate seats to make sure congregants sit apart and to stagger services to keep entry into the synagogues compatible with social distancing.
Fauci also advised congregations to consider the intensity of the pandemic in their region, noting that deaths have yet to plateau in New York City and Chicago, where there are high Jewish concentrations. He advised not allowing older adults and those with underlying conditions such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension to return to services until the healthy have been in place for two weeks.
“As tough as it sounds, I have family members in the same boat, you’ve got to make sure that they are really protected,” Fauci said.
He also said the risk was likely to carry over into the High Holidays this fall, and that pandemic risk mitigation should continue to apply to worship at that time.
“As we get to the fall, there will almost certainly be virus,” he said.
Fauci has been seen by many as the voice of reason during the pandemic, issuing straightforward advice that has persuaded Americans to take precautions and limit the virus’ spread. He has said the long hours of the pandemic response have been exhausting.
“As you’re doing your praying, make sure you include me in that,” Fauci said on the call.
Hauer assured him he was. Hauer also told Fauci that the Orthodox Union was advising congregants to keep 8 feet apart because “it will end up being 6 feet,” the recommended distance for safe interaction, because Jews cannot resist socializing.
Fauci laughed.
“The emotional core of the Jewish people of being warm and close to each other, you can’t resist!” he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced in a series of tweets on May 7 that the Israeli Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has developed three additional antibodies that can stifle COVID-19.
Bennett explained the antibodies were taken from recovered COVID-19 patients; the antibodies attach themselves to the virus and the prevent the virus from infecting cells in the patient’s body.
He clarified that the antibodies are utilized as a treatment against the virus and not a vaccine, however, the antibodies could shorten the timeframe to develop the virus.
“I’ve had the unique opportunity to push this project since its inception a few months ago,” Bennett tweeted. “These are incredibly smart, creative and vigorous researchers, who love their work and care deeply about Israel’s security.”
Bennett added that the defense ministry is utilizing its resources to help the IIBR get the antibodies ready for “full treatment.” The ministry is working to obtain a patent for the antibodies.
“This is an important milestone, which will be followed by a series of complex tests and a process of regulatory approvals,” he wrote.
1/9: Big news from Israel: A second breakthrough: During the past few days, our scientists at the the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), have determined a set of 3 more antibodies that neutralize the novel corona virus (SARS-COV-2).
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
2/9: This is beyond the first antibody, which we already announced. I’ve had the unique opportunity to push this project since its inception a few months ago. These are incredibly smart,creative and vigorous researchers, who love their work and care deeply about Israel’s security
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
3/9: Today when meeting them I requested that they move as quickly as possible to complete the work for a full treatment. I’ve ordered Israel’s Defense ministery to spare no money or resources to make this happen.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
4/9: I view this as Israel’s “Manhattan Project” to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. This scientific breakthrough has three key parameters: 1. These novel antibodies are fully human monoclonal, selected from COVID-19 patients.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
5/9: 2. These antibodies specifically bind to distinct elements of the aggressive corona virus. 3. The institute has demonstrated the ability of each of the antibodies to neutralize the live corona virus (block the virus from infecting cells).
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
6/9: Based on comprehensive scientific publications from around the globe, it appears that the IIBR is the first institution to achieve a scientific breakthrough that meets all three of the aforementioned parameters simultaneously.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
8/9: and that it is not a vaccine for wide use. This is an important milestone, which will be followed by a series of complex tests and a process of regulatory approvals.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
9/9: That said, the scientists at the institute believe that the nature of this breakthrough could lead to a shortening of the process, which could span over several months.
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) May 7, 2020
On May 4, Bennett announced that the IIBR had developed its first antibody attacking the virus.
“I am proud of the staff at the Israel Institute for Biological Research who have made a huge breakthrough,” Bennett said in a statement. “The creativity and Jewish mind have brought this amazing achievement. The entire defense establishment will continue to operate at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus.”
Other Israeli treatments include Pluristem’s PLX cell therapy — which has seen initial success in Israel and the United States — as well as the drug Opaganib, which was approved to treat COVID-19 patients in Italy in April.
As of this writing, there are 16,381 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 240 deaths from the virus in Israel. According to the Israeli Health Ministry, the number of Israel’s recovered COVID-19 patients is now twice the size of those currently infected with the virus.
A conversation with China expert Gordon Chang on China’s involvement in the crisis and the repercussions for the future.
How do we manage our lives during the Coronavirus crisis? How do we keep our sanity? How do we use this quarantine to bring out the best in ourselves? Tune in every day and share your stories with podcast@jewishjournal.com.
