JERUSALEM (JTA) — Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein must reconvene the parliament and schedule a vote on naming his replacement, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Monday. The decision by an extended five-judge panel gives Edelstein until Wednesday to schedule the vote. He was expected to respond to the Supreme Court directive… Read more »
Israel
First Israeli coronavirus fatality, a Holocaust survivor, is buried with social distancing
(JTA) — Arie Even, the first Israeli to die from the coronavirus, was buried in the dead of night with mourners standing six feet apart and funeral workers wearing Hazmat gear. Even, 88, a native of Hungary who survived the Holocaust, was a retired Israeli diplomat. He died Friday… Read more »
The real reasons coronavirus is spreading in my Hasidic community
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A vicious rumor has been making the rounds: Hasidim are neglecting to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously because we are selfish. But as someone born and bred in the Satmar community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who now lives in Jerusalem and writes for Yiddish publications, I can… Read more »
Why Jewish communities are keeping mikvahs open amid the coronavirus outbreak — for now
NEW YORK (JTA) — When the rabbis of New Jersey’s suburban Bergen County took the bold step of shutting down almost all facets of communal Jewish life last week, they left the doors of one institution open: the women’s mikvah, or ritual bath. That pattern has been repeated in… Read more »
Saying Kaddish from balconies and fasting: How Hasidic Jews are responding to the coronavirus
NEW YORK (JTA) — One of Avi Webb’s favorite times of the week is Sunday morning, when he takes his children to morning prayers at his synagogue and stays for a lesson on Hasidic thought. His kids play at an arts and crafts table while he studies. Webb is… Read more »
‘We’re not scared’: Some haredi Orthodox Jews in Israel are ignoring coronavirus social distancing rules
BEIT SHEMESH, Israel (JTA) — “Do you want trouble?” the Hasidic man asked, leaning toward me intimidatingly. “Are you threatening me?” I asked, turning to look at the lean man in a flat black hat and long caftan. “No. But if you stay here, everyone will come and there… Read more »
Gantz and Netanyahu break off talks of a unity government that would include both of them
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Blue and White party led by Benny Gantz, who has been tasked with assembling a coalition government, said Thursday that it has broken off talks with Likud on a unity government without reaching an agreement. “Contact with the Likud negotiating team has been terminated this… Read more »
‘I’m mentally preparing for a few months’: Meet an Israeli doctor on the coronavirus front lines
(JTA) — When it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic would reach Israel, Elli Rosenberg was one of a small number of medical professionals at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva to answer a call for volunteers to treat the sick. Rosenberg, a clinical immunologist who works as an… Read more »
Arab-Israeli parties just recommended Benny Gantz to be prime minister. Here’s why that’s historic.
(JTA) — Amid all the justifiable focus on the coronavirus and its consequences, there was major political news in Israel this week: Benny Gantz, the Blue and White party leader, was tapped by the president to assemble a government coalition — bringing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closer to his… Read more »
Benny Gantz will get the first chance to form a new Israeli government
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will give Benny Gantz the task of forming a new government, his office said Sunday. Rivlin met Sunday with the heads of all the parties that won seats in Israel’s parliament in its last election earlier this month. At the end of… Read more »
Israeli government moves to allow tracking of cell phones to fight coronavirus
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli Cabinet approved a measure that will allow the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, to track the cell phones of Israelis who are infected with coronavirus. The agency would not require a court order to perform the surveillance and it will be limited in… Read more »
Jewish Agency sending teen emissaries back to Israel, and to quarantine
(JTA) — Earlier this week, the Jewish Agency for Israel said it was committed to keeping its emissaries in the United States, even as other groups brought theirs home amid the rising coronavirus crisis. But on Friday morning, with schools and synagogues across the country shuttering in an effort… Read more »
Israel police investigating 21 people suspected of violating isolation orders
(JTA) — Israeli police have launched criminal investigations of 21 residents who are suspected of violating the terms of their mandated isolation to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Most on the list are citizens who are believed to have been observed outside their homes during the 14-day period… Read more »
Rabbi at large London synagogue ill with coronavirus after Morocco trip
(JTA) — A rabbi at London’s iconic St John’s Wood Synagogue has contracted the coronavirus. Rabbi Yoni Golker told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Friday over the phone that he has had mild symptoms and is feeling better than when they first appeared last week. He is in quarantine… Read more »
In a dramatic step, Israel to require 14-day quarantine for all travelers from abroad
(JTA) — Israel will require all travelers from abroad to complete a 14-day quarantine, according to the latest regulation aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The decision, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Monday, capped days of open deliberations about how far Israel… Read more »
We’re tracking the impact of the coronavirus on the Jewish world. Here’s what we know.
NEW YORK (JTA) — Like the rest of the world, the Jewish world is reeling as the novel coronavirus spreads. We’ll be tracking the latest developments here. Have an idea or question? Reports of coronavirus in your community? Send us an email. A cluster of cases involves New York… Read more »
Election workers in Israel refuse to touch ballots of those with possible coronavirus exposure
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Election workers in Israel refused to touch the envelopes with special ballots cast by those in home quarantine over possible coronavirus exposure, leaving the counting to senior election officials. Members of the Central Elections Committee, including its director, will count the 4,076 special ballots on Wednesday… Read more »
Israeli elections: Netanyahu’s Likud gains strength, but right-wing bloc again falls short of majority to form government
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Most of the votes in Israel have been counted from Monday’s election, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has the most seats in the parliament, gaining four from the balloting in September to regain the top spot. But the right-wing bloc, while also picking up… Read more »
Israel’s 3rd election in a year improves Netanyahu’s chances of forming a government, exit polls show
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party improved its chances of forming a government after it gained three more seats in parliament than Blue and White at the close of voting in Israel, exit polls showed. Likud took 36 seats, according to the polling by the Kan… Read more »
Israelis in quarantine due to coronavirus exposure vote at special polling locations
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands of Israelis quarantined due to possible exposure to the coronavirus are voting in special polling places set up to allow them to safely cast their ballots. Sixteen special polling places opened in outdoor tents across the country on Monday. As of 4:30 p.m., more than… Read more »