Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1111 - 1135 of 1222
A worldwide shortage of Covid-19 testing materials is slowing down the rate of testing and increasing the rate of infection. Coming from Israel, one answer to the problem is a faster and cheaper test using materials commonly found in diagnostic labs. The test was developed by Prof. Nir Friedman at Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Life Sciences and School of Engineering and Computer Science and Prof. Naomi Habib at the university’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Science. Testing for Covid-19 currently involves ext... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—An Israeli falafel shop owner broke down in tears in a television interview on Sunday that resonated across the country as a symbolic encapsulation of the economic toll that the coronavirus is taking on small businesses. “Look at my wallet, it’s empty,” said the shop owner, Yuval Carmi, pulling out his wallet during the Channel 13 interview. “I don’t have a shekel in my pocket.” He added: “I’m embarrassed to face my children, to tell them I have nothing I can buy for you. I have nothing to give them. I have nothing to give t... Full story
ERUSALEM (JTA)—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz signed a deal Monday to form a “national emergency government” that keeps Netanyahu as the prime minister for now. Israel has spent more than a year under a caretaker government as neither Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud party, nor Gantz of the center-left Blue and White could assemble a coalition government. With the agreement, the country avoids a fourth national election in less than a year and a half. The agreement also accedes to Likud deman... Full story
(JNS)—An American patient diagnosed with the coronavirus (COVID-19) has been given a treatment by Israeli-based Pluristem that, so far, has a 100 percent survival rate. The development, which occurred under the Israel’s compassionate-use program, comes days after the company released preliminary data showing that six critically ill coronavirus patients in the Jewish state who are considered high-risk received the Haifa-based company’s placental cell-therapy treatment and survived one week later. The patient, whose condition was similar to the I... Full story
WASHINGTON (JTA)—A pro-Israel group is warning Israeli leaders that reports of planned annexations of parts of the West Bank would cause “long-term damage” to the U.S.-Israel alliance. “Such a move would make a two-state solution harder—if not impossible to achieve—and would likely have far-reaching negative consequences for the U.S.-Israel alliance,” Mark Mellman and Ann Lewis, the president and the co-chairwoman of the Democratic Majority for Israel, wrote to the three leaders negotiating to form a new government in Israel. The warning lette... Full story
(JNS)-Israeli researchers said they are days away from finishing production of the active component of a coronavirus vaccine that could be tested on humans starting June 1. "We are in the final stages and within a few days we will hold the proteins-the active component of the vaccine," Dr. Chen Katz, group leader of the biotechnology group at the MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. The human trials will be conducted on "young, healthy individuals" and will then... Full story
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and impact our country and our world, Kinneret Apartments and the Kinneret Council on Aging continue to intensely focus on preventing the spread of the virus within its 280 apartment independent living community. Collectively, they released the following statement regarding the heightened infection prevention protocols: "We are all aware of the extraordinary impact that the coronavirus is having on our communities, country and world. Today, we assure... Full story
(JNS)-In ordinary times, Israel Aerospace Industries Systems Missiles Space group churns out advanced missiles, including interceptors used by the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 defense systems. During these extraordinary times, the group has added a new production line-one that produces hospital ventilators. As Israel, like many countries, grapples with a shortage of ventilators in the face of a potential tidal wave of vulnerable coronavirus patients, IAI teamed up with Ra'anana-based Inovytec, which... Full story
(JNS)—A 4.3-magnitude earthquake hit Israel’s south on Sunday morning, according to the Geophysical Institute of Israel. According to the institute, the earthquake epicenter was around 62 miles south of Eilat in an area known as the Great Rift Valley—the edge of a tectonic plate in Israel that runs parallel to the Jordan River. Various residents of Eilat, as quoted by Ynet, were shaken awake by the tremblor, which hit just after 5 a.m. “Storms, coronavirus and now earthquake, what else? The 10 plagues? God save us,” said Eilat resident... Full story
The Deep Knowledge group put Israel in first place among countries around the world when it comes to promoting safety amid the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media adviser announced Tuesday. The Deep Knowledge Group is “an investment fund focused on AI and DeepTech, which values knowledge above profit,” its website says. Netanyahu announced severe new restrictions Monday night in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus. To date, 17 Israelis have succumbed to the disease. During the announcement, Prime Minis... Full story
By Maytal Yasur Beit-Or, Assaf Golan (Israel Hayom via JNS)—There has been a consistent decline in the rate of coronavirus infections in Israel since the last week in March, with infections now doubling at a rate of once every eight days compared to once every three. Professor Gabi Barabash, former director of the Israeli Health Ministry and of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, told Channel 12 News that as this decline has been observed over a three-day period, it could, hopefully, indicate a trend. “If the numbers continue looking lik... Full story
The coronavirus crisis is first and foremost about people. People stuck at home, people out of work. People sick with the virus, people caring for them. People canceling dream weddings and vacations, people deciding public-health policies. Technology is also about people. Here in Israel, a powerhouse of innovative technology, people are busy inventing and adapting technologies to ease the corona burden. “Technology has a great role to play in solving and helping us get through this crisis, from diagnosis, mitigation, patient tracking, c... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-As his Blue and White party was on the verge of breaking up, its leader, Benny Gantz, was elected speaker of the Israeli Knesset on Thursday evening. Gantz has been tasked with forming a coalition government following elections earlier this month, Israel's third vote in less than a year. The split in his party is over a debate about joining a unity government led at first by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What does it mean: A unity government would provide Israel with a... Full story
(ISRAEL21c)—The global Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is donating more than 6 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to hospitals across the United States to meet the urgent demand for the medicine as an investigational target to treat COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of malaria, lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. The Teva-manufactured drug is not approved for use in treating COVID-19. However, it is under investigation for e... Full story
(Kveller via JTA)—So I’m just going to come right out and say it: We don’t keep kosher for Passover. I feel a bit like a party-pooping high school senior who chooses not to go to the prom revealing that. After all, we moved to Israel to bring our kids up Jewish and live close to our Israeli family. But we are secular Jews and the simple truth is that we pick and choose how we observe in line with our beliefs about what’s important for us and what’s not. I’ve read on Kveller about how Mayim Bialik makes her Passover meaningful, how Amanda Bradle... Full story
(JNS)—Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that a passenger jet will be sent to Peru to begin evacuating Israelis that were stranded in the South American country when it shut its borders in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Peruvian authorities would provide a police escort as the first planeload of Israelis were brought home by El Al free of charge. The operation was being conducted under “the principle of mutual responsibility under which the State of Israel operates in a tim... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)—In late February, I flew to Long Island to help my 77-year-old mom following her knee replacement surgery. I arrived in the United States with the remnants of a mild winter cold, a slight cough and runny nose—nothing I was concerned about. I spent most of my time at my parents’ home, save the occasional outing and a shiva call at the home of a friend whose husband had just passed away. On the flight home, I had a hard time sleeping, which is not unusual for me on a transatlantic flight. I returned to Israel with a heada... Full story
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called for the formation of an emergency government to confront a growing crisis over the coronavirus, offering a potential way out of the deadlock that has paralyzed the political system for the past year. "I call for the formation now, even this evening, of a national emergency government," he said. "It will be an emergency government for a limited period. Together we will fight to save the lives of citizens," he added, saying that... Full story
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 the consultations, which were broadcast nationally, 61 lawmakers recommended Gantz form the new government, while 58 lawmakers recommended the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Later, Gantz and Netanyahu met with... Full story
NEW YORK (JTA)—Purim celebrations at Oakland Hebrew Day School on Tuesday included a surprise, un-festive addition: farewells to two young Israeli women whose work in the Northern California school was being cut short by the global coronavirus pandemic. The women were assigned to work at the school as part of their national service, an alternative to Israeli army service chosen by many Orthodox girls. They were ordered to return to Israel immediately, along with 2,000 other participants in the program run by Israel’s National Civic Service Aut... Full story
(JNS)-Amid the worldwide tourism slowdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, Israel Hotel Association president Amir Hayek warned on Monday that the hotel industry is "on the brink of collapse." "Mass layoffs and hotels closing down" lie ahead, stated Hayek, adding that 4,000 of the 41,000 workers in the hotel industry have already been sent on unpaid leave, according to the Globes business daily. This was the worst crisis in the history of the Israeli hospitality industry, he added. "If... Full story
(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 would to go to stop the disease’s spread. The country had taken aggressive early action against the disease and last week began requiring quarantines for travelers from more than a doz... Full story
JERUSALEM (JTA)-Israel held its unprecedented third election in less than a year on Monday and, yet again, the results raised more questions than answers. At first it seemed as if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had finally garnered the votes he needed to break the longstanding impasse and consolidate his power. The final tally, however, paints a less than clear picture. But the numbers aren't the only issue creating news. In fact, Monday was only the start of a new round of negotiating, debat... Full story
MODIIN, Israel (JTA)—When our seventh day of quarantine began with a knock on the door from a guy in a hazmat suit, it was almost a relief finally to have a visitor in the house. He had come to test my wife and me for coronavirus. My four children eyed the man warily as he unpacked the testing kits at our dining room table. Barely halfway through a mandatory 14-day quarantine, we were beginning to go a little stir crazy. Our kids, who range in age from 2 to 10, could not attend school or leave home. Our living room was littered with board g... Full story
(JNS)—In what is being dubbed as a historical development, Israel’s Transportation Ministry announced this week that it is moving forward with plans to extend the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high-speed rail line in order to connect Ben-Gurion International Airport directly to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The new route for the railway extension was approved by the National Planning and Construction Commission. It will feature a 1.8-mile underground tunnel with two new stations, including one adjacent to the Khan Theatre Complex in downtown Jer... Full story
