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The Daily Edition

What Matters Most On Thursday, April 2, 2020

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Police officers arrive to close synagogues in the city of Bnei Brak on April 1, 2020. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)

Health official seems to suggest 75,000 Bnei Brak residents may have coronavirus

However, remark by head of Maccabi HMO that 38% of ultra-Orthodox city is infected reported to be a calculation error; true number could be 10 times lower

Magen David Adom workers cleaning an ambulance in Jerusalem on April 2, 2020. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Israel’s coronavirus deaths jump to 33, after 7 succumb in a single day

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the nation about the coronavirus pandemic, April 1, 2020 (Screen grab)

Netanyahu urges wearing masks outside; announces stipends for kids, elderly

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (right) and Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov at a press conference about the coronavirus COVID-19, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on March 11, 2020. Netanyahu is explaining how the coronavirus can spread from a sneeze. (Flash90)

Netanyahu, much of Israeli top brass in quarantine as health minister gets virus

By Raphael Ahren

Health Ministry chiefs, Mossad boss, national security adviser, all handling response to pandemic, enter isolation along with PM, who just emerged; IDF head already quarantined

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman visits Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan on February 4, 2020. (Flash90)

Health minister suffering mild symptoms after catching virus, deputy says

An Israeli child watch as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a live press conference on the new government restrictions for the public regarding the coronavirus COVID-19 on March 19, 2020. (Chen Leopold/Flash90)

Treasury officials said blindsided by Netanyahu promise of emergency stipends

Police arrest an ultra-Orthodox man as they close a synagogue in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem for violating emergency directives to contain the coronavirus, on March 30, 2020. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

TOI investigates

Haredim have finally begun embracing social distancing. Why did it take so long?

Information took too long to filter into the insular ultra-Orthodox world, and some key rabbis didn’t grasp the pandemic danger. Now Israel braces for the consequences of the delay

Rabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss, leader of the Eda Haredit, on June 16, 2010. (Yaakov Naumi/Flash90)

Head of hardline Eda Haredit, initially resistant on virus rules, is infected

By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff

UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, January 23, 2020. (Raphael Ahren/TOI)

From our partnerEleven chief rabbis in unity call ahead of Shabbat before Pesach

Israeli police man a checkpoint in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox Jewish city of Bnei Brak as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus on April 2, 2020. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Live updates (closed)

Health Ministry chief said to advocate lockdown of 2nd ultra-Orthodox city

By Judah Ari Gross

TV report quotes Moshe Bar Siman-Tov saying that a quarantine of Elad will be needed, as government approves declaring Bnei Brak a ‘restricted zone’

8:25 pm

US condemns Pakistan's overturning of death sentence in Daniel Pearl murder
8:25 pm

Biden urges sanctions relief for Iran due to virus outbreak
8:10 pm

Europe’s only kosher slaughterhouse for geese switches to chicken due to coronavirus

Illustrative: Israeli travelers who had been stranded in South America, arrive at Ben Gurion airport on March 23, 2020, from Sao Paulo via New York. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Despite PM’s order, arrivals from New York still not taken to quarantine hotels

Defense Ministry says legal complications prevent Wednesday returnees from being sent to isolation facility, with exception of 15 who requested it; 1 passenger confirmed with virus

US Embassy in Jerusalem sends some diplomats home over virus fears

By Raphael Ahren

US virus deaths pass 5,000 as Trump predicts ‘horrific’ weeks to come

New York deaths double in 3 days to 1,900, with worse to come

By Michael R. Sisak, Angela Charlton and Mark Sherman

Menachem Bombach

I’m an ultra-Orthodox rabbi. We are not criminals.

The Haredi world views preserving human life as the most sacred value. We are being portrayed as despicable while facing tragedy

To Mom and Dad: Passover doesn’t make sense without you

You gave us a seder that binds the questions of the youngest to the wisdom of the elders, the same wisdom that keeps us apart this year as we put health first

Sharon G. Forman

Passover during pandemic: When Elijah is our only guest

’Elijah is a shapeshifter, a master of disguise, a miracle worker. When a person is kind to Elijah dressed as a beggar, goodness follows.’

Help create a corona test that can be done over the phone

Voice forensics offer a path to detection, but voice samples are needed. That’s where you come in — especially if you tested positive for the virus

Engineers produce ventilators in a converted missile factory. (Defense Ministry)

IAI, Defense Ministry, Inovytec convert missile factory to produce ventilators

New production line, set up ‘within days,’ delivers 30 portable breathing machines to Health Ministry to address shortage amid coronavirus pandemic

Interview

In virus epicenter NYC, disaster guru puts blame squarely on Trump White House

By Rich Tenorio

Composite photo shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz, right. (Flash90)

Analysis

Haviv Rettig Gur

Amid last-minute threats, Netanyahu and Gantz try again for unity deal

Facing growing anger from his right flank, PM appears to retreat from agreement, but compromises have been reached on all key issues — except West Bank annexation

Labor MK Merav Michaeli (Hadas Parush/Flash90).

Interview1 Labor MK tries to save party that founded Israel from ‘utter self-destruction’

By Raoul Wootliff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and his wife Sara Netanyahu host a dinner for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie, at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on May 2, 2018. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Draft of unity deal said to provide for Netanyahu to stay on in PM’s residence

By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff

A trader works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, March 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

ToI investigates

Israelis’ savings, pensions shrink as coronavirus infects global markets

By Shoshanna Solomon

Researchers suggest 2-day workweek to keep economy afloat, stymie virus spread

Government approves grants for self-employed hit by virus crisis

Treasury approves NIS 650 million package to bolster battered tech industry

Daniel Pearl was a journalist for The Wall Street Journal. (The Daniel Pearl Foundation)

Pakistan overturns murder conviction in Daniel Pearl slaying

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh expected to be released after serving seven years for 2002 beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter

In this February 18, 2020, file photo, Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service troops exercise under the supervision of British special forces during US military-led annual counterterrorism exercise in Thies, Senegal. (AP Photo/Cheikh A.T. Sy, File)

Islamic terror groups see opportunity in global chaos from virus

A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a swab from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man for a coronavirus test in Bnei Brak, March 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Test the healthy not just the sick, Israeli scientists urge

By Nathan Jeffay

Calls grow for swabbing to identify so-called silent spreaders, and build coronavirus intelligence to fight the virus in a ‘smart’ manner

Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov is seen at a drive-through site for coronavirus testing samples collection, in Tel Aviv, on March 20, 2020. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)

Top Health Ministry official casts doubt on accuracy of virus test on hot mic

A baby girl plays with a masked monkey in Tel Aviv on March 29, 2020. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Masking tapeNo mask, no problem: Health Ministry DIY video has you covered

Margaret Hodge speaks during the Jewish Labour Movement Conference in London, September 2, 2018. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images/via JTA)

Interview

Veteran MP calls vote for new UK Labour head ‘a fight for the soul of the party’

By Robert Philpot

Analysis

As calls rise for the US to ease sanctions on Tehran, why is Netanyahu silent?

Despite Iran’s dire situation, Pompeo initially increased pressure on the regime but may now reevaluate his position. Jerusalem has good reason to sit this one out, analysts say

A firefighter disinfects a square against the new coronavirus, in western Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2020. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks on the second day of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

Iran, US heat up war of words on Iraq despite virus pandemic

By AFP

Illustrative: In this January 25, 2018 photo, American troops coordinate with Iraqi counterparts to launch airstrikes and artillery from a small complex in the town of Qaim, Iraq. (AP Photo/Susannah George)

Trump warns Iran of ‘heavy price’ in case of attack on US troops

By AFP

Police officers man a checkpoint at an entrance to the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, which has seen a large number of coronavirus cases, on March 31, 2020. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)

Doctor says ‘knock-on effects’ of pandemic chaos could be deadlier than virus

By Nathan Jeffay

Warning comes amid worries that some patients are petrified to go to hospital for necessary treatment and many will miss important tests

Illustrative image of an elderly person with a cane. (oneinchpunch/ iStock by Getty Images)

InterviewCOVID-19 is confining some of most vulnerable seniors indoors — at what cost?

Medical staff working at the new COVID-19 unit at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, March 31, 2020. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)

Health Ministry fast-tracks licensing for 900 nurses amid pandemic

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More Headlines

Zooming in to reciting Kaddish, the mourners' prayer, at home. (Photo montage, Gil Be'eri)

Times of Israel PodcastsLISTEN: Making seder of high-tech prayer and Zoom Passovers

Sudeep Agarwala is a yeast scientist and challah enthusiast whose guidance for home bakers has taken off online. (Courtesy of Agarwala/ via JTA)

InterviewChallah-tinkering yeast scientist helps pandemic bread bakers get a good rise

By PHILISSA CRAMER

Adam Schlesinger at SiriusXM Studios in New York, April 19, 2018. (Mireya Acierto/Getty Images via JTA)

Fountains of Wayne cofounder Adam Schlesinger dies from coronavirus at 52

By Ron Kampeas and Emily Burack

In this Nov. 8, 2018, file photo, Rachel Bloom, left, and Dan Gregor arrive at the Patron of the Artists Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ star Rachel Bloom has baby amid virus chaos

By AP

Screenshot detail of the CoronaCrush group icon. (Facebook)

Coro-manceSeeking to spread the love, Jewish Facebook dating group goes viral

By Yaakov Schwartz

Illustrative: A woman shops with her son at the Rami Levy supermarket in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

As orders surge and delivery times peak, stores to offer set Passover baskets

By Shoshanna Solomon

Police seen after riots break out in Jaffa on April 1, 2020 (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Rioters, police clash in Jaffa after officers accuse man of violating quarantine

The Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. (WIkimedia Commons)

Jewish school sues Miami Beach hotel for $2.3 million over Passover vacation

Palestinian health workers disinfectant Palestinian workers as they cross back from Israel to the West Bank at a checkpoint in Tarqumiya on March 27, 2020. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

PA asks Israel to test thousands of Palestinian workers before they return home

Islamic Health Society, an arm of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, March 27, 2020. (Bilal Hussein/AP)

Blamed for bringing virus to Lebanon, Hezbollah now trying to stop its spread

By Bassam Mroue

Illustrative: Observant health care workers and their colleagues receive kosher meals provided by a coronvirus initiative launched by Bethany Mandel. (Courtesy of Mandel/ via JTA)

Do the right thing6 Jewish coronavirus initiatives you can support from home

By Josefin Dolsten

Rafael Gomez Nieto in 2017. (CC BY 4.0 Diario de Madrid/Wikipedia)

Spanish WWII liberator of Paris dies of coronavirus at 99

By AP

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