Baltimore, MD - June 16, 2020 - The MD COVID Plasma Initiative is now partnering with the American Red Cross to help bolster the local blood supply. Two more blood drives will be hosted at Shomrei Emunah over the next few weeks. Please visit www.jCOVID.com/blooddrive for more information or to sign up to participate in this vital project!
On June 29, Maryland added 477 coronavirus cases and six deaths. The state also added more COVID-19 testing sites. MARYLAND — Confirmed coronavirus cases in Maryland climbed by 477 on Monday, the Maryland Department of Health said, while the fatality count grew by six. Maryland — which recorded its first positive infections on March 5 — now has 67,254 known cases, according to state health officials. The state's death toll now stands at 3,048. That figure doesn't include the 127 others whose deaths were linked to the virus, but never confirmed by a lab test. They are considered "probable deaths." While Monday's additions show promise, Gov. Larry Hogan said Marylanders shouldn't become complacent — as that could lead to a spike in infect...
Petach Tikva (VINnews) — A fountain in Petach Tikva which has been named in honor of Donald Trump was vandalized and dyed red overnight, making it appear as if it was gushing blood. Protesters against the proposed annexation of Judea and Samaria wrote graffiti in red stating that “The annexation will cost us in blood.” The fountain was inaugurated last year in honor of President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city. The activists behind the unusual protest told Israel’s Channel N12 that “there are steps that cannot be taken back. We will never forget our fears from the terror attacks of our childhood,”  referring to Palestinian terror attacks which have occurred since the initiation of the Oslo process. “Ann...
JERUSALEM (VINnews) — For 23 years, Bar Hershkowitz was sure that her family consisted only of herself, her mother and an unknown donor through whom her mother had conceived her. Hershkowitz, a career soldier, decided a year and a half ago to undergo a DNA test and see if she had any other relatives. “During the first weeks I would check the site twice a day and slowly I realized that nothing spectacular would happen,” Hershkowitz told Israel’s Channel N12. A week ago she received an e-mail stating that a close match had been found. Roni Cohen, a 26-year-old, had also been born from the same donor. Until a week ago she was certain that she was an only child but a week ago she received a tag from a Facebook group for children born from donors. “I discovered Ba...
There are very few commandments as evocative as parah adumah- the ceremony of the red hefer. This sacrifice is processed and burnt outside the Mikdash, while its ashes are mixed with spring water and sprayed upon someone who has come into contact with the dead. This extraordinary but inexplicable mitzvah is introduced as the prototypical "chok":  Zot chukat haTorah. Traditionally, the term "chok" designates illogical mitzvoth. Many mitzvoth can easily be decoded but some lie beyond the realm of human comprehension; their logic defies human interpretation. Parah adumah is a double 'chok' because it is not just illogical – it is also internally contradictory. The priests who officiate over this ceremony which relieves halachik impurity, are, themselves, rendered impure....
JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israeli health ministry called yesterday to close shuls and conduct minyanim of up to 19 people outside, but a survey on the health ministry’s site revealed Monday that in the past 7 days, just 11 of the 322 places exposed to coronavirus were shuls- less than 4% of the total. The Makor Rishon newspaper added that this number does not include 120 exposures on public transport. The site also revealed that a third of the recent cases occurred at public events. The ministry recommended cutting the number of people at such events to a maximum of 150. MK Betzalel Smotrich responded to the findings by calling on the health ministry to “lay off the shuls and the religious community.” Smotrich wrote that “less than 4% of recent infections ...
WASHINGTON (Newsmax) – Dr. Anthony Fauci said it’s “unlikely” the United States would reach herd immunity from the coronavirus even if a successful vaccine is developed because of strong resistance to getting inoculated. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spoke with CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen during an interview broadcast for the Aspen Ideas Festival Sunday night and noted there is a good chance a vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 virus will be available by the end of this year or early next year. “I still think that one can say that I’m cautiously optimistic that we will have one or maybe more candidates of vaccines that could be available and be effective by the end of the year or the beginning of 2021,” he said...
Former CDC Director Tom Frieden joins Chris Wallace with insight on ‘Fox News Sunday.’
Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday implored Americans to wear face masks, practice social distancing and stay away from senior citizens protect them amid a new spike in coronavirus infections, as the United States surpassed 2.5 million confirmed cases. At an event in Dallas, Pence commended Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, for his “decisive action” in reopening the state’s economy in early May. But with the state’s hospitals experiencing a surge in patients amid skyrocketing infection rates, Pence praised Abbott for scaling back some reopening measures, including ordering bars to close and restaurants to reduce occupancy. The virus has killed more than 123,000 people in the United States, and U.S. cases make up by far the largest share of the worldwide casel...
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday said President Donald Trump and his administration are “basically in denial” about the coronavirus pandemic and aren’t doing enough to combat it. Confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. are rising, and the death toll has topped 125,000, leading some states, such as Texas and Florida, to roll back some of the measures they’ve taken to reopen their economies. “This is a continuation of the first wave, and it was a failed effort to stop the first wave in the country,” Cuomo said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “If you listen to what the president says, what they said at the White House briefing, they’re saying what they said three months ago. They’re basically in denial about the problem...
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday a nationwide mandate to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of coronavirus is “definitely long overdue.” “Definitely long overdue for that,” Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” “And my understanding that the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] has recommended the use of masks but not required it because they don’t want to offend the president.” The speaker called on President Trump to “be an example” to the U.S. and wear a face covering, saying “real men wear masks.” “It’s time for this administration to take this seriously,” she said. “As Dr. [Anthony] Fauci said, we have a serious problem ahead.” Read mor...
A candidate for Ann Arbor City Council in Michigan has come under fire for her anti-Israel activism. Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, an Iranian native and environmentalist, has called for boycotts of Israel and staged anti-Israel protests outside of Ann Arbor’s Congregation Beth Israel, where every Saturday for the last 16 years, a group of protesters has harassed congregants outside the synagogue. Protesters have placed signs in front of the synagogue that say “Jewish Power Corrupts,” “Zionism is Racism” and “RESIST Jewish Power,” among other statements. A federal lawsuit has been filed against the protesters and the city of Ann Arbor. Savabieasfahani has taken part in the protests, “often wearing a sandwich board depicting a swastika, likening ...
Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House says he “truly thinks it would be a catopstrophic election out come if Biden, Pelosi and Schumer were in charge of America.”
After marathon discussions, it appears that Israel will join the United States, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia on the list of nations whose citizens will be barred from traveling to Europe when the borders begin to open in July, according to a French newspaper. The Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union met for some days to draw up a list of approved nations, which will include Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Uruguay, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Montenegro, Serbia and Georgia, according to Le Monde. The move appears controversial as some members of the 27-nation union want the process sped up and expanded. Countries highly dependent on tourism, like Portugal and Greece, “want to reopen ASAP for as many as possible,”...
Gilead Sciences said it will charge the U.S. government and other developed countries $390 per vial for its coronavirus-fighting drug remdesivir, or about $2,340 for a typical five-day course of treatment. Gilead said in a statement Monday it would offer this price to developed countries around the world to create a one-price model that would avoid the need for country-by-country negotiations that could slow access. “We wanted to make sure that nothing gets in the way of remdesivir getting to patients,” Gilead Chief Executive Officer Daniel O’Day said in an interview. The price “will make sure all patients around the world have access to this medicine.” The $390 per vial price is for government entities. Once supply is less tight and Gilead starts selling t...
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Islamic Republic asks for Interpol's help in arresting US President over death of Quds Force head General Qassem Soleimani Iran has issued an arrest warrant against US President Donald Trump and has asked for Interpol's aid in detaining him in the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said Monday. Alqasimehr said that Trump and 30 others suspected of involvement in the January 3 airstrike on Soleimani "murder and terrorism charges," Iran's official ISNA news agency reported. Alqasimehr did not reveal who else Iran intends to charge, but stressed that the Islamic Republic would continue to pursue Trump's prosecution even after he leaves office. He further stated that Iran had sought a "red notice" from Interpol ...
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today convened the Coronavirus Cabinet to discuss further restrictions required in light of high morbidity data. Coronavirus Cabinet Ministers unanimously decided on the following steps to limit gatherings and social functions: - Halls and cultural performances: up to 250 participants. - Circumcisions and funerals: up to 50 participants. - Weddings:
* Up to the 16th of Tammuz, July 9th 2020 - up to 250 participants. The public and hall owners are called to hold them as much as possible in open spaces.* From the 16th of Tammuz to the 10th of Av, July 31st 2020 - up to 250 participants in open spaces. In confined spaces, up to 50% of occupancy and no more than 100 participants. Read more at Arutz-7
Mississippi will retire the last state flag in the U.S. with the Confederate battle emblem, more than a century after white supremacist legislators adopted the design a generation after the South lost the Civil War. A broad coalition of lawmakers — Black and white, Democrat and Republican — voted Sunday for change as the state faced increasing pressure amid nationwide protests against racial injustice. Mississippi has a 38% Black population, and critics have said for generations that it’s wrong to have a flag that prominently features an emblem many condemn as racist. Democratic Sen. David Jordan told his colleagues just before the vote that Mississippi needs a flag that unifies rather than divides. “Let’s do this because it’s the right thi...
(WASHINGTON) -- Cards which were being offered for sale online purporting to exempt the bearer from ordinances requiring face coverings to be worn in public are fraudulent, according to Department of Justice officials. The cards, which for the moment are no longer available for purchase, say “wearing a face mask poses a mental and/or physical risk to me. Under the Americans with Disability [sic] act, I am not required to disclose my condition to you.” The card also carries a warning that violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act could be met with “steep penalties,” including fines of $75,000 or $150,000. The cards feature a Department of Justice logo and a logo incorporating a bald eagle for the group that produced them, the Freedom to Breathe Agency. Th...
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