Human heart tissues were 3D-printed at Professor Tal Dvir’s Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at Tel Aviv University. These will be used to test the cardiotoxicity of experimental drugs, as part of a collaboration between the university’s tech-transfer company, Ramot, and German pharmaceutical giant Bayer. “We are excited to start this new collaboration with Tel Aviv University, which will address a new area of early assessment of safety and tolerability of drug candidates,” said Eckhard von Keutz, head of Translational Sciences at Bayer. “We already have a global network of partners, and this new project will enable Bayer to expand its open innovation activities to Israel, which provides a dynamic ecosystem for innovation in biotech...
Tropical Storm Fay, expected to come closer to making landfall Friday, has already caused some flooding along the mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England. Tropical storm warnings and flash flood watches were in effect for the Tri-State coastal area, FOX 5 in New York reported and the worst of the rain in the area is expected Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. The storm was slightly stronger early Friday as it headed north just offshore of the Delmarva Peninsula at 8 mph with top sustained winds of 45 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported. On Friday, New Jersey has seen flooding in parts of southern New Jersey, with the National Weather Service issuing a flash flood warning throughout Friday morning for Cape May County. Footage of flooded stre...
Police reform legislation introduced Thursday in Baltimore County would ban chokeholds and institute specific training for officers. WBAL-TV 11 reports Councilman Julian Jones introduced the bill, which also addresses hiring policies and the use of force. "I'm optimistic that at the end of the day, at the end of this month or beginning or next month, we will have the necessary votes to pass the bill,” Jones said. Member of the Baltimore County Democratic State Central Committee Linda Dorsey-Walker said the bill might not go far enough. "It doesn't address those individuals that don't get fired, that manage to hold on to their jobs,” Dorsey-Walker said.
The Chief Rabbi of Munich, Rabbi Shmuel Aharon Brodman, was attacked on Thursday evening by four Muslims who shouted derogatory remarks toward him. Rabbi Brodman, a member of the Conference of European Rabbis, called the police who launched a manhunt for the attackers. In 2019, Germany recorded the highest number of anti-Semitic crimes nationwide since 2001. Police registered 2,032 anti-Semitic crimes, including two killings, up 13% from 2018. Read more at Arutz Sheva.
A Maryland man believes he may be one of the first people to be successfully vaccinated against the coronavirus after participating in a trial that has reported promising early results in producing antibodies, according to reports. David Rach, a graduate immunology student, was the first person to be injected in the trial at the University of Maryland in May, where US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech are working together in the global race to create a vaccine, the Daily Mail reports. Early indications show the vaccine is working by stimulating the growth of antibodies at rates equal or higher to those who have the illness. If the trial proves successful, Pfizer said it will produce 100 million doses before the end of the year and more than a billion doses next year, W...
Parshas Pinchas / Baltimore Zmanim / Eruv is UP! Baltimore, MD – July 10, 2020 Parshas:  Pinchas Today:    18 Tammuz  Chatzos today: 1:12 PM Hadlakas Nairos Shabbos: 8:16 PM Shkiah:                 8:34:59 PM Tzais HaKochavim:  9:25 PM  
Knesset committee warns that following spate of budget cuts, Israel won't be able to handle expected wave of immigration. Israel will be unable to handle a large wave of immigration expected into the country following the coronavirus pandemic, a Knesset committee warned, citing recent budget cuts to organizations involved in facilitating immigration. On Wednesday, the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee held a discussion on the upcoming wave of immigration expected over the next few years. Fueled in part by the global coronavirus pandemic, economic crises created by governmental efforts to combat the pandemic, and a rise in anti-Semitism, Israel predicts it could receive as many as 90,000 new immigrants in 2021 – nearly three tim...
Parts of Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Ramle, Lod, and Kiryat Malachi placed under lockdown Friday afternoon. The Israeli government imposed lockdowns on nearly a dozen neighborhoods in five different cities across the country Friday afternoon. Beginning at 1:00 p.m. Friday, police sealed off neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Lod, Ramle, and Kiryat Malachi. The closures, which severely limit movement into and out of the affected neighborhoods, is set to last one week, ending next Friday at 8:00 a.m. Business operation will also be severely limited in the affected areas. The affected neighborhoods include the Romema, Kiryat Sanz, Belz, and Mattersdorf neighborhoods in Jerusalem; the neighborhoods of Nahala V’Menucha and Kaneh HaBossem in Beit Shemesh; Lod’s Ganei Ya&rsq...
Israel’s outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon reflected on his last five years in office and plans for the future during his final press briefing on Tuesday. Danon’s first move upon returning to Israel will be to visit his mother, who he has not seen in almost a year, he said. Regarding the next step in his career, he shared advice that former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley gave him, which is to take “time before making any commitments.” So, he said, “I’m going to go back to Israel and enjoy it. Relax and take my time before making any decisions.” “But for sure, I will stay involved; that is my nature,” he added. “For the last 20 years, I was involved in public life. [Now] I will be more voc...
Explosions were reported west of Tehran on Thursday night, with some initial reports claiming that the explosions occurred at a missile depot belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). According to the Iranian Mehr News Agency, the explosions were reported by social media users west of Tehran and in the cities of Garmdareh and Quds. Thursday’s explosion is the most recent in a series of explosions and fires reported in industrial areas and infrastructure throughout Iran. Read more at JPOST.
More than 60,500 new COVID-19 infections were reported across the United States on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, setting a one-day record as weary Americans were told to take new precautions and the pandemic becomes increasingly politicized. The total represents a slight rise from Wednesday, when there were 60,000 new cases, and marks the largest one-day increase by any country since the pandemic emerged in China last year. The rise in infections also weighed on the stock market Thursday on fears of new lockdowns, which would take a toll on the economic recovery. The Dow .DJI and the S&P 500 .SPX ended down about 1%. Read more at REUTERS.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan took issue Thursday with comments by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that did not condemn last weekend's toppling of the Christopher Columbus statue in her native Little Italy neighborhood in Baltimore. "Well, I don't even have my grandmother's earrings," Pelosi said when a reporter asked her for thoughts on the removal of the statue during her weekly press conference. Pelosi, who has a block of Ablemarle Street named after her, said she was less interested in statues than she was in accomplishments and related opposition to the Christopher Columbus statue to her own call to remove statues of Confederate figures from the National Statuary Hall Collection. "I think it's up to the communities to decide what statues they want to see," Pelosi said. "...
Researchers say nearly 70% of people in Queens neighborhood are immune to coronavirus, fueling hope city may be close to herd immunity. Parts of New York City have exhibited high levels of immunity to the coronavirus, according to a new study. Researchers at CityMD have revealed to The New York Times that testing in one neighborhood in the borough of Queens found that 68% of people who took antibody tests for the coronavirus tested positive. In addition, a testing station at Jackson Heights in Queens found 56% of those tested had coronavirus antibodies. CityMD administered 314,000 tests in the city, as of June 26th. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, said the results were “a stunning finding”. In May, at the height of the pandemic, New York...
The survey found that 68% of respondents have used their time in quarantine to reevaluate their food shopping and cooking habits Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe that the traditional grocery store run will be a thing of the past due to COVID-19, according to new research. The study asked 2,000 Americans about how their views on grocery shopping have changed in light of the global pandemic, and the results showed that respondents are open to exploring new ways they can get their groceries.  Sixty-four percent of those surveyed said they’ve utilized grocery deliveries and 55% have tried a meal kit delivery service. Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of HelloFresh, the survey found that 68% of respondents have used their time in quarantine to reevaluate the...
Rehovot-based AID Genomics is developing a coronavirus (Covid-19) test kit that according to the company will provide results within 75 minutes. The target audience of this kit is airports, sports arenas, entertainment venues, and others, with the quick screening aimed at making gatherings of large crowds more feasible during the pandemic. “We understood that there are many situations in which there is a need for a test that can provide quality results quickly,” Izhak Haviv, chief scientist of AID Genomics, told Calcalist. “The quickest test at the moment provides results within 48 hours and isn’t suitable for mass gatherings. We wanted to develop a solution that can identify a Covid-19 infection quickly. In addition, it was important for us that this test doesn&r...
[Ed. Note] Out of the respect and recognition of the impact made by longtime BJL friend and contributor, Reb Shaya Gross, z’l, we will maintain a living memoriam to Shaya through the sweet words and thoughtful insights of  his Divrei Torah. BJL readers will remember his weekly column on the Parsha and on various Torah ideas and concepts. These meaningful words will help us remember this special young man who will be sorely missed and for those who did not merit to know him, this will be the most appropriate way for them to become familiar with who he was. This week’s Parsha begins by informing us that Pinchas received the covenant of peace rewarding his act of zealotry. At first glance, this seems ironic, a covenant of PEACE for being a...
JERUSALEM (JNS) – IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, along with 10,000 active duty and civilian employees, were ordered to quarantine on Thursday after being in close contact with people infected with COVID-19. Kochavi is entering isolation for the second time. He said he feels well and does not have any virus symptoms, according to Ynet. Some 350 IDF-employed individuals were reported as being infected as of Wednesday—double the number at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. The report noted that most of those in quarantine continue to work while in isolation, and that combat soldiers infected with the virus are allowed to train in isolation. The IDF is not planning to lock down bases as it did during the first wave of the virus. However, time off for combat soldiers i...
From the beginning of the year until the end, A lot of time together we did spend Rollerblading to baking to playing on my rug, Social distancing meetings wearing masks and gloves, A good listening ear you did make, Fun conversations together it did create. Who spent time together? Who had fun conversations? Who baked and played and rollerbladed? Bnos One on One Sisters, of course! Bnos One on One is an incredible program from Bnos Agudas Yisroel that pairs high school Big Sisters with middle school Little Sisters for fun and connection. (A Little Sister wrote the above poem to her Big Sister.) The Sisters meet once a week for personal time together. Plus, Bnos One on One hosts activities and parties. It’s a popular program, drawing many girls each year nationally from many ...
Our recent return to Shul, despite the need for masks and distancing, has certainly restored our spirits by enabling us to pray together once again, albeit with a diminished audience. Equally thrilling is the excitement of seeing one another again after such a long hiatus in isolation. This morning as I arrived to Shul I was surprised to see one of my dearest friends who had been holding out safely at home until this time, making his first excursion to Shul in over four months.This is someone I study with daily on Zoom, who participates in a daily live Chizuk broadcast, and whom I have been in constant through text and phone throughout theses many months. Yet, when seeing him ‘live’ a feeling of joy was palpable. Although I felt compelled to greet him with a big hug, propr...
NEW YORK – The OU is launching a summer virtual Beit Midrash for women through its highly regarded OU Women’s Initiative. The program offers two tracks – an intensive learning program and a lecture series examining Torah topics through the lens of architecture, literature and history. “Traditionally, the three-weeks is a period during which we focus on introspection and religious inspiration. While the pandemic currently precludes us from doing so collectively in-person, during the Three-Weeks this year the OU Women’s Initiative is providing a virtual Beit Midrash that will allow women world-wide to learn and be inspired together,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. The Beit Midrash’s ALIT Summer Learning Program track focuses on providin...
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