Please share this information with family or friends who do not have email or internet access.
If you, a family member, or friend would like to receive emails from the Agudah email reception@agudah.org. | | News from the Agudah:
- The Agudah will be convening an azkarah in memory of the Novominsker Rebbe ZTVKL, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, Rosh Agudas Yisroel. It will be held this Tuesday evening, April 28th, at 7:30 pm EDT. More details forthcoming.
- The Yarchei Kallah on Inyanei Tefilah continued today with a hachanah shiur at 11:00 AM EDT, and a shiur on s'michas geula l'tefilah from Rabbi Yitzchok Sorotzkin at 12:00 PM EDT. See below for more information.
- Pirchei has started a new program for your sons: Ten Minutes of Tehillim, where your boys recite Tehillim at the same time each day and enter into a daily raffle! See below for more information.
- We would like to share a fascinating roundtable discussion on anti-Semitism that was recently published by Hamodia and they kindly shared with us. Click here to read the discussion with Rabbi Elya Brudny, Chaver Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Rabbi Lipa Geldwerth, Mara D'asra of Khal Kol Torah, Rabbi Chaim Kohn, Mara D'asra of Khal Chasidei Gur of Flatbush, and Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, Rav of K'hal Agudas Yisroel of Madison. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Irving Lebovics, chairman of Agudath Israel of California.
- There has been much media reporting on the coronavirus pandemic's effect on our community, specifically. Some reporters and outlets have been more responsible than others. Please read a statement below, on the Agudah's reaction and response to this.
- Ki Heim Chayeinu and thesiyum.org remind you that today's Daf Yomi is the first daf in Perek Bameh Tomnin, the fourth Perek of Shabbos. This Perek, only four blatt long, is a great place for you to start your journey through Shas with Daf Yomi! For Daf Yomi resources to help you with your learning see dafyomidirectory.org/resources.
- If you have any questions about dating under coronavirus pandemic conditions, you can reach out to Rabbi Yechiel Rhine, Director of Agudah's Compass Shidduch Initiative at 929-210-1524 or yrhine@compassshidduch.org.
- One promising medical approach towards dealing with people who are lo aleinu stricken with coronavirus is through blood plasma donations. Agudah has been, and is being, active in this and we recently partnered with the New York Blood Center to further this life-saving project. Please see below for more details, and for how you can donate plasma.
- Agudas Yisroel's Chayim Aruchim division has, unfortunately, been extremely busy dealing with the coronavirus and its impact on cholim and their faimilies. See below for a short and timely update on their activities.
| | Yarchei Kallah Continues! | | The Yarchei Kallah program continues today with a hachanah shiur at 11:00 AM EDT and a shiur from Rabbi Yitzchok Sorotzkin at 12:00 PM EDT.
| | Ten Minutes of Tehillim Program | | At precisely 6:00 pm every evening (except Shabbos), your son can recite any pirkei tehillim for 10 minutes. After 6:10 pm, call the Pirchei Agudas Yisroel Hotline at 718.663.0212, and, using option 9 (message box), leave his name and phone number and state it is for the tehillim program. He will be entered into the raffle of the day. Your son has until 6:00 pm of the next tehillim day to enter his name.
If your son prefers to say the tehillim along with us, live, he can call the hotline at 6:00 pm EDT, at 718 663 0212 and dial 611. He will then be able to say tehillim along with us live. | | Thank You, Responsible Media
| | Orthodox Jews are accustomed to being portrayed unfairly in the media. In challenging times, we prove to be particularly enticing targets. The current crisis, no exception, spawned the usual negativity aimed at our community, presented by writers who cherry picked instances of individuals' irresponsible actions and portrayed them as characteristic of charedi attitudes and actions, painting our community in ugly colors with the broadest of brushes. Agudath Israel of America, which has been one of the Orthodox groups at the forefront of informing, directing and encouraging responsible behavior in the Orthodox Jewish community since the advent of the Covid-19 challenge, extends its appreciation to those journalists who didn't shrink from telling the story of the Orthodox reaction to the crisis in an honest and objective manner, honestly and objectively. Among them are two writers at the Forward, its editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren and its op-ed editor Batya Ungar-Sargon; columnist Ira Stoll; and News 12 New Jersey, anchor Kurt Siegelin. Ms. Rudoren penned a compelling column explaining how a current of animus against charedim underlay some attitudes toward them, and how some who "never really understood or respected the insular... religious way of life" of charedi communities chose to see the high rates of coronavirus infection in those communities as the result of irresponsibility rather than, more accurately, the result of "dense neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, like other New York virus hotspots." Ms. Ungar-Sargon highlighted what she called the "shameful" coverage of the charedi community of late in The New York Times. The revered newspaper, she noted, not only included errors of fact but betrayed a disturbing and telling double standard, in its portrayals of two communities that "suffer from overcrowding, high rates of poverty, and a huge language barrier." One was described as "the victim of coronavirus and government apathy, while the other [the charedi, as] the recalcitrant 'source of the problem'." "It's truly ugly," was her conclusion. Writing in the Algemeiner, Mr. Stoll likewise focused on The Times' coverage. One community's high rate of infection, the paper asserted, was due to "what public health researchers say are entrenched inequalities in resources, health and access to care." And the other, about a charedi community in Israel, blamed the victims for "failing to comply with government restrictions" – restrictions, as it happened, that hadn't yet been put in place! – and for its alleged harboring of "a deep distrust of state authority [and] ignorance of the health risks." The facts, though, wrote Mr. Stoll, "suggest that the spread of the virus may have less to do with the supposed ignorant zealotry of Orthodox Jews and more to do with the mechanism of the way the disease spreads, from one person who has it to another." Mr. Siegelin, for his part, posted a long and laudable apology for inadvertently promoting a false allegation about a Jewish school operating against New Jersey rules – and, to his chagrin, for bringing a clutch of rabid anti-Semites out of the state's woodwork onto social media. He had tweeted about "a school bus full of kids from Lakewood [New Jersey, which has a substantial charedi population], "Apparently," he speculated, "the school is still 'open' despite mandatory shutdown." It turned out that the bus had been delivering food to local families and that it was not "full of kids," Several of the driver's children had accompanied him on his rounds. To his credit, Mr. Siegelin, when the facts came out, quickly admitted that "The story I posted on twitter was incorrect," and that "the (at times) vile posts directed at people in Lakewood were out of line, but created by my tweet." "Seeing the reaction," he wrote further, "was honestly pretty scary." "Was it all," he wondered, "a media setup?" Are some people "pushing an anti-Semitic agenda?" "I don't know," he wrote, "But there's enough evidence from the feedback I got on Twitter, that yes, it could very well be. In which case, I got played." Many media that fell short of the journalistic ideal of objective reporting got played as well. A broad swath of the charedi community looks to Agudath Israel for guidance, and heeded our repeated recommendations over the past weeks, updated each time new information was available. Back on March 9, before any rules had been put in place in New York or New Jersey, Agudath Israel alerted the community to the potential danger of Covid-19, and, in cooperation with leading infectious diseases specialists and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, addressed a number of pressing questions. The alert noted that the obligation to protect life "is central and recurring in halacha." While social distancing had not yet at the time been instituted, the alert noted that personal contact with others should nevertheless be avoided. Our recommendations were updated on March 13. In that update, we notified the public of health authorities' new recommendation – issued the previous day – that social distancing be observed and that New York and New Jersey had banned large gatherings. Two days later, we issued yet another directive, noting that "infectious disease specialists are now strongly recommending extreme measures to severely limit all social or communal gatherings, including closing shuls and schools." "These necessary, preventative steps," we advised, "deserve strong consideration, even in communities that have not experienced appreciable incidences of COVID-19. The tipping point has been reached." On the 18th, educational facilities in New York were ordered closed, and the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah issued an "urgent call" to the community, "implor[ing] each person to listen to the direction of the expert medical professionals who are unified in warning about the seriousness of the current situation." That was followed, two days later but an impassioned and eloquent video message from Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, zt"l, the Novominsker Rebbe and Rosh Agudas Yisroel, mere weeks before he was called to Heaven, personally expressing the need for heeding medical authorities' directives. That same day, Agudath Israel, along with other Orthodox Jewish organizations, issued a joint statement reiterating that they had "heretofore urged not only full compliance with all health guidelines issued by federal, state, and local governments, but have gone beyond those pronouncements in urging our communities to remain at home and avoid, to the maximum extent feasible, any outside interactions. In keeping with those guidelines, we have mandated scrupulous hygiene and social distancing, and urged everyone to stay home and minimize physical interaction." "We have taken the unprecedented and deeply distressing step," the statement continued, "of shuttering the central fixtures of our lives – our shuls, yeshivos and schools – and certainly [must] eliminate other gatherings." And on March 23, a second joint statement declared that truly honoring Pesach this year entailed "limiting our purchases to the truly ESSENTIAL, ensuring that all of us – especially the vulnerable – are able to celebrate Pesach in good health." "We must," the missive concluded, "STAY HOME; SAVE LIVES." To intensify that message, Agudath Israel created a persuasive video, publicized on April 2, that included community members detailing how they were going to celebrate Pesach this year, many for the first time ever on their own, and other without other family members present. All in order to help limit the spread of Covid-19. "Their message," the accompanying description stressed, "applies to us all." On April 6, Agudath Israel, which worked in conjunction with the National Association of Chevra Kadisha issued detailed guidelines for Jewish funerals, severely limiting attendances and encouraging other restrictions, in order to ensure the safety of the community. The timeline above is offered here because it was largely ignored – and even misrepresented – by some media and pundits. Such lapses and sins of reportage about the charedi community won't likely ever go away. But we are heartened all the same by the examples of responsible journalism that stood out from the pack in recent weeks. | | Agudath Israel Partners with Largest New York Blood Bank To Encourage Potentially Lifesaving Blood Plasma Donations | | One of New York's largest blood banks is partnering with the national Orthodox Jewish umbrella group Agudath Israel of America and a network of dedicated volunteers to bring potentially lifesaving blood plasma to patients suffering from coronavirus. New York Blood Center, a nonprofit with locations throughout the tristate area, will work with the Jewish nonprofit to encourage survivors of the deadly virus to donate their plasma in an effort to help coronavirus patients recover. Doctors are using the active antibodies in blood plasma from people who have recovered from coronavirus to treat sick patients through blood transfusions, one of the few therapies that has shown real promise against the global pandemic. The treatment, called convalescent plasma therapy, is medically cutting edge for the treatment of coronavirus. While doctors still don't fully understand why some coronavirus patients respond better to the treatment than others, the therapy has a track record of success when used to combat similar viruses such as H1N1, SARS, and MERS, and results from early use in coronavirus patients have been encouraging. New York Blood Center hopes to secure enough donations to maintain a bank of blood with coronavirus antibodies for use in New York City area hospitals, the center's officials said. In addition to potentially saving lives, if plasma therapy can help some patients recover more rapidly, that can open up hospital beds and relieve pressure off New York's buckling health care infrastructure. "The Jewish ethos places supreme value on life," said Avrohom Weinstock Esq., Agudath Israel's Chief of Staff. "We knew we could uniquely mobilize our constituents to help for something like this, but the response has exceeded our expectations. Within hours of our plasma solicitation - just before Passover no less - we had hundreds of calls to donate." Mordy Serle, an Orthodox Jewish attorney from Brooklyn, NY, dropped everything to help coordinate the effort. "This became personal for me when my father-in-law became seriously ill with coronavirus. After he recovered, my only thought was, 'What can I do to help others.'" Chaim Lebovits sells shoes in Spring Valley, NY, but his experience previously coordinating with Dr. Shmuel Shoham, Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, one of the country's leading researchers into plasma therapy for coronavirus, has been invaluable in the effort. "The amazing thing," said Chaim, "is that none of us had met before a couple weeks ago, and now we are on the phone nonstop. We just kind of all had a common goal we were hyperfocused on, and coalesced around the project." With hundreds of new fatalities reported daily, Avrohom, Mordy, Chaim, and other volunteers have been working against the clock to accelerate and coordinate donations. "We have Zoom meetings at 3 am in our pajamas," joked Mordy. "Whatever it takes." Danny Riemer and his wife Sheera of New Rochelle, NY were among the first volunteers to donate blood plasma in early April. "This was a way to turn our personal bouts with coronavirus into something positive that can help others," said the Orthodox Jewish couple. Agudath Israel and its volunteers are also working to help bring on board hospitals in the New York area and throughout the country to administer plasma to coronavirus patients. With the FDA now fast-tracking plasma therapy for either plasma clinical trials or immediate use, and the Mayo Clinic opening its doors for other hospitals to participate in its study, the administrative load is now lighter than most hospitals realize to start delivering plasma to critically ill patients. For its part, New York Blood Bank is proud of being a leader in this field. "This is what we were created for," said Beth H. Shaz, MD, the center's Chief Medical and Scientific Officer. "It has been heartwarming to see Agudath Israel and the Jewish community step up in such a tangible way to get as much plasma as possible to the patients who need it." | | The Chayim Aruchim Hotline is, unfortunately, extremely busy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Some of what is going on:
- Family members are calling with heartbreaking questions about patients: whether to intubate, whether to sign the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form, and many others.
- Our Rabbonim and staff on our 24 Hour Hotline advise on the halachah, as well as on how to get the medical services that halachah requires.
- In many cases, Chayim Aruchim has to reach out to heads of hospitals to make sure that the patients get the medical care that is required under halachah. In one very recent case, legal representation was necessary to make sure that the hospital did what was required.
- For the first time in Chayim Aruchim's history, the full 24 Hour Hotline was available over Pesach and Shabbos as well. In the week of Pesach alone, Chayim Aruchim responded to almost 300 calls, including numerous calls which came in on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
- One of key concern of family members is the inability to get information about a family member who is in the hospital. In most hospitals, no family member is allowed into the hospital along with the patient. Mrs. Leah Horowitz, patient navigator for Chayim Aruchim was able intercede with Lenox Hill Hospital to hire who would be able to interface with the family members, and have access to the pertinent medical information to pass along. Rabbi Menachem Horowitz, one of Chayim Aruchim's Rabbonim, was able to intercede with Mount Sinai Hospital in a similar way. And Rabbi Ben Zion Leser, another Chayim Aruchim Rav, was successful in this regard in Maimonides Medical Center.
May we hear besoros tovos! | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment