Who are the Israelis?

[rylah]

As Israel Eases Coronavirus Restrictions, What Could Our ‘New Normal’ Look Like?

The Israeli government approved a series of new directives this week meant to roll back restrictions put in place in mid-March to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a televised statement Saturday night praising the accomplishments of the country and its citizens in stabilizing the mortality rate of COVID-19, which he described as among the lowest in the OECD.

The steps Israel has taken – closing its borders to non-residents, implementing mandatory quarantines, banning public gatherings, limiting pubic transport, undertaking contact tracing, and ramping up diagnostic tests – “have proven themselves in slowing the rate of infection and in stabilizing the numbers of seriously ill patients and those on ventilators,” said Netanyahu.

Israel currently has close to 14,000 confirmed patients with coronavirus, 139 of which are in serious condition with 113 requiring mechanical ventilation. Israel’s death toll from the disease has climbed to 184 as of April 21, according to Health Ministry figures.

Taub report on Israel’s coronavirus mortality rate

Starting on Sunday, restrictions were eased slightly in both the personal and public spheres but social distancing, mask-wearing, and bans on gatherings are enforced, and other major limitations remain in place. Some industries may resume operations but school is still out. Additional rollbacks may be implemented in the coming weeks depending on the success of the pilot plan, but officials in Israel and the world have urged that we should all prepare for a changed reality and, possibly, a resurgence of the pathogen. The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the “worst is yet to come.”

“Until a coronavirus vaccine is found, we are in a different reality. The entire world has changed. We simply need to live in a corona[virus] routine,” Netanyahu said on Saturday.

The stresses of the pandemic
What could this different reality look like? Dr. Anthony Fauci, the American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH) at the Department of Health and Human Services, has suggested that we may never shake hands again, for example. But everything has been affected. From how we travel (or don’t), work, parent, educate, date, socialize, connect with family, manage stress, and exercise – the coronavirus has turned our world upside down over the course of the past three months.

This period “where we shut down the world – and the possibility of it happening again – will be carved into our memories and our consciousness,” says Professor Golan Shahar of Ben-Gurion University’s Department of Psychology, head of The Stress, Self & Health (STREALTH) Lab, and a clinical health psychologist.

“The world has changed and on a behavioral level we are all changed as well,” he tells NoCamels. “We are all spending more time at home, working from home, parenting from home, so family dynamics are changing.” This period will have strengthened bonds for some people and some families “as they’ve had to discover each other, get to know each other and become closer,” says Dr. Shahar.


Full story:

As Israel Eases Coronavirus Restrictions, What Could Our 'New Normal' Look Like?

Officials in Israel and across the world over have urged that we should prepare for a changed reality post-pandemic.

nocamels.com

 

[rylah]

Fashionable Face Masks Are The Accessory Of The Future,
Say Israeli Designers

Israelis are now required to wear face masks outdoors in a mandatory directive issued by the Health Ministry that went into effect this week. The Health Ministry has said that these masks can be store-bought, homemade, or makeshift but that they must cover the nose and mouth.

Officials have recommended against buying traditional N95 or surgical masks, mainly because they want to leave them for the health care workers. In recent weeks, Israel has faced a shortage of personal protective equipment, including masks, for medical workers though that has changed in recent weeks due to shipments from China, and deliveries coordinated by the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency.

Meanwhile, fashion designers, artists, seamstresses, and textile industry workers are suddenly finding themselves out of work, like 25 percent of Israeli population currently jobless. Besides not being able to open their businesses, general spending on non-essential items such as clothes, art, and jewelry has been affected. Many in the industry have felt compelled to help the best way they know how.

While there’s been no official call in Israel on the apparel industry to make face masks, unlike in New York, many of these fashion and fabric experts have started their own initiatives to make them — using patterned cloths, unique patchwork, and fun-loving designs.

Tel Aviv-based fashion entrepreneur Dana Kira and restauranteur Alon Levi saw both of their businesses come to a grinding halt when lockdown measures were put in place last month amid the coronavirus outbreak. They were both looking for what to do next when, separately, they contacted a mutual Batel Bar Giora, a fashion designer with Israeli brand Feyge. She made the connection between the two after realizing they had the same idea — to create handcrafted face masks from reusable cloth.



The idea behind their product is to make colorful and quality cloth masks that can be reused, in order to minimize waste, and give people an alternative to disposable masks, which are necessary for health care workers, Alon Levi writes in an email to NoCamels.

Kira contacted fellow designers in Tel Aviv, such as Amit Shalom from Israeli brand BoBo who donated leftover materials from their businesses. This gave the duo a supply of fun, colorful and unique designs. All masks are sewn locally.

“It is very important for us to make our masks accessible so anyone can afford them,” explains Levi. The masks are sold at two apiece for NIS 68 ($19). A range of masks is found on the brand’s Instagram page. Free delivery is available anywhere in Israel.


They aren’t the only ones who found themselves looking to fill a void. Ruth Lenk, a Netanya-based quilter and art teacher started a Facebook page in November to sell her quilts. Sewing masks only followed when she created masks for family members to follow the Health Ministry’s directive.

Lenk tells NoCamels she was encouraged by those family members to start selling those masks on her page, The Creative Adult, and decided to launch an initiative to donate a mask to a hospital worker every time she sold one. She says she is also looking to donate masks to elderly care facilities and programs for at-risk kids. Lenk sends photos of options to customers who choose what they like and says she has been overwhelmed by the interest she has received.

Yarden Oz, a 28-year old wedding and evening dress designer who has designed bridal gowns for some 400 women, found herself without work when Israeli wedding celebrations were limited to small numbers and then banned altogether. She decided to take the opportunity to design a collection of fashionable fabric masks that “will bring some color and joy to this era” and support the battered economy, she writes on the official website of her brand, Happy People. Her mask designs are also found on her Instagram page.

Fashionable Face Masks Are The Accessory Of The Future, Say Israeli Designers

Now that Israelis are required to wear face masks outside the home, fashion designers and artists have come up with unique and stylish designs to sell to the public.

nocamels.com

 

[rylah]

 

[rylah]

Hanan Ben Ari with 'Eden Meiri - 100FM at Moshiko Shtern

First the song 'Ma Ata Rotze Mimeni',
then some jingles improvised to ease the atmosphere...

 

[rylah]

Yishay Ribo -Kol Dodi

The voice of my beloved, behold He comes, that's what they say
To remove all evil, and to lift up our ray,
From the depths of the dust
And to awaken those who sleep, at the sound of the Shofar.

The voice of my beloved, behold He comes
That's the rumor that is spreading
And every captive baby received the prophecy
So come and let's go out to meet Him, with drums and flute
Sing to Him, sing praises,
How blessed is nation who Hashem is their G-d.

And then the day will break and the lie will evaporate
Then all the does of the field will go forth in dance
And skip upon the mountains and not from fear of foxes
And out of the clefts of the rock, living water shall flow forth
From the hidden places of the terrace, to irrigate the rose of the valleys
And to establish the tabernacle, that will remove our suffering here

The voice of my beloved is knocking, open to Me my children
The time of your redemption has arrived and I have said enough to your troubles
I have come to bring glad tidings, that you will no longer cry Rachel
We sense the Meshiah more than any fragrant powder
Shalom to You my beloved, pure and ruddy
Pour out Your wrath on rocks, and return to the fortress
In mercy, for for Your mercy there is no memory to contain all given

The voice of my beloved, behold He comes...

 

[Mindful]

 

[P F Tinmore]

Settlers fight with Israeli soldiers on illegal settlement

 

[rylah]

Settlers fight with Israeli soldiers on illegal settlement

Yes, and I have a friend who got angry when IDF sealed off Bnei Brak,
during the Covid-19 outbreak. But that's what a govt. must do.

All you've revealed is that the policy works against illegal building of Arabs and Jews.
What changed was only your reaction.

I think in both cases,
it serves for governance.

When Israeli law effectively applies fully in the entire area of Judea Samaria,
there is less need for such action, because the entire area is included
within the municipal borders of unified Jerusalem.

What's happening in the scene is the same policy as in any city,
only difference is the protest and confrontation,
but long term, essentially that's what it is,
now in Ramat Gan, soon allover Judea:

 

[rylah]

Israel’s economic ‘exit strategy’

 

[rylah]

Elementary School Reopen Across Israel

Israel’s Health Ministry outlined a new plan Sunday to gradually set things back to normal after weeks-long restrictions imposed on Israelis due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

[rylah]

Miri Mesika with Jerusalem Orchestra - Birkat HaMelech

'Birkat HaMelech' - the Blessing of the King

 

[rylah]

WATCH: Israelis Rejoice Over Eased Restrictions

As the nation rolls back the rules set in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Israelis expressed joy over regaining their freedom.

Israelis love the beach, open air markets, and sports in the nation’s plentiful parks, which made months-long coranavirus restrictions all the more difficult for residents of the Jewish state.

This week many of those restrictions were cancelled, and Israelis couldn’t be happier.

Check out their jubilant responses to a gradual return to normal.

 

[rylah]

Piyyut Project - Ki Esmerah Shabat

For I'll keep Shabat
G-d will guard me
A sign she is forever to eternity
Between Him and me

Forbidden search to provide
Of doing ways
Also of talks of (daily) needs
Talks of merchants or talks of kings
I'll pronounce and study the Torah of G-d
I'll pronounce and study the Torah of G-d
And You will make me wise

A sign she is between Him and me
I will always find in her
Comfort to my soul

Here to the first generation
Has given my Holy
Miraculous example in giving bread
Twice on the sixth day
So on every sixth day
So on every sixth day
Will double my nurture

A sign she is forever to eternity
Between Him and me

The day is respectful
Day of pleasures
Bread and good wine
Meat and fish
Those who are happy in it
They reach happiness
For it's a day of celebrations
And You will make me happy

 

[rylah]

 

[rylah]

WATCH: Israel is Building in the Heartland of Judea!

As Israel prepares to apply sovereignty over towns in Judea and Samaria, the Ministry of Defense approves thousands of new houses.

Defense Minister Bennett announced the approval of 7,000 new housing units in the town of Efrat in the heartland of Judea.

The announcement came just days after the US State Department announced it would support Israeli extending sovereignty over the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria.

Watch to learn about this historic announcement.

 

[rylah]

High Court Rejects Petitions Against Netanyahu-Gantz Unity Government

“There is no legal reason to interfere with the tasking of Knesset Member Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a government,” the court stated.

The High Court of Justice has decided to reject the petitions filed against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud-Blue and White coalition agreement, paving the way for the establishment of the government and the swearing-in of the ministers next Wednesday.

After two days of deliberations on Sunday and Monday, the court announced its decision Wednesday night. The panel of 11 judges unanimously rejected all the eight petitions.

“There is no legal reason to interfere with the tasking of Knesset Member Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a government,” the court stated.

Regarding the coalition agreement, the judges stated that “although the coalition agreement between the Blue and White and Likud factions raises considerable legal difficulties, at this time there is no need to intervene in any of its clauses.”

Eight left-wing organizations filed petitions claiming that Netanyahu, who has been indicted, could not hold office, and that the coalition agreement between the Likud party and Blue and White was illegal.

Netanyahu’s trial on charges of bribery and misconduct in three cases is slated to begin later this month.

The coalition between Likud and Blue and White to establish a government requires special legislation to anchor the agreement which enables Netanyahu of the Likud party and Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz to rotate the premiership after 18 months.

The court ruled that this was “an exceptional coalition agreement, some of which its provisions cause considerable difficulties. However, it is not yet time to examine these claims.”

The court is waiting for the agreement to become enshrined in law before it rules on its legality, meaning that the Netanyahu-Gantz may still face legal challenges that could lead to the fourth round of elections in Israel within a year’s time.

The Knesset plenum on Wednesday continued a series of marathon debates on some 9,000 objections to Basic Law Proposal: The Government (Amendment – Alternating Government).

The proposed legislative amendments are designed to allow the coalition agreement between the Likud and Blue and White parliamentary groups to be implemented.

The bill to amend the basic law deals with the structure of the rotation government, defining it as an equal government, in which both blocs that will make up the coalition will have an equal number of ministers and deputy ministers.

The bill further deals with the swearing-in of the prime minister and the alternate prime minister as soon as the government is established, the date on which the transfer of power between the incumbent prime minister and the alternate prime minister shall take place, and the daily conduct of the government.

The coalition-to-be has voted down all the objections and the bill is slated to pass on Thursday, clearing the path for the formation of government next week.

High Court Rejects Petitions Against Netanyahu-Gantz Unity Government | United with Israel

'There is no legal reason to interfere with the tasking of Knesset Member Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a government,' the court stated.

unitedwithisrael.org

 

[rylah]

Father and son from MDA donate plasma after recovering from coronavirus

After suffering from coronavirus, then recovering, senior MDA medic and his son, an MDA dispatcher, donate plasma to help COVID-19 patients.

www.israelnationalnews.com

 

[rylah]

After Tiresome Rescue Journey - 31 Jews from Brazil made Aliyah to Israel

בתום מסע חילוץ מפרך: 31 יהודים מברזיל עלו לישראל

טיסות בוטלו פעם אחר פעם, הדרך מריו לסאו פאולו נחסמה ונדרשה גם עצירת ביניים בטורקיה, אך הקרן לידידות והסוכנות היהודית הצליחו להביא ארצה עשרות יהודים מברזיל. אחת העולות: "מחכה להכיר לבנות שלי את המקום המופלא הזה, אחרי הבידוד"

www.ynet.co.il

 

[rylah]

Yishay Ribo -Keter Melukha (Crown of Kingdom)

Beteween Terumah and Tetzaveh
A birthday a bit strange
Everything is regular here supposedly
A stage audience and love

Between Tetzaveh and Ki Tisa
Ester(hiding) Purim a feast happiness
Who will rest and who will drive
And who will carry the consequence

Between Ki Tisa and Vayakhel
The world stops to gather
To silence to close in
Ishmael Edom and Israel

Betwen Vayakhel and Pekudey
Therese no person in town and field
There no one to manage in front
The tower of Babel confuses again


And what do You want us to understand from this
How to distance and to come near in this pain
Want to live You
And not be alone

And what do You want us to learn from this
And who will we know to unite in this separation
Till we give You
Crown of Kingdom


Between Pekudey and Vayikra
We are all in the same boat
Spring arrived Pesach comes
And with it a great hope

That You will tear the severity of the decree
'Lecha Dodi Likrat Kalah'
We have no strength anymore
To deal with, to fight

And what do You want us to understand from this
How to disconnect and connect to this heart
Want to live You
And not be alone

And what do You want us to learn from this
And how will we know to unite in this separation
'Shma'a Yisrael HaShem Ehad UShmo Ehad'

Between Adar and between Nisan
Fell a lot that is the fate
They say it's time that is capable
Of winning over luck

 

[P F Tinmore]

But..but..but...The Palestinians throw stones.