Listen to free-association discussion about the CV and how its moving across the globe, some US Cities with numbers under voluntary quarantine
Bill Gates Take On The Global Pandemic-In His Own Words From His Own Mouth
24 February 2020
23 February 2020
Palestinian in Wuhan: Symptoms are Harsh and Painful
Wuhan: First Palestinian Arab infected with COVID-19
Muhammad Abu Namus, a Palestinian Authority Arab studying for a doctorate in Wuhan, China, has contracted COVID-19, which he described as "similar to flu but its symptoms are a lot worse," Ma'an reported.
In an Arabic interview with Sky News, Abu Namus said, "The symptoms are harsh and painful, and the patient feels like his lungs are bursting out of his body."
He also said that the doctors told him that COVID-19 completely destroys the lungs.
Currently, Abu Namus is being treated at a hospital with antivirals, medications to strengthen his immune system, and vitamins. The patients are examined each day, and once every three days patients undergo a chest x-ray.
Source: INN
Palestinian studying for doctorate says 'symptoms are harsh and painful,
you feel like your lungs are exploding.'
Muhammad Abu Namus, a Palestinian Authority Arab studying for a doctorate in Wuhan, China, has contracted COVID-19, which he described as "similar to flu but its symptoms are a lot worse," Ma'an reported.
In an Arabic interview with Sky News, Abu Namus said, "The symptoms are harsh and painful, and the patient feels like his lungs are bursting out of his body."
He also said that the doctors told him that COVID-19 completely destroys the lungs.
Currently, Abu Namus is being treated at a hospital with antivirals, medications to strengthen his immune system, and vitamins. The patients are examined each day, and once every three days patients undergo a chest x-ray.
Source: INN
24 Days Not 14 Days Should be Quarantine Duration.
It should be understood that because of “misinformation” it is now suspected that 24 Days is needed for quarantine. Plus sometimes one can be tested “negative” but weeks later become “positive” and during that time duration one can infect hundreds; with each of them also infecting others and so forth.
The Ministry of Education said that as a result of this situation, a hotline has been opened for discussions with parents and students to be manned by experts in dealing with stress and emergency situations. The hotline will start operating Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. It can be reached by calling 1800-25-00-25 or 073-3931122.
The Ministry of Health has expanded its directives and ordered Israelis returning from Korea and Japan to stay in isolation at home for two weeks
to Disembark at Ben Gurion Airport
JewishPress
A decision was made by Israeli health officials this weekend not to allow tourists arriving from South Korea and Japan Saturday evening to enter Israeli territory.
Almost 200 foreign nationals who arrived on a Korean Air flight from Seoul at 7 pm were not permitted to disembark from the plane; after refueling the aircraft was expected to immediately return to South Korea.
The 12 Israelis who returned Saturday night were required to self-quarantine at home or in a medical setting for 14 days, according to the Health Ministry.
All were transported to their homes by Magen David Adom ambulances with personnel specially trained and outfitted with clothing designed to minimize the risk of infection.
Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov spoke with reporters at a news conference held following news that a delegation of nine South Koreans were diagnosed with COVID-19 upon their return from Israel.
Israeli Ambassador to China, Zvi Hefetz traveled on board the same flight to Seoul as the nine South Koreans who were diagnosed with COVID-19; he is to remain in quarantine in Beijing, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Other embassy staff will not be limited, however.
Read more at link above.
The Ministry of Education said that as a result of this situation, a hotline has been opened for discussions with parents and students to be manned by experts in dealing with stress and emergency situations. The hotline will start operating Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. It can be reached by calling 1800-25-00-25 or 073-3931122.
The Ministry of Health has expanded its directives and ordered Israelis returning from Korea and Japan to stay in isolation at home for two weeks
Researchers should scan the internet for more reliable and up to date information that is not being provided by the CDC and WHO.
200 Foreign Nationals Not Allowed to Disembark at Ben Gurion Airport
JewishPress
A decision was made by Israeli health officials this weekend not to allow tourists arriving from South Korea and Japan Saturday evening to enter Israeli territory.
Almost 200 foreign nationals who arrived on a Korean Air flight from Seoul at 7 pm were not permitted to disembark from the plane; after refueling the aircraft was expected to immediately return to South Korea.
The 12 Israelis who returned Saturday night were required to self-quarantine at home or in a medical setting for 14 days, according to the Health Ministry.
All were transported to their homes by Magen David Adom ambulances with personnel specially trained and outfitted with clothing designed to minimize the risk of infection.
Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov spoke with reporters at a news conference held following news that a delegation of nine South Koreans were diagnosed with COVID-19 upon their return from Israel.
Israeli Ambassador to China, Zvi Hefetz traveled on board the same flight to Seoul as the nine South Koreans who were diagnosed with COVID-19; he is to remain in quarantine in Beijing, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Other embassy staff will not be limited, however.
Read more at link above.
Those countries that balk at Israel not accepting their tourists should instead concentrate on controlling their own virus contamination issues, and not send their citizens to infect others.
New Scientific Evidence
Soon the entire world will be talking and fearing only about this virus!
Israel is now waking up to their error in allowing visitors from countries where there was even ONE case of a suspected carrier to enter Eretz Yisrael. Now there are many many Israelis being infected with this scourge of a virus. JPost: 180 students quarantined. And all the other cases.:“180 Israeli students quarantined after coronavirus exposure. "The potential that someone caught the virus from the tourists is high, whoever doesn't enter quarantine is endangering the public." ALSO: Another 60 students under quarantine.
The doubters are now believers!
GUEST POST: We now have bombshell, smoking gun evidence that the CoVid-19 “Wuhan” coronavirus was specifically engineered as an offensive biological warfare weapon, designed to target to exterminate human beings.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Antiviral Research (Vol. 16, April 2020) is entitled, “The spike glycoprotein of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV contains a furin-like cleavage site absent in CoV of the same clade.”
It reveals that the CoVid-19 coronavirus contains unique features that allow it to function as a more efficient weapon system for human-to-human transmission, which helps explain why the virus has been impossible to contain (even under “quarantine” conditions, which have universally failed in China, Japan, Korea and elsewhere).
As the science authors of the paper explain in the full text, “This furin-like cleavage site… may provide a gain-of-function to the 2019-nCoV for efficient spreading in the human population.” (Emphasis added)
Further, the science paper finds that there is no known viral ancestry to the CoVid-19 coronavirus, meaning it did not evolve from nature. It was engineered, and the science paper authors also state that the virus contains elements from MERS, stating, “Before the emergence of the 2019-nCoV, this important feature was not observed in the lineage b of betacoronaviruses.”
The abstract and full PDF (paid) of the study are available through this link at ScienceDirect.com:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354220300528
[...]
Engineered to attack the human respiratory system. . .
The CoVid-19 coronavirus is specifically engineered to exploit the biology of the human respiratory system. Again, from the paper text:
Since furin is highly expressed in lungs, an enveloped virus that infects the respiratory tract may successfully exploit this convertase to activate its surface glycoprotein (Bassi et al., 2017; Mbikay et al., 1997). Before the emergence of the 2019-nCoV, this important feature was not observed in the lineage b of betacoronaviruses.
Finally, study authors explain that people who have already been exposed to other viral infections may have enhanced immunity against the coronavirus. From the study:
…it was recently shown that in an effort to limit viral infections, host cells that are infected by a number of viruses provoke an interferon response to inhibit the enzymatic activity of furin-like enzymes.
Although we caution that this supposition is just theory (so far), it may turn out that one way to boost defenses against the coronavirus could be to get infected with a weaker respiratory virus first. Stated another way, people who routinely interact with the public and are exposed to a wide variety of in-the-wild circulating viruses may be automatically building improved defenses by overcoming other viral infections first.
This finding has huge implications for individuals who take vaccines, given that vaccines expose the human body to weakened viral strains that often fail to provoke the full response of “in-the-wild” viruses such as seasonal influenza. Although the research did not focus on this point, it might also turn out that people who routinely take seasonal flu shots could theoretically demonstrate a weakened immune response against the coronavirus, while those who avoid flu shots and allow their own bodies to naturally fight the flu each year will show enhanced immunity against CoVid-19 coronavirus.
Or, arguably, it might work the other way around, where people who routinely take more vaccines and are exposed to a wider variety of weaker strains therefore have more capacity to produce an “interferon response.” It’s too early to tell, but it certainly seems to be the case that people who are rarely or never exposed to other viral pathogens may be far more vulnerable to this one.
[this totally supports those who DO NOT vaccinate against the flu. Taking the flu vaccine could be theoretically setting up the individual for GREATER INFECTION in the future, such as with the current virus circulating the globe.]
If you are shocked by the above, go Here to learn what else is coming
21 February 2020
THE BAIS MEDRASH SAVES US
THE BAIS MEDRASH SAVES US
By Roy S. Neuberger
“Since the day that the temple was destroyed, Hakodosh Baruch Hu has nothing in His world but the four amos of halacha.” (Berachos 8a)
This week the character of the Chumash changes from a narrative about the creation of Am Yisroel to a presentation of the halacha by which we live and through which the world is sustained.
Now we enter the bais medrash.
Here the yetzer hara begins its war. It is significant that Amalek attacks just before we reach Har Sinai. The yetzer harahas no more central mission than to try to defeat our attempt to learn Torah, for Torah is “aitz chaim … a tree of life to those who grasp it!” (Mishlei 3:18)
The Chofetz Chaim used to say, “The evil inclination does not mind if a Jew fasts, weeps, and prays all day long, provided he does not study Torah!” (See Artscroll Bereishis, overview to Vayishlach, p. 1400)
Why is Torah the supreme object of the Satan’s attention? Obviously, if our most tenacious enemy wants nothing more than to keep us away from Torah, this in itself indicates the centrality of Torah. In the words of Chazal, “Torah protects forever….” (Sotah 21a)
In Mitzraim, the necromancers thought they could replicate and control the first makkos. But quickly, Hashem made it clear that they were powerless. Their sense of powerlessness increased with each makka, until makkos bechoros made it clear that the world is orchestrated from Above by a Power which manifests obvious will and intention.
Thus, Paroh’s servants said to their master, “Send out the men that they may serve Hashem, their G-d! Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?” (Shemos 10:7)
Today, a similar realization is coming over the world. The makkos we are experiencing in this generation are becoming so powerful that mankind cannot help acknowledging the Existence of Hashem. When the Industrial Revolution began, man felt that he was going to rule the world. Now, like Paroh’s advisors, many people are coming to believe that the world is beyond man’s control.
Witness recent events:
- Wildfires have catastrophically altered the flora and fauna of Australia.
- World water levels are rising. CBS news says, “Because of climate change, [Venice] is drowning.”
- The Coronavirus is causing worldwide panic.
Recently, a Michigan hunter told us that deer are dying by the hundreds because of unseasonably warm weather causing an unprecedented infestation of ticks and fleas. Cold-water fish are sick and inedible.
Many people are despairing, but we know the Geulah Shelemah is near, and we are holding tightly to the Tree of Life. ToMitzraim, the makkos were the sign of death; to Am Yisroel, lehavdil, they were the door to Har Sinai, where we received the Torah which we studied under our Rebbe, Moshe Rabbeinu, as we traveled through Midbar Sinai.
May Avinu Malkainu soon rescue us and lead us in peace to Eretz Yisroel, where we will dwell eternally in the presence of the Bais Hamikdosh and our redeemer, Moshiach ben Dovid!
The Bais Medrash
* * * *
Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.
© Copyright 2020 by Roy S. Neuberger
Rabbi Kahana – Mishpatim and the Law of Return
BS”D
Parashat Mishpatim 5780
Rabbi Nachman Kahana
Declining $20,000 of Jewish Money
The Jewish Federation of Rockland County and the Anti-Defamation League awarded a gift of twenty thousand dollars to Mr. Joseph Gluck for his heroic act of preventing a savage attack in a bet knesset in Monsey, NY, and aided in apprehending the attacker.
However, Mr. Gluck, after consulting with his rabbi, rejected the gift because the two donor organizations are pro Zionist, so they do not represent the beliefs and values of his Haredi community. Mr. Gluck told News 12 Brooklyn, “I was not willing to offer my soul for $20,000. My identity for $20,000 was not for sale.”
Mr. Gluck’s rabbi instead raised that amount from people who were inspired by his actions. Rabbi Dovid Feldman explained to News 12, “the ADL and Jewish Federation were about to issue a statement to encourage and promote the Zionist idea of Jewish self-defense, of fighting back, of fighting our enemies, which happens to be contrary to our tradition,“ as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
The Slave Who Refuses to be Freed
The Creator chose to begin the halachic code of the Written Torah (parashat Mishpatim) with matters pertaining to the master-slave relationship. This was done, I believe, in order to impress upon the newly freed slaves the compassionate nature of the Torah, as opposed to Egyptian cruelty in that particular area, which was the most familiar to the Jews after undergoing two centuries of slavery.
Among other details, the parasha sets down the rules regarding a thief who was sold by the court for nonpayment of the principle of his theft (if he can repay the principle but not the additional fine imposed upon him as punishment for his crime, he is not sold into slavery).
During the time of his servitude, the Torah grants the master the right to couple the Jewish slave with a non-Jewish slave woman for purposes of procreation, as is stated (Shemot 21:4):
אם אדניו יתן לו אשה וילדה לו בנים או בנות האשה וילדיה תהיה לאדניה והוא יצא בגפוIf his master gives him a non-Jewish slave woman and she should give birth to children, she and her children remain slaves when the time for his release arrives
After his six-year period of bondage, he is free to leave. However, if he should choose to remain (with his master’s consent), he is taken to the court where he declares his desire to remain a slave and his right ear is pierced. He then continues to serve until the Yovel (Jubilee Year.) This person is defined in halacha as an eved nirtza, a “pierced slave”.
What does Mr. Gluck, his rabbi and his community have in common with the ever nirtza, the pierced ear slave? Answer: everything.
The eved nirtza lives in a state of virtual reality of his own making, as apparent from his delusional declaration before the court (Ibid verse 5)…
ואם אמר יאמר העבד אהבתי את אדני את אשתי ואת בני לא אצא חפשיAnd if the slave says, “I love my master, my wife and my children I will not go free”
Nothing in this declaration is real. The master is no longer his “master,” because the time for his freedom has arrived. The woman is not his “wife”, since there cannot exist a halachic husband-wife relationship where one of the partners is not Jewish. And the children are not halachically his, because, like their mother they are non-Jewish slaves!
This man is living a virtual reality, totally disconnected from actual reality. This is the mentality which renders him fit to remain a slave; a human robot totally enclosed in the bubble of his imagination.
Mr. Gluck and his community, similar to the eved nirtza, live totally disconnected from the reality of the HaShem-Am Yisrael relationship today, including their unfounded belief that the Jewish people in galut may return to the Land only when the Mashiach appears – which has no basis in mainstream Jewish thought. Their beliefs parallel those of the 80% who refused to accompany Moshe Rabbeinu into the desert, and the six hundred thousand men who refused to enter Eretz Yisrael with Yehoshua bin Nun.
Do Not Fear
There are two broadly accepted premises within wide circles in the galut: 1) that the State of Israel is in imminent mortal danger, and 2) that life in the United States or other places in the galut is secure.
This, too, is a bubble of virtual reality that relegates its adherents to being slaves to their personal instincts. For we in Eretz Yisrael are threatened, but are not in danger; whereas, the Jews in the galut are not yet threatened, but are assuredly in mortal danger.
Granted that, on the face of it, we who have returned to Eretz Yisrael and have had to struggle in defense of our Holy Land are threatened. We are the only nation in the world explicitly threatened with nuclear weapons. But in reality, we are the safest place on the planet.
The Torah (Melachim 2 chap. 6) relates a story involving Elisha, the protege of Eliyahu Ha’Navi.
The King of Aram learned that Elisha was in the town of Dotan in northern Shomron and sent a large military force to surround the town with orders to capture Elisha. The force arrived there at night and waited. In the early morning, Gaichazi, the student of Elisha, went outside and saw that the enemy had completely surrounded the town. In desperation, he called out to Elisha, who calmed the young man by saying:
ויאמר אל תירא כי רבים אשר אתנו מאשר אותם:Do not fear, for there are more on our side than there are on theirs(ויתפלל אלישע ויאמר ה’ פקח נא את עיניו ויראה ויפקח ה’ את עיני הנער וירא והנה ההר מלא סוסים ורכב אש סביבת אלישעSurrounding Eretz Yisrael are myriads of God’s angels protecting the righteous of the land.
At this point, you, dear reader, might be shrugging your shoulders in skepticism and thinking that what HaShem performed for a great tzaddik like Elisha is not necessarily what HaShem is doing for our lowly generation. Wrong!
Whoever thinks that the establishment of the State of Israel, the victories in our impossible wars, and the quality of life we enjoy today are not the result of God’s personal intervention, is simply not thinking.
The angels are being overworked in their defense of the Holy Land. After every war we hear tales of soldiers who swore that angels were driving them on to victory.
By every human standard, the State of Israel should have died in “childbirth” and should certainly not have attained the mature age of 71 years (and most certainly not have the most stable currency in the world, with the dollar dropping daily in favor of the shekel). But we are here in the fulfillment of HaShem’s promise that He will return His children to Eretz Yisrael and — establish a Torah society not seen in the last 2000 years.
This is the “true” reality, as we live now to celebrate the defeat of our enemies and will soon celebrate the modern-day Purim festivals to be established by the Chief Rabbinate.
And what of the reality in the galut, where our fellow Jews view their situation with serenity?
A bit of history:
Upon the establishment of the State of Israel, the gates of the land were thrown open, with the first law to be passed being the Law of Return.
HaShem granted the disbursed of Am Yisrael a period of time to return home, in accordance with Israel’s capacity to absorb the returnees.
In its first years, Israel absorbed over one million desperate Jews from European and Arab and Moslem lands; a feat unparalleled in all history. And all this in the midst of wars.
In these 71 years, the Land has embraced its returning children, so that today the majority of Jews in the world have arrived home. This in itself proves that our generation is the greatest one since the generation that entered the land with Yehoshua bin Nun.
As modern history evolves, we see an increase in the “discomfort level” of Jews in foreign lands.
Today, it is very uncomfortable to be a Jew in Europe, and in many other places in the world. We are all aware that latent anti-Semitism is as close as the Gentile at the next work desk in your office, or behind the gentle Gentile smile on your neighborhood green grocer’s face.
Many Jews claim that the threat of anti-Semitism is irrational, and certainly not in the land where a woman and a black person are presidential contenders.
But the reality of life has taught us that the fabric of society is so thin that it takes very little to turn neighbor against neighbor and friend into foe.
But this thought does not really disturb our brothers and sisters in the galut; because deep in the recesses of the Jewish galut mind is the knowledge that if, God forbid, the situation becomes intolerable, Israel will always be there to take them in. The houses in places like the Five Towns and Lakewood will always be there to sell and finance their return to Israel, if need be.
This, too, is virtual reality.
The Rambam writes in the Laws of Teshuva that HaShem waits for a period of time for the sinner to return; but if he does not return, HaShem creates a situation in his life that makes doing teshuva a very difficult, if not impossible, alternative.
HaShem has given the Jews in the galut a period of time to return to Eretz Yisrael. However, with the passage of time, it will become increasingly difficult to do so, until that tragic moment when HaShem will say AD KAN (no more!) and the gates will be closed.
We pray in the chapter preceding the morning “Shema”
ותוליכנו קוממיות לארצנוLead me upright to our land
Meaning: Permit me to return home, not as a poor refugee with only the shirt on my back (as was the case after World War Two), but upright in body and spirit, with self-pride and confidence.
There is still time for those who wish to assure their family’s spiritual and physical future, but who knows for how long!
Shabbat Shalom,
Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5780/2020 Nachman Kahana
20 February 2020
Rabbi Winston – Parshas Mishpatim and Parshas Shekalim
And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them.…
(Shemos 21:1)
THIS SHABBOS IS Parashas Shekalim, because next week is Rosh Chodesh Adar, b”H. We are now heading in the direction of Purim (and Pesach), and these “extra” parshios are designed to help us.
On a simple level, Parashas Shekalim is a reminder of Temple times, when we gave, at this time of year, our yearly contribution for the communal Temple sacrifices. On a deeper level, it is an allusion to something far more personal and personally essential: Da’as.
Da’as just means knowledge. But as it has always been clear, Da’as can vary from person to person. Man’s very first test was with regard to the Aitz HADA’AS Tov v’Ra, and the Talmud says that the illicit eating of it resulted in the origin of Haman (Chullin 139b).
A central mitzvah of Purim is the Mishteh, the drinking feast, during which we are supposed to drink to the point of no longer recognizing the difference between “Blessed Mordechai” and “Cursed Haman” (Megillah 7b). But it is with respect to such drinking that the Talmud says:
Anyone who becomes SETTLED through wine has the knowledge—DA’AS—of his Creator . . . has the knowledge—DA’AS—of the 70 Elders. Wine was given with 70 letters (Rashi: the gematria of yai’in—wine—is 70), and the mystery (of Torah) was given with 70 letters (sod—mystery—also equals 70). When wine goes in, secrets go out. (Eiruvin 65a)
THAT’S profound. It’s one thing to have the “da’as” of the 70 Elders, and that’s ALREADY a very high level of knowledge. But the da’as of G–D? Because a person becomes “settled” from drinking wine? How? Why?
The truth is, this is really what Purim was all about. On one hand, it was just exile and redemption. The Jewish people lost the right to remain on the land, so the Temple was destroyed and they were exiled to Babylonia. Eventually the time came for redemption, so Haman arose to compel the Jews to do teshuvah and thus merit redemption, and we celebrate this each year.
On the other hand, there was a certain amount of Divine Providence behind all of it designed to direct the Jewish people in the direction they went, just to get something important along the way. All the events of the exile were set in motion because something had to be added to the nation, and apparently, it is this higher level of Da’as.
It would help to know exactly what Da’as is, because as Shlomo HaMelech wrote, it is not the easiest thing to find:
If you want it like money and pursue it like treasures, then you will understand fear of G–D, and Da’as Elokim you will find. (Mishlei 2:4-5)
Da’as Elokim? Da’as of the Creator? It’s obviously all the same thing, but what is it? Kabbalistically, it is a sefirah, one of those spiritual entities that G–D uses to filter His light so that free will can exist. But it is also a sefirah that can ascend and descend based upon what man is doing.
When the Da’as is down low, it is accessible to the Klipos which, in short, are the corrupting influence in the world. They are behind man’s abuse of Creation, behind his ability to use something meant for good for selfish reasons.
When the Da’as is up, it is out of the reach of the Klipos, and man doesn’t think like that. Believe it or not, he gets more pleasure from using the world meaningfully, than meaninglessly or for unnecessary personal gain. He resembles the angels more than he does the animals.
Needless to say, Haman is what the Da’as looks like when it is down among the Klipos. Evil geniuses are still geniuses, inasmuch as they can be very clever about how they plan and carry out their evil. They even learn how to use good stuff for their bad stuff in very innovative ways, making it that much more evil.
Mordechai, of course, was the good Da’as. He looked at the world through G–D’s eyes, and wasn’t interested in using any aspect of Creation in a distorted manner. He knew what that meant, because he watched how people like Achashveros and Haman raped the world for their own personal gratification. It didn’t interest him in the least, because His da’as was the ultimate Da’as.
Thus, they were worlds apart, Mordechai and Haman. To see them both was to see night and day together. They were clearly cut from completely very different cloths, which is why they were at such odds with each other.
True…and false. Recall that the Aitz HaDa’as Tov v’Ra, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was only ONE tree. It was, in essence, just an Aitz HaDa’as. It was how a person chose to use its da’as that determined the goodness or badness of the da’as. One da’as, two approaches, two very different people and two very different approaches to life.
This is important to know because people don’t realize how easy it is to slide in the direction of the wrong version of Da’as. They also don’t realize how important it is to work at moving their da’as to higher levels and out of the realm of the Klipos.
So what about Purim, wine drinking, and yishuv hada’as—settled da’as?
A person is the sum total of their da’as, of what they know and what they think. If their da’as is Haman-like, they will be Haman-like inside. If they are Mordechai-like, they will be Mordechai-like at their core. And there is nothing like some wine to reveal on the outside what a person is like on the inside.
If a person reaches a higher level of yishuv hada’as from their drinking, they it reveals their Mordechai-like core. If they become “abusive,” then it reveals that they are more Haman-like inside, even if they act differently while sober. When wine goes in, secrets go out.
The word “shikol,” which shares the same root as “shekel,” means to weigh something. A “mishkal” is a scale, and “shikol hada’as” means to intellectually weigh ideas for the sake of coming to a correct conclusion. A shekel, once upon a time, was the weight of certain coin.
All of this is just to make the point that all of life comes down to one’s da’as, and how important it is to make sure it is da’as tov, and not da’as ra, Da’as Mordechai, which is blessed, and Da’as Haman, which is cursed. because they are just two extremes on a single continuum, making its perilously easy to slide in the wrong direction, as so many Jews had begun to do in Mordechai’s time.
Because, at the end of the day, it is one’s da’as that determines how free they really are. Freedom IS the correct da’as. Just having it is liberating, but getting and refining it is a lifetime project. And now that we’ve entered the four parshios of Purim, we should consider how to up our investment.
via Newton Mail
OVER 40 INCHES OF SNOW IN IRAN – Antarctica Heat, Arctic Ice, Earth Poles
Quid Pro Quo
Iran Experiences Unprecedented Snowstorm that Buried Homes, Animals and People under Thick Snow
This Video from Khalkhal went viral in Iran's Social Medias.
Khalkhal's Officials said in Some areas #Snow height reached 4 meters.
Over the past few days, over 40 inches of snow have fallen on the province of Gilan, which sits in the northern regions of Iran, hugging the Caspian sea and bordering Azerbaijan to the northwest. …
In other rural regions of Gilan, many farmers woke up to the sight of a heavy layer of snow burying their herds of sheep. Videos captured show people working tirelessly together to free the poor, trapped animals. Luckily, according to the people who took the videos, all the sheep seem to have survived.
However, this extreme snowstorm is expected to continue and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other farmers in the province of over 2.5 million people who now not only have to worry about feeding their animals, but also providing them with adequate shelter from the harsh elements.
The snowstorms currently engulfing Iran have been going on for at least a week now, with some relatively lighter snowfall occurring all over Iran since the beginning of the year. In the province of Gilan alone, at least eight people have already been killed by the terrible weather, with another 145 people injured and as many as 80 still missing. The snowstorm has reportedly hit 50 of Gilan’s 52 major towns and cities. The heavy snowfall has blocked many roads and over 250,000 people in the region have been left freezing without power as electricity, water and natural gas supplies all across northern Iran have been cut off in response to the dramatic weather.
Apparently, weather stations and government broadcasts have been warning the region of the impending snowstorm. However, many Iranians were distrustful of the state media apparatus, with some believing that the government in Tehran merely did not want to have people traveling all over the country to keep many city streets clear. Similarly, many local government units did not respond to the warnings and did not undertake any necessary preventative measures that could have prepared their citizens and could have prevented deaths and injuries due to the snowstorm. Iranians have taken to social media to complain about how their local crisis management officials did not take the warnings issued by other government ministries seriously.
In the capital of Gilan, Rasht, a city of over 700,000 people, the snowstorm has left over 100,000 homes and small businesses not just without power, but also without any access to telephone or mobile communications.
According to Iran’s Minister of Energy, this may be one of the heaviest snowstorms that Iran has ever experienced. The heavy snowfall began as the country ended its celebration of the Iranian Revolution, which culminated in the overthrow of the Shah and the downfall of the Imperial State of Iran on February 11, 1979.
The snowstorms have also hit other parts of Iran and the whole region in the Middle East, with other parts of the western portion of Iran, with heavy snows falling on everywhere from the northern province of Ardabil to down south near the Persian Gulf in the Khuzestan province. The snow has even shut down schools and delayed flights in the country’s capital city of Tehran, located southeast of Gilan.
______________________________
Antarctica Increasing Heat, Arctic Increasing Ice: Earth's Poles Behaving Strangely
Record heat in Antarctica brought on by volcanic activity in the peninsula, and Arctic Sea Ice increases the most in 11 years eclipsing the 2001-2010 average. Sea turns red in Kazakhstan and more snowy peaks in Taiwan.
100 Year Snowstorm Middle East as Earth’s Atmosphere Bends
Record snows blanket the Middle East from Iraq to Iran to Syria, and areas of Iraq south of Baghdad seeing snow for the first time in over 100 years. Remember record flooding in these same areas spring/ summer last in 2019 as well. Cyclones in both N. Atlantic and N. Pacific. In the N. Atlantic area air pressure became too low for propeller aircraft to fly, rare was what was stated for this event.
Also This: ADAPT 2030 VIDEO:
Incredible occurrences in our atmosphere leaning to rare and bizarre. New wind speed record set in California @ 209 MPH, breaking the old record set in 2017 of 199 MPH, near wind speed record in Iceland @255 KMH during bombogenesis Dennis. Triple peaks blanketed with snow Hawaii as we saw last year a repeat and some sort of light column phenomenon in Russia in a ski area. Add to this a new tear in the magnetic field and we are off to a GSM intensification start.
Iran Experiences Unprecedented Snowstorm that Buried Homes, Animals and People under Thick Snow
This Video from Khalkhal went viral in Iran's Social Medias.
Khalkhal's Officials said in Some areas #Snow height reached 4 meters.
Over the past few days, over 40 inches of snow have fallen on the province of Gilan, which sits in the northern regions of Iran, hugging the Caspian sea and bordering Azerbaijan to the northwest. …
In other rural regions of Gilan, many farmers woke up to the sight of a heavy layer of snow burying their herds of sheep. Videos captured show people working tirelessly together to free the poor, trapped animals. Luckily, according to the people who took the videos, all the sheep seem to have survived.
However, this extreme snowstorm is expected to continue and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other farmers in the province of over 2.5 million people who now not only have to worry about feeding their animals, but also providing them with adequate shelter from the harsh elements.
The snowstorms currently engulfing Iran have been going on for at least a week now, with some relatively lighter snowfall occurring all over Iran since the beginning of the year. In the province of Gilan alone, at least eight people have already been killed by the terrible weather, with another 145 people injured and as many as 80 still missing. The snowstorm has reportedly hit 50 of Gilan’s 52 major towns and cities. The heavy snowfall has blocked many roads and over 250,000 people in the region have been left freezing without power as electricity, water and natural gas supplies all across northern Iran have been cut off in response to the dramatic weather.
 |
| picturesque northern iran |
In the capital of Gilan, Rasht, a city of over 700,000 people, the snowstorm has left over 100,000 homes and small businesses not just without power, but also without any access to telephone or mobile communications.
According to Iran’s Minister of Energy, this may be one of the heaviest snowstorms that Iran has ever experienced. The heavy snowfall began as the country ended its celebration of the Iranian Revolution, which culminated in the overthrow of the Shah and the downfall of the Imperial State of Iran on February 11, 1979.
The snowstorms have also hit other parts of Iran and the whole region in the Middle East, with other parts of the western portion of Iran, with heavy snows falling on everywhere from the northern province of Ardabil to down south near the Persian Gulf in the Khuzestan province. The snow has even shut down schools and delayed flights in the country’s capital city of Tehran, located southeast of Gilan.
______________________________
Pestilence, Weird Weather, Earth Rumblings, Atmospheric Anomalies; they're all related and its not global warming.
Antarctica Increasing Heat, Arctic Increasing Ice: Earth's Poles Behaving Strangely
Record heat in Antarctica brought on by volcanic activity in the peninsula, and Arctic Sea Ice increases the most in 11 years eclipsing the 2001-2010 average. Sea turns red in Kazakhstan and more snowy peaks in Taiwan.
100 Year Snowstorm Middle East as Earth’s Atmosphere Bends
Record snows blanket the Middle East from Iraq to Iran to Syria, and areas of Iraq south of Baghdad seeing snow for the first time in over 100 years. Remember record flooding in these same areas spring/ summer last in 2019 as well. Cyclones in both N. Atlantic and N. Pacific. In the N. Atlantic area air pressure became too low for propeller aircraft to fly, rare was what was stated for this event.
Also This: ADAPT 2030 VIDEO:
Incredible occurrences in our atmosphere leaning to rare and bizarre. New wind speed record set in California @ 209 MPH, breaking the old record set in 2017 of 199 MPH, near wind speed record in Iceland @255 KMH during bombogenesis Dennis. Triple peaks blanketed with snow Hawaii as we saw last year a repeat and some sort of light column phenomenon in Russia in a ski area. Add to this a new tear in the magnetic field and we are off to a GSM intensification start.
19 February 2020
Shocking IDF Report – 59% Justified: of Violence, Racism, Medicals, Privacy and Fairness
IDF REPORT:
Deputy Commissioner of Soldiers and Security Comptroller, Brigadier General (res.) Eitan Dahan, submitted to Minister of Defense Naftali Bennett and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee the 48th annual report on complaints within the IDF for 2019.[...]
Examples stand out from the Commissioner of Admissions Report
Violence:
A soldier arrived at the base after fasting when he had not shaved and the deputy commander attached a folding knife to the soldier's neck and began to scratch off his hair on his cheek.
In another case, the platoon commander forcibly removed a ring which carried a very emotional value from a soldier's finger and caused the ring to break. The soldier had inherited the from his late grandfather.
Racism:
An female Ethiopian soldier filed a complaint against the commander of her unit, who during a conversation in the dining room said "You are not Jews, you are Gentiles, you are worse off than Arabs." An inquest into the investigation revealed that the officer did indeed speak inappropriately towards the soldier, but he said his remarks were directed at the protests which were being held by members of the Ethiopian community, not towards the soldier herself: "The demonstrations are worse than the Arab demonstrations."
Ethiopian soldier complained against the kitchen in his unit, a member of which said to him two days after the shooting incident in which a policeman killed the Ethiopian Israeli youth Solomon Taka, thus: "Get out of here before I call a policeman who will shoot you!.
Another soldier said that the platoon commander had been racist towards the Ethiopian soldiers in the platoon, saying he "does not see Ethiopians at night because they are black.”
Medicine:
A soldier complained that his unit's command and medical services had delayed in allowing him to seek treatment, despite his repeated complaints of intense pain in his stomach. The platoon commander and the deputy commander did not exercise their command responsibility for the soldier's urgent evacuation to the emergency room and did not consult with medical officials in view of his medical condition. In the end, the soldier's examination at the hospital found that his appendix had exploded and he urgently required surgery. During the operation, the appendix was excised, the abdomen washed and drained. After about a week, additional abdominal washes were required.
In another case, a medic examined soldier several times in his unit, after he had fainted and complained of headaches. Despite numerous inquiries from the medic about the continuation of the complaints, the soldier was twice examined by the unit's physician, who was not impressed with unusual findings. Only a few days later, the doctor referred the soldier for an examination in the emergency room, where pneumonia was demonstrated in the chest.
In another case, paramedics examined a soldier and expressed their opinion that he should be referred to a physician due to a leg injury, but he was not immediately brought to a doctor. The soldier had to continue five days with a leg fracture until a doctor examined him. In another similar case a clinic worker testified that a soldier had been suffering from stomach pain for two days, noting that it was a side effect of a drug he was taking. On the basis of the report conveyed by the paramedic to the battalion medical officer, the physician decided that no urgent medical examination was necessary. A few days later, the soldier went to the Bikuropa Clinic for the same complaints and was referred for further examination in the emergency room, then was diagnosed with abscess in the appendix area.
Another parallel indicates that a doctor stated in the soldier's medical file the comment 'lol? Alongside the record of neurologist recommendations for rest days in the computerized medical record and even a referral given to a soldier for a CT scan.
Invasion of privacy:
A soldier in a company photographed himself with the company commander's personal equipment and shared the pictures through the "Whattsap" app in the departmental group. After the rumor about the incident was brought to the attention of the company commander, he instructed the platoon soldiers to open the phones in front of him to see if the picture was indeed received by the other soldiers. In another case, a soldier complained about another soldier serving with him in the department, who photographed him against his will when he ate on the department desk.
Failure to realize soldiers' rights:
One soldier filed a complaint that adequate nutritional alternatives for vegan soldiers werer not provided in his unit's dining room and that he was allegedly served a meat dish presented as vegan.
Some soldiers complained of a lengthy delay, sometimes lasting months, in the handling of the appeals they filed against the rejections of their applications for a permit to grow a beard, as well as obtaining an argument that was not sufficiently detailed in response to their requests.
A soldier on duty must remain in custody for three days after his request to lighten his sentence has already been approved by a commanding officer. During the admissions inquiry, it emerged that the approval of the request signed by the Major General was not forwarded from his office to the commanders at the prison facility for three days, for bureaucratic reasons and without any of the officials responsible for handling the request, starting with the Maj. Gen. Without delay.
A female soldier complained about the insensitivity of the commanding officers in her unit when she did not respond to her request to stop the trip so that she could use the restroom during a long bus ride.
The IDF's response to the 2019 report:
"The IDF thanks the commissioner of soldiers' complaints and his representatives for the report and the work throughout the year. The IDF sees importance in the report which raises issues that require examination and treatment of the daily lives of IDF soldiers. The report will assist in promoting the response given to IDF servants individually and systematically.
"The IDF is committed to learning the findings, learning the lessons, and correcting as needed as soon as possible. The IDF operates a number of internal control and control mechanisms aimed at improving a wide range of issues, most notably the IDF's readiness for service quality.
"In accordance with the decision of the Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, Deputy Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, a regular procedure will be developed for deepening the findings and addressing the gaps raised in the report, all events are learned, handled and extracted from personal and systemic lessons." .
Summary of the report's findings as provided by the IDF:
1. The IDF does not have tolerance for violence of any kind and violent acts are treated with a severe hand. The most serious cases are those of commander violence against a subordinate. These are very exceptional cases and are treated very severely.
2. The IDF headquarters work in coordination and cooperation to realize the full rights of the soldiers and to reduce the gap between the command and the way it is implemented.
3. The medical services provided to the IDF soldiers are at the core of the medical corps' occupation, technology and logistics division and the general staff and their quality improvement is a key goal we are advancing year by year. As for the outsourcing audit, this is a significant and complex process, with extensive implications, managed regularly. And advances according to a schedule approved by the General Staff. Its realization will require agreements between government ministries and national bodies.
4. The issue of medical documentation is an integral part of any patient or casualty encounter with a military medical officer. We will continue to engage and focus on training for continuous, reliable and comprehensive documentation of each medical session.
5. Following the change in the Security Service Law, it was decided to establish the "Recovery Unit", which began operation in January 2020.
6. The IDF began implementing a program aimed at executing human resource processes efficiently and quickly. In cases where disparities of any kind arise, there is a regular process of validation by all relevant echelons. This program will promote real change in the field of human resources.
7. During the past year, a number of procedures have been carried out to improve and accuracy the inlay, among other things, refreshment and updating of the respective sorting tools. The IDF is working to integrate new tools that will enable maximum inlay accuracy with a change in perception and transition to accurate inlay based on broader criteria.
8. The food system is active and will continue to work at all times to improve the response to the unique populations in the IDF.
9. The IDF considers the reserve system to be of utmost importance and works extensively for the recognition of the array. In recent times, the technological systems have been upgraded in a way that makes the information available to the reserve officers.
10. The IDF, as a citizen's army, makes sure to provide all of its servants with the conditions necessary to maintain their lifestyle according to the nature of the military service.
11. After receiving a request regarding the change of policy and the waiting time, the IDF acted immediately to amend the policy in accordance with the provisions of the army orders.
Deputy Commissioner of Soldiers and Security Comptroller, Brigadier General (res.) Eitan Dahan, submitted to Minister of Defense Naftali Bennett and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee the 48th annual report on complaints within the IDF for 2019.[...]
6,114 complaints were filed in 2019,
59% of admissions were found to be justified.
Examples stand out from the Commissioner of Admissions Report
Violence:
A soldier arrived at the base after fasting when he had not shaved and the deputy commander attached a folding knife to the soldier's neck and began to scratch off his hair on his cheek.
In another case, the platoon commander forcibly removed a ring which carried a very emotional value from a soldier's finger and caused the ring to break. The soldier had inherited the from his late grandfather.
Racism:
An female Ethiopian soldier filed a complaint against the commander of her unit, who during a conversation in the dining room said "You are not Jews, you are Gentiles, you are worse off than Arabs." An inquest into the investigation revealed that the officer did indeed speak inappropriately towards the soldier, but he said his remarks were directed at the protests which were being held by members of the Ethiopian community, not towards the soldier herself: "The demonstrations are worse than the Arab demonstrations."
Ethiopian soldier complained against the kitchen in his unit, a member of which said to him two days after the shooting incident in which a policeman killed the Ethiopian Israeli youth Solomon Taka, thus: "Get out of here before I call a policeman who will shoot you!.
Another soldier said that the platoon commander had been racist towards the Ethiopian soldiers in the platoon, saying he "does not see Ethiopians at night because they are black.”
Medicine:
A soldier complained that his unit's command and medical services had delayed in allowing him to seek treatment, despite his repeated complaints of intense pain in his stomach. The platoon commander and the deputy commander did not exercise their command responsibility for the soldier's urgent evacuation to the emergency room and did not consult with medical officials in view of his medical condition. In the end, the soldier's examination at the hospital found that his appendix had exploded and he urgently required surgery. During the operation, the appendix was excised, the abdomen washed and drained. After about a week, additional abdominal washes were required.
In another case, a medic examined soldier several times in his unit, after he had fainted and complained of headaches. Despite numerous inquiries from the medic about the continuation of the complaints, the soldier was twice examined by the unit's physician, who was not impressed with unusual findings. Only a few days later, the doctor referred the soldier for an examination in the emergency room, where pneumonia was demonstrated in the chest.
In another case, paramedics examined a soldier and expressed their opinion that he should be referred to a physician due to a leg injury, but he was not immediately brought to a doctor. The soldier had to continue five days with a leg fracture until a doctor examined him. In another similar case a clinic worker testified that a soldier had been suffering from stomach pain for two days, noting that it was a side effect of a drug he was taking. On the basis of the report conveyed by the paramedic to the battalion medical officer, the physician decided that no urgent medical examination was necessary. A few days later, the soldier went to the Bikuropa Clinic for the same complaints and was referred for further examination in the emergency room, then was diagnosed with abscess in the appendix area.
Another parallel indicates that a doctor stated in the soldier's medical file the comment 'lol? Alongside the record of neurologist recommendations for rest days in the computerized medical record and even a referral given to a soldier for a CT scan.
Invasion of privacy:
A soldier in a company photographed himself with the company commander's personal equipment and shared the pictures through the "Whattsap" app in the departmental group. After the rumor about the incident was brought to the attention of the company commander, he instructed the platoon soldiers to open the phones in front of him to see if the picture was indeed received by the other soldiers. In another case, a soldier complained about another soldier serving with him in the department, who photographed him against his will when he ate on the department desk.
Failure to realize soldiers' rights:
One soldier filed a complaint that adequate nutritional alternatives for vegan soldiers werer not provided in his unit's dining room and that he was allegedly served a meat dish presented as vegan.
Some soldiers complained of a lengthy delay, sometimes lasting months, in the handling of the appeals they filed against the rejections of their applications for a permit to grow a beard, as well as obtaining an argument that was not sufficiently detailed in response to their requests.
A soldier on duty must remain in custody for three days after his request to lighten his sentence has already been approved by a commanding officer. During the admissions inquiry, it emerged that the approval of the request signed by the Major General was not forwarded from his office to the commanders at the prison facility for three days, for bureaucratic reasons and without any of the officials responsible for handling the request, starting with the Maj. Gen. Without delay.
A female soldier complained about the insensitivity of the commanding officers in her unit when she did not respond to her request to stop the trip so that she could use the restroom during a long bus ride.
The IDF's response to the 2019 report:
"The IDF thanks the commissioner of soldiers' complaints and his representatives for the report and the work throughout the year. The IDF sees importance in the report which raises issues that require examination and treatment of the daily lives of IDF soldiers. The report will assist in promoting the response given to IDF servants individually and systematically.
"The IDF is committed to learning the findings, learning the lessons, and correcting as needed as soon as possible. The IDF operates a number of internal control and control mechanisms aimed at improving a wide range of issues, most notably the IDF's readiness for service quality.
"In accordance with the decision of the Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, Deputy Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, a regular procedure will be developed for deepening the findings and addressing the gaps raised in the report, all events are learned, handled and extracted from personal and systemic lessons." .
Summary of the report's findings as provided by the IDF:
1. The IDF does not have tolerance for violence of any kind and violent acts are treated with a severe hand. The most serious cases are those of commander violence against a subordinate. These are very exceptional cases and are treated very severely.
2. The IDF headquarters work in coordination and cooperation to realize the full rights of the soldiers and to reduce the gap between the command and the way it is implemented.
3. The medical services provided to the IDF soldiers are at the core of the medical corps' occupation, technology and logistics division and the general staff and their quality improvement is a key goal we are advancing year by year. As for the outsourcing audit, this is a significant and complex process, with extensive implications, managed regularly. And advances according to a schedule approved by the General Staff. Its realization will require agreements between government ministries and national bodies.
4. The issue of medical documentation is an integral part of any patient or casualty encounter with a military medical officer. We will continue to engage and focus on training for continuous, reliable and comprehensive documentation of each medical session.
5. Following the change in the Security Service Law, it was decided to establish the "Recovery Unit", which began operation in January 2020.
6. The IDF began implementing a program aimed at executing human resource processes efficiently and quickly. In cases where disparities of any kind arise, there is a regular process of validation by all relevant echelons. This program will promote real change in the field of human resources.
7. During the past year, a number of procedures have been carried out to improve and accuracy the inlay, among other things, refreshment and updating of the respective sorting tools. The IDF is working to integrate new tools that will enable maximum inlay accuracy with a change in perception and transition to accurate inlay based on broader criteria.
8. The food system is active and will continue to work at all times to improve the response to the unique populations in the IDF.
9. The IDF considers the reserve system to be of utmost importance and works extensively for the recognition of the array. In recent times, the technological systems have been upgraded in a way that makes the information available to the reserve officers.
10. The IDF, as a citizen's army, makes sure to provide all of its servants with the conditions necessary to maintain their lifestyle according to the nature of the military service.
11. After receiving a request regarding the change of policy and the waiting time, the IDF acted immediately to amend the policy in accordance with the provisions of the army orders.
Rabbi Mizrachi – Must Listen
Listen to Rabbi Mizrachi as he speaks about the Chinese People and Nation
Where they come from
What they eat
CVirus
The Locust Plague
The Parsha and more
Where they come from
What they eat
CVirus
The Locust Plague
The Parsha and more
ISRAEL21c – New Health Applications
The CoughSync. An Israeli device that helps pneumonia victims get rid of phlegm could go on sale in China in the next few months, offering safer and easier treatment for coronavirus patients.
The CoughSync, which was originally developed at Alyn Hospital, a Jerusalem pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation facility, to help children unable to cough for themselves, is now awaiting approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the Chinese equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration. Read more at israel121c.org
Two Israeli startups and an Israeli university are ramping up activities geared to battling the current coronavirus epidemic and future epidemics.
Sonovia is focused on protection, while MeMed and Bar Ilan University are working towards very early diagnosis.
On January 28, ISRAEL21c reported that Sonovia and another Israeli company, Argaman Technologies, are racing to get their novel antimicrobial technologies to China and the worldwide healthcare community.
Now, Sonovia has sent “many meters” of its antimicrobial polyester-cotton fabric to be tested in China for effectiveness against coronavirus, which is now called covid-19. Results should be ready in about 10 days, says cofounder Shay Herchcovici.
He says the technology came to the attention of a Chinese government-owned company from articles including ISRAEL21c’s.
These textiles could be made into washable facemasks, but also other protective garments and even hospital linens.
In hospital tests against various bacteria and fungi, Sonovia’s zinc oxide-impregnated material maintained a lower level of microbial growth in comparison with standard hospital textiles.
In addition to the interest from China, a chemical company in Singapore wants to try using Sonovia’s sonic embedding technology to create fabrics that could protect people from coronavirus or other viruses, and speed recovery of patients already infected, Herchcovici tells ISRAEL21c.
MeMed: Detecting people who are infected?
Approaching the epidemic from a different angle, Israeli startup MeMed aims eventually to help officials detect people harboring the virus before any symptoms appear.
This is one of the most problematic elements of the current covid-19 outbreak, as people appear to be contagious even before they show symptoms of the disease.
MeMed’s first product, ImmunoXpert, is already being used in the European Union, Switzerland and Israel to distinguish within two hours whether an illness is viral or bacterial.
Using a blood sample, ImmunoXpert takes a “snapshot” of the patient’s immune system. Algorithms and sensors monitor the molecules to determine whether they’re fighting bacteria or a virus, anywhere in the body.
“The problem is that when you’re sick you don’t know whether it’s a bacterial infection to treat with antibiotics or a virus to ‘treat’ with chicken soup. They’re often clinically indistinguishable,” said MeMed CEO Eran Eden at the OurCrowd Global Investor Summit last week in Jerusalem.
For epidemics such as coronavirus, Eden said MeMed is working with collaborators around the globe to see whether “some derivatives of this technology” could detect infectious patients in the pre-symptomatic stage.
“We have some preliminary data – still a work in progress – that one could potentially monitor the immune response and tell if somebody will be sick before he feels sick,” he said.
Reducing time to diagnosis
On Sunday, Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan announced that a new technology developed by one of its professors could reduce the diagnostic time of coronavirus to just 15 minutes.
Currently it can take two days to get test results on the virus. This is a long, inefficient wait and in China, many people have died while waiting for the results, while others run the risk of spreading the contagion.
The new technology, developed by Dr. Amos Danielli of the Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering, uses a combination of optics and magnetic particles to rapidly test 100 saliva samples of patients potentially infected with the virus and reduce the diagnostic time to 15 minutes.
The technology has already been proven to reduce the diagnostic time of Zika virus and is currently being used in the Ministry of Health’s central virology laboratory at Sheba Medical Center.
Danielli’s lab has developed a technology for sensitive detection of virus-specific RNA sequences by attaching the virus’ RNA to a fluorescent molecule that emits light when illuminated by a laser beam. At very low concentrations of RNA, the signal emitted is so low that existing devices cannot detect it.
“If we think of the saliva of a corona patient filling an entire room, then this laser beam can be compared to the size of a fist and at low concentrations of virus RNA, there might be only two to three fluorescent molecules within that fist,” explains Danielli.
Adding magnetic particles to the solution enables them to adhere to the fluorescent molecules. This enables a greater concentration of fluorescent molecules and a much more accurate measurement.
Danielli is now searching for an investor to accelerate the development of the coronavirus kit, so it can be rapidly introduced in hospitals.
His technology is also being used by Israeli-US company MagBiosense to develop a device the size of a home coffee machine for rapid diagnosis at the point of care.
The CoughSync, which was originally developed at Alyn Hospital, a Jerusalem pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation facility, to help children unable to cough for themselves, is now awaiting approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the Chinese equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration. Read more at israel121c.org
Two Israeli startups and an Israeli university are ramping up activities geared to battling the current coronavirus epidemic and future epidemics.
Sonovia is focused on protection, while MeMed and Bar Ilan University are working towards very early diagnosis.
On January 28, ISRAEL21c reported that Sonovia and another Israeli company, Argaman Technologies, are racing to get their novel antimicrobial technologies to China and the worldwide healthcare community.
Now, Sonovia has sent “many meters” of its antimicrobial polyester-cotton fabric to be tested in China for effectiveness against coronavirus, which is now called covid-19. Results should be ready in about 10 days, says cofounder Shay Herchcovici.
He says the technology came to the attention of a Chinese government-owned company from articles including ISRAEL21c’s.
These textiles could be made into washable facemasks, but also other protective garments and even hospital linens.
In hospital tests against various bacteria and fungi, Sonovia’s zinc oxide-impregnated material maintained a lower level of microbial growth in comparison with standard hospital textiles.
In addition to the interest from China, a chemical company in Singapore wants to try using Sonovia’s sonic embedding technology to create fabrics that could protect people from coronavirus or other viruses, and speed recovery of patients already infected, Herchcovici tells ISRAEL21c.
MeMed: Detecting people who are infected?
Approaching the epidemic from a different angle, Israeli startup MeMed aims eventually to help officials detect people harboring the virus before any symptoms appear.
This is one of the most problematic elements of the current covid-19 outbreak, as people appear to be contagious even before they show symptoms of the disease.
MeMed’s first product, ImmunoXpert, is already being used in the European Union, Switzerland and Israel to distinguish within two hours whether an illness is viral or bacterial.
Using a blood sample, ImmunoXpert takes a “snapshot” of the patient’s immune system. Algorithms and sensors monitor the molecules to determine whether they’re fighting bacteria or a virus, anywhere in the body.
“The problem is that when you’re sick you don’t know whether it’s a bacterial infection to treat with antibiotics or a virus to ‘treat’ with chicken soup. They’re often clinically indistinguishable,” said MeMed CEO Eran Eden at the OurCrowd Global Investor Summit last week in Jerusalem.
“This gives rise to one of the biggest healthcare challenges of our time: antibiotics overuse and the rise of resistant strains of bacteria,”
For epidemics such as coronavirus, Eden said MeMed is working with collaborators around the globe to see whether “some derivatives of this technology” could detect infectious patients in the pre-symptomatic stage.
“We have some preliminary data – still a work in progress – that one could potentially monitor the immune response and tell if somebody will be sick before he feels sick,” he said.
Reducing time to diagnosis
On Sunday, Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan announced that a new technology developed by one of its professors could reduce the diagnostic time of coronavirus to just 15 minutes.
Currently it can take two days to get test results on the virus. This is a long, inefficient wait and in China, many people have died while waiting for the results, while others run the risk of spreading the contagion.
The new technology, developed by Dr. Amos Danielli of the Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering, uses a combination of optics and magnetic particles to rapidly test 100 saliva samples of patients potentially infected with the virus and reduce the diagnostic time to 15 minutes.
The technology has already been proven to reduce the diagnostic time of Zika virus and is currently being used in the Ministry of Health’s central virology laboratory at Sheba Medical Center.
Danielli’s lab has developed a technology for sensitive detection of virus-specific RNA sequences by attaching the virus’ RNA to a fluorescent molecule that emits light when illuminated by a laser beam. At very low concentrations of RNA, the signal emitted is so low that existing devices cannot detect it.
“If we think of the saliva of a corona patient filling an entire room, then this laser beam can be compared to the size of a fist and at low concentrations of virus RNA, there might be only two to three fluorescent molecules within that fist,” explains Danielli.
Adding magnetic particles to the solution enables them to adhere to the fluorescent molecules. This enables a greater concentration of fluorescent molecules and a much more accurate measurement.
Danielli is now searching for an investor to accelerate the development of the coronavirus kit, so it can be rapidly introduced in hospitals.
His technology is also being used by Israeli-US company MagBiosense to develop a device the size of a home coffee machine for rapid diagnosis at the point of care.
They Came to The Wrong Place . . .
On Sunday, on Abarbanel Street in Bnei Brak, a number of teenagers were sitting in a car and demanded cigarettes from passersby. When they were refused, the teenagers jumped out of the car and pulled out knives threatening people.
A number of Avreichim decided to intervene and began a brawl during which a car’s windshield was smashed. Police officers were called to the scene and came to intervene.
One local resident reported to Kikar Shabbos that the scene was “terrifying”. He explained: Four young people who he termed as “whippersnappers” came through the neighborhood and demanded cigarettes from one of the Avreichim. After the Avreich refused to respond to them, they began cursing him and one of them exited the car and pulled a knife.”
We refused to be suckers,” the Avreich said, “We did not agree to be sheep led to the slaughter. A large number of Avreichim and bochrim jumped them, just like you see in the video.”
“After these youngsters realized that they came to the wrong place, they tried to run away. Police arrived at the scene and arrested the boy who pulled a knife. He was released a few hours later.”
Another person, who was one of the Avreichim who responded to the scene and fought with the teenagers told Kikar HaShabbat: “We aren’t talking about violent people, God forbid. These people were afraid of the boy who pulled the knife out, that God forbid he would hurt somebody. Therefore the first thing that happened was he was disarmed and he knife was taken away and only after that did we try to chase them away.”
YWN
A number of Avreichim decided to intervene and began a brawl during which a car’s windshield was smashed. Police officers were called to the scene and came to intervene.
One local resident reported to Kikar Shabbos that the scene was “terrifying”. He explained: Four young people who he termed as “whippersnappers” came through the neighborhood and demanded cigarettes from one of the Avreichim. After the Avreich refused to respond to them, they began cursing him and one of them exited the car and pulled a knife.”
We refused to be suckers,” the Avreich said, “We did not agree to be sheep led to the slaughter. A large number of Avreichim and bochrim jumped them, just like you see in the video.”
“After these youngsters realized that they came to the wrong place, they tried to run away. Police arrived at the scene and arrested the boy who pulled a knife. He was released a few hours later.”
Another person, who was one of the Avreichim who responded to the scene and fought with the teenagers told Kikar HaShabbat: “We aren’t talking about violent people, God forbid. These people were afraid of the boy who pulled the knife out, that God forbid he would hurt somebody. Therefore the first thing that happened was he was disarmed and he knife was taken away and only after that did we try to chase them away.”
YWN
Tour in Israel – Between Jerusalem and Hevron
THE ULTIMATE TOUR: Between Jerusalem and Hevron
Thursday, March 12
Depart 9:00 from the Inbal hotel
Return 5:30
220 shekels
Join me for a journey that will cover some of the most fascinating places between Jerusalem and Hevron. I believe that this particular program and opportunity will not be offered elsewhere
Including Tekoa, the pioneer village on a former windswept hill on the fringe of the Judean desert. This is where the prophet Amos lived and spoke to the Jewish people. After the six-day war, pioneers made this barren windswept hill into a veritable oasis. In this oasis live Jews of every stripe in harmony.
Its residents are a kaleidoscope of Jews from all backgrounds and boast a complete spectrum of talents. One of those is the popular artist Jean Pierre Weill, widely acclaimed for his unique 3- D paintings on glass. He will be inviting us to his home/studio. His work is displayed in many upscale art galleries.
We will also be meeting with one of the leaders of this unique community to learn more about its splendid spirit and essence.
We will visit Neve Daniel where we shall stand atop the very highest point ("tazpit 1000") between Jerusalem and Hevron for an unmatched breathtaking view of the entire biblical region.
In Kibbutz Kfar Etzion we will see the new acclaimed award-winning drama presentation of the heroic last stand of the heroes of Gush Etzion in the epic siege and battle of 1948. Their brave last stand saved Jerusalem from conquest by the Jordanian army. If you have not seen this, you owe it to yourself to do so.I have seen this epic a number of times and still can not hold back the tears.
We shall have lunch in one of the many eateries at the bust "Gush junction" commercial area.
We will visit a family of pioneers in "Pene Kedem" who with their very bodies and goat herds protect the land of Israel today from Arab encroachment and take over. They have been sent by the Gush Etzion regional council and the Jewish National Fund to be sentinels for the Jewish people in this area. While we sleep they guard our land for later generations will have the honor to visit with this family and witness a living chapter in modern Jewish pioneering and heroism.
From "Pene Kedem" we will see the vast expanse of the Judean desert down to the Dead Sea and the wilderness where David hid from is enemies.
I am certain that the areas between Jerusalem and Hevron will take on a whole new meaning and understanding for us after this unique day.
shalompollack613@gmail.com
Thursday, March 12
Depart 9:00 from the Inbal hotel
Return 5:30
220 shekels
Join me for a journey that will cover some of the most fascinating places between Jerusalem and Hevron. I believe that this particular program and opportunity will not be offered elsewhere
Including Tekoa, the pioneer village on a former windswept hill on the fringe of the Judean desert. This is where the prophet Amos lived and spoke to the Jewish people. After the six-day war, pioneers made this barren windswept hill into a veritable oasis. In this oasis live Jews of every stripe in harmony.
Its residents are a kaleidoscope of Jews from all backgrounds and boast a complete spectrum of talents. One of those is the popular artist Jean Pierre Weill, widely acclaimed for his unique 3- D paintings on glass. He will be inviting us to his home/studio. His work is displayed in many upscale art galleries.
We will also be meeting with one of the leaders of this unique community to learn more about its splendid spirit and essence.
We will visit Neve Daniel where we shall stand atop the very highest point ("tazpit 1000") between Jerusalem and Hevron for an unmatched breathtaking view of the entire biblical region.
In Kibbutz Kfar Etzion we will see the new acclaimed award-winning drama presentation of the heroic last stand of the heroes of Gush Etzion in the epic siege and battle of 1948. Their brave last stand saved Jerusalem from conquest by the Jordanian army. If you have not seen this, you owe it to yourself to do so.I have seen this epic a number of times and still can not hold back the tears.
We shall have lunch in one of the many eateries at the bust "Gush junction" commercial area.
We will visit a family of pioneers in "Pene Kedem" who with their very bodies and goat herds protect the land of Israel today from Arab encroachment and take over. They have been sent by the Gush Etzion regional council and the Jewish National Fund to be sentinels for the Jewish people in this area. While we sleep they guard our land for later generations will have the honor to visit with this family and witness a living chapter in modern Jewish pioneering and heroism.
From "Pene Kedem" we will see the vast expanse of the Judean desert down to the Dead Sea and the wilderness where David hid from is enemies.
I am certain that the areas between Jerusalem and Hevron will take on a whole new meaning and understanding for us after this unique day.
shalompollack613@gmail.com
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