Let’s start with the good news! Israel celebrated a victory this week: the number of people recovered from coronavirus surpasses active cases in the country. Nevertheless, Israel’s Health Ministry Director-General, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, announced that malls and other large markets throughout the country will probably open only after development of a tracking system designed to monitor the number of visitors. The government doubled fines for those who violate social distancing rules or who are caught without a mask. Members of the public who were already fined for violating the guidelines made an appeal to Reuven Rivlin’s office, Israel’s President, to cancel the fines. In return, Rivlin offered governmental review of the requests. COVID-19 & Surveillance: Governments across the world have stepped up surveillance to track the spread of the virus. The Knesset, Israel’s legislative branch, has extended surveillance of residents by five days, allowing the Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency, to track the movements of coronavirus patients. The High Court ruled that the surveillance measures must be addressed by legislation, so that these extreme measures don’t lead to a slippery slope of privacy invasion without justification. Antisemitism stemming from pandemic: Many people, including world leaders, have expressed concerning antisemitic and anti-Zionist sentiments and conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus crisis. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out at Hasidic residents after he broke up a crowd of hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of a rabbi. De Blasio’s tweets targeted and stereotyped the Jewish community, according to the sentiments of Jewish groups across the political spectrum. World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said in a statement: “This type of horrible stereotyping is dangerous and completely unacceptable at any time, but particularly while the world is gripped in fear and the worst among us are looking for scapegoats… Mayor de Blasio should know better than to throw gasoline on a smoldering fire.” And it’s not just happening in the U.S: Brazil’s foreign minister, Ernesto Araujo, compared social distancing measures to concentration camps in a rant on his blog, Meta Political Brazil. There are fears that Brazil could become the worst hit country in the world by coronavirus, with the public health system already near collapse and Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, continuing his bizarre coronavirus diatribes in criticizing social distancing and World Health Organization directives. Conspiracy theories: Also of concern are the dangerous new antisemitic conspiracy theories emerging on the dark web about coronavirus, claiming Jews are responsible for the coronavirus, spreading the virus intentionally in order to cement their power. Iran: the world’s chief trafficker in Antisemitism: A report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) published this week referenced statements by a US Special Envoy that Iran is the “world’s chief trafficker in antisemitism” and that “antisemitism isn’t ancillary to the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is a central foundational component of the ideology of that regime, and we have to be clear about it, and we have to confront it and call it out for what it is.” Antisemitism in Canada: It was also reported this week that antisemitic incidents in Canada, rose to a record high for the fourth consecutive year. Not all bad: Despite the horrific consequences of the pandemic, some unexpected consequences are helping to alleviate the pain. The creators of jewishLIVE, an online one-stop-shop, seek to create a new paradigm for Jewish involvement and engagement while social distancing. This comes at an opportune time, while many Jews are grappling with the closures of Jewish summer camp and all other communal activities. |