NEW YORK CITY (JTA) — The spread of COVID-19, a new coronavirus, is reshaping Jewish communities. JTA is  collecting the news flowing in from across the globe. Thursday, March 25 9:38 El Al to cancel all flights: El Al said it is considering cancelling all flights beginning tonight through April 4, Channel 12 reported. The airline will continue operating rescue flights and […]

By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ AMSTERDAM (JTA) – Our Sunday in the park with the kids felt so normal that it was eerie. My wife, children and I were among hundreds of people enjoying the first sunny day of spring at the Amsterdam Woods, a large patch of man-made forest in the Dutch capital’s south. There were new daffodils, the forest’s cherished […]

When enough is enough It might not ease your frustration when you find all the stores are out of toilet paper so soon after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.  But a software developer in the U.K. has come up with an online toilet paper calculator, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. Their website is called, HowMuchToiletPaper.com, and it tells […]

Last year we ran a disaster scenario shockingly similar to the news now. Here’s what experts realized the world is getting wrong, and how they can fix it. By SAMUEL BRANNEN and KATHLEEN HICKS 03/07/2020 07:00 AM EST Samuel Brannen leads the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Risk and Foresight Group and is a senior fellow in the International Security Program. […]

(JNS) – Israeli doctors are giving webinars to quarantined COVID-19 patients in China and elsewhere in a project organized by Innonation, an Israeli innovation platform for international collaboration. Innonation is working with 100 volunteering Israeli doctors to provide a series of interactive video broadcasts on various medical areas related to the coronavirus, including children; how to maintain proper hygiene and […]

By MONICA TAN, JFS Director of Marketing Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Northeastern NY announced late last year that in the coming year, it was going to do more, for more individuals. It is now realizing its vision for 2020— digging deeper into the support, services and resources it provides to respond to the region’s growing needs. Project 5. Area […]

By SIMONE SOMEKH NEW YORK CITY (JTA) – The Italian people’s first reaction to the coronavirus was to have a good laugh. Not because they didn’t believe the virus was a real issue, but because that’s just how we like to process big changes in my home country. By Feb. 23, there were 152 confirmed cases in Italy. Yet many […]

We need testing to know how many are at risk Covid-19 Risks and Risk Management in New York’s Capital Area By Robert A. Michaels, PhD, CEP[1] 15 March 2020 – In our brave new pandemic world, risks of Covid-19 virus infection have skyrocketed.  We missed the opportunity to limit U.S. cases mainly via isolating travelers from China and other hotbeds […]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Donald Trump canceled travel that included an appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual conference, citing the coronavirus threat, and the RJC postponed the event. “Out of an abundance of caution from the Coronavirus outbreak, the president has decided to cancel his upcoming events in Colorado and Nevada,” the White House said in a statement. Trump was […]

By JOSEFIN DOLSTEN NEW YORK CITY(JTA) – On a typical Friday, some 200 people show up for services at Temple De Hirsch Sinai, a Reform congregation in Seattle. But last week, there was no one in the pews as Rabbi Daniel Weiner welcomed Shabbat in the synagogue’s smaller sanctuary. Instead, some 1,500 people watched Weiner lead the prayers on their […]