By Ira Stoll
Did the Hasidic Jewish community in New York bring coronavirus upon itself by refusing to cancel in-person Purim megillah readings?
That’s the narrative being pushed by The New York Times, which, in a news article, reported, “Celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which fell on March 10 this year, were canceled by many Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox synagogues. But many Hasidic groups observed the festival, drawing people to gatherings where they may have been exposed to the virus.”

When Staying Home with My Special Needs Child is Almost Worse Than the Virus Itself
Dear Governor and Lawmakers,

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Along with the tragic deaths and debilitating illnesses brought on by the Chinese virus there is repackaged, recharged anti-Semitism. The allegations don’t have to be true, they don’t even have to make sense, but if someone has to be blamed, the Jew is the time-honored perfect scapegoat. Throughout history, plagues have been an especially dangerous time for Jews, as the general populace always attributed the epidemic to them.

This editorial by John Podhoretz appears in THE NEW YORK POST:
Well, Bill de Blasio, you certainly showed us Jews, didn’t you, on Tuesday night? Yep, you called us out, all 1.2 million of us New York City Jews, and I really hope you enjoyed it. Because I know it’s not fun being mayor right now.
There’s a pandemic, and no one is praising you for your leadership.
You humiliated yourself with your ludicrous run for president last year, and every time you open your mouth now, Andrew Cuomo runs over and drops a stick of dynamite in it to remind you who’s boss.

Dear Frum Doctors,
Let me begin by thanking you for your outstanding service to the community during this difficult time. Your devotion and Misirus Nefesh towards your patients is an inspiration and an immeasurable Zchus for you and your families. Indeed, in normal times there would be no need for a non-medical professional like myself to address you on medical issues. However, these are not normal times and as Covid 19 continues to wreak havoc on the world at large, and our communities in particular.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
It is now over seven weeks since we were introduced to the coronavirus and locked into our homes. Since then, thousands have died and many more have lost their livelihoods. Life as we knew it has been turned upside down. What used to be perceived as necessities are no longer even necessary, and things we thought we couldn’t live without are long- ago luxuries.

By an avel
I recently got up from Shiva for another of Corona’s victims and immediately sat down to write this short article in the hope that my family’s experience using Zoom for the Shiva will help others during this unfortunate time. May it never be necessary, but should someone have to sit Shiva, the lessons we learned from our experience may prove very helpful to Matzav.com readers.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Our people have not experienced as difficult a period as we are living through now since the awful days of the Holocaust. We have not lost as many good people in as concentrated a time since then. Over the past few weeks, every day has brought fresh deaths and more news of people dying. People of all ages, young and old. People were hale and productive one day and the next day they were dead and buried.
Whose heart cannot be broken?
Who can go through day after day without fear and dread?
Our lives have been turned upside down. Many of the things we took for granted have been taken from us. We are basically confined to our homes, unable to go anywhere.

Dear Matzav,
I only have a few minutes to write because I have to get back to coordinating my kids’ numerous school teleconferences and printing out all their school sheets, which has become a full-time job.
I want to first thank all the amazing rabbeim and teachers who are so devoted during this shutdown. What they are doing is mamish amazing. These people are angels.
But we, parents, are not.
We are at our breaking point.
If you are lucky to have 5 children, the current system means five teleconferences every morning, plus some additional ones now that they started doing English, too.

By Rafael Medoff
Matzav.com

How many tries will it take before President Trump’s speechwriters finally get it right on the Holocaust?

Three years ago, they issued a Holocaust commemoration statement that didn’t mention Jews. This week, they flubbed again, but in a different way.

The president’s 2020 Holocaust Remembrance declaration described the Holocaust as “the horrific atrocities committed by the Nazi regime against minority groups and other ‘undesirables’,” and characterized the victims of the Holocaust as “those of Jewish, Polish, and Slavic ancestry, Roma and Sinti [Gypsies], individuals with mental and physical disabilities, gays, political dissidents, and dozens of other groups.”

Wrong, and wrong again.