A special vaccination drive took place in the Chareidi community in London on Motzei Shabbos, coordinated by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the Hatzalah organization of London, and The Interlink Foundation. The vaccination drive was advertised in frum neighborhoods, with everyone over age 65 urged to come be vaccinated. Local non-Jews, including Muslims, also showed up and were warmly greeted and vaccinated by frum health professionals. There were male nurses available to vaccinate men and female nurses for the women. Health authorities in the UK are trying to reach every sector in the country and the drive in the Chareidi community on Motzei Shabbos was the first cooperative effort between the government and a local community.

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe fiercely condemned anti-vaxxer leaders on Shabbos while saying Divrei Torah at the Shalosh Seudos tisch. “They are irresponsible people, they think they know better than doctors,” the Rebbe said. The Rebbe mentioned polio which broke out 70 years ago, emphasizing: “People are still suffering from it until this very day.” The Rebbe also encouraged his chassidim to increase their tefillos for the pandemic to end “so it will possible like in the past to live a full Torah life and simcha without any disturbances.” On Sunday, a special vaccination drive will be held in Kiryat Vihznitz for everyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated. Last week, the Rebbe instructed that all bochurim over age 16 should be vaccinated. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Throughout the Corona crisis, Chaim V’Chessed has worked hand in hand with Rabbi Zvi Gluck, President of Amudim, and Rabbi Nechemya Malinowitz, Director of the Igud, on all matters relating to entry for foreigners into Israel. Now, for the first time, all three organizations have issued a Joint Travel Advisory, regarding travel during the upcoming Pesach season. The Advisory addresses the uncertainty regarding returning to Israel after Pesach. The organizations emphasize that, at this time, there is no certainty that student visa holders will be permitted to return to Israel immediately after Pesach. Furthermore, the signees mention that there is a possibility that vaccinated/recovered patients will have priority in returning to Israel.

An 80-year-old Holocaust survivor and her rabbi son were punched in their heads on a bus in north London on Tuesday. According to the Shomrim community organization, the female perpetrator yelled: “I hate you Jews. It’s not your place. You took our money.” The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon on a bus from Stoke Newington to Stamford Hill. A statement from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said that during the “unprovoked attack,” the woman threw the rabbi’s hat to the floor, adding that the Holocaust survivor was left traumatized.

Seven Republicans voted Saturday to convict former President Donald Trump in his Senate trial, easily the largest number of lawmakers to ever vote to find a president of their own party guilty at impeachment proceedings. While lawmakers voted 57-43 to find Trump guilty, the evenly divided Senate fell well short of the two-thirds majority required to convict an impeached president. But by joining all 50 Democrats who voted against Trump, the seven GOP senators created a clear majority against him and provided a bipartisan chorus of condemnation of the former president. Trump was acquitted of inciting an insurrection for riling up a crowd of his supporters before they attacked the U.S. Capitol last month. Voting to find Trump guilty were GOP Sens.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide told Democratic lawmakers that the administration took months to release data revealing how many people living at nursing homes died of COVID-19 because officials “froze” over worries the information was “going to be used against us.” Republicans who term the comment admission of a “cover-up” are now calling for investigations into and the resignations of both Cuomo and the aide, secretary to the governor Melissa DeRosa. And a growing number of Democrats are joining calls to rescind Cuomo’s emergency executive powers, blasting the administration’s defense of its secrecy. “To continual defenders of NY Gov. Cuomo how is this ok?” New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a Democrat, tweeted. “How is it not #Trump like?

NYC Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang pushed back on a NY Post report on Saturday night, after the paper alleged that his campaign manager has ties with Jew-hater Linda Sarsour. The Post claimed that social media records show that Sasha Ahuja has ties to Sarsour. Yang sent a statement to YWN on Saturday night which reads as follows: “As I’ve said before, I strongly disagree with Linda Sarsour on many many issues including BDS and Israel. I’m proud to have pro Israel Congressman Ritchie Torres as my campaign co chair and advising me on issues important to the Jewish community including Israel. I’m a proud supporter of this community. Always will be.” Additionally, the Yang campaign tells YWN, that his first international trip if elected Mayor, will be to Israel.

The White House Press Secretary declined to Friday Israel and Saudi Arabia are “important allies” of the United States. After a back-and-forth with reporters during the daily White House briefing about President Biden’s failure so far to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked: “Can you please just give a broad sense of what the administration is trying to achieve in the Middle East?

President Joe Biden issued a statement late Saturday, hours after the U.S. Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump on an article of impeachment for “inciting an insurrection” in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. “While the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute,” Biden wrote.

The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in Israel under the age of 60 has surpassed the number of patients over 60, as the vaccination campaign begins to take effect. The data is similar for the number of seriously ill patients and the number of fatalities in that age group. About 86% of Israelis over 60 have been vaccinated. Hospitalization in the over 60 age group have sharply decreased since mid-January and the infection rate began decreasing already at the beginning of January. הצעירים מתחת ל-60 עקפו את ה- 60+ בקבלות בבתי חולים. לכו להתחסן!