JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Tens of rabbis contacted the head of the Shura Council, who is the religious leader of the Ra’am political party headed by Mansour Abbas. The rabbis requested that the leader, Sheikh Hamed Abu Dabbas, intervene to prevent the Israeli government from harming religious life. The rabbis, who are members of the Committee […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – The Israeli government voted to ban all foreigners from entering Israel as part of an effort to stem the spread of the new South African “Omicron” variant, one case of which has been confirmed in the country and seven others which are under investigation. For the time being, all individuals returning from […]

LONDON (AP) — The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. The U.K. on Saturday tightened its rules on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Former Supreme Court justice Uri Shoham, who serves as Israel’s Ombudsman for Judges, has called to oust Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef after a complaint was submitted against him by the Reform Center. The complaint centered around the opposition of Rabbi Yosef to the proposed Kashrus reform being promoted by Religious Affairs […]

JERUSALEM (JNS) – Travelers entering Israel will now be allowed to undergo antigen tests in their country of origin up to 24 hours before departure, according to an Israeli government statement. The decision to ease the previous requirement that travelers landing in Israel undergo a PCR test within a 72-hour period prior to boarding their […]

BNEI BRAK (VINnews) — On Thursday, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky instructed parents to vaccinate children, aged five and above, against COVID-19. Rav Chaim came to that conclusion after meeting with top health officials at his home, amid a growing concern in Israel about a potential new wave. The meeting was attended by Professor Ran Balicer, […]

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator on Thursday authorized Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for use on children from 5 to 11 years old, clearing the way for shots to be administered to millions of elementary school pupils amid a new wave of infections sweeping across the continent. It is the first time […]

BERLIN (AP) — Official figures released Thursday show Germany has become the latest country to surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Germany’s disease control agency said it recorded 351 additional deaths in connection with the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, taking the total toll to 100,119. In Europe, Germany is the […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The polyp removed from President Joe Biden’s colon last week was a benign, slow-growing but potentially pre-cancerous lesion that required no further action, his doctor said in a follow-up memo. The specimen, a tubular adenoma, was similar to one removed from Biden in 2008, Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor, physician to the president, […]

MUNICH (JTA) – The scene here was supposed to be jubilant this week: After a year and a half of lockdowns and curtailed community activity, rabbis from across Europe were due to gather for a conference to dream big about post-pandemic Jewish life. Instead, rising COVID-19 case counts caused the Conference of European Rabbis to […]