BNEI BRAK (VINnews) — The Sassover Rebbe of Israel, Rabbi Yosef Dovid Teitelbaum, referred to the issue of vaccinations during his final Chanukah sermon, stating that his opinion may be unpopular but he felt obligated to voice it. “It is not easy for me to say this,” the rebbe said. “I thought a lot about […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Washington negotiators, propelled by a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package, said a Sunday agreement is all but inevitable to deliver long-overdue pandemic aid of almost $1 trillion. “I am very hopeful that we get this done today,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., […]

BNEI BRAK (VINnews) — The Vizhnitz Rebbe, Rabbi Yisrael Hager, presented an unusual request to his chasidim during a sermon he gave during the final Shabbos meal. It is the custom in many chasidic groups not to make Kiddush on Friday nights during the winter between 6 PM and 7 PM. Others try not to […]

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A Texas couple who both contracted COVID-19 died last Sunday while holding hands, according to an NBC News report. Paul Blackwell ,61, and his wife Rosemary Blackwell, 65, who had been married for 30 years, died just minutes apart at Harris Methodist hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, according to their children. […]

ATLANTA — U.S. health officials closely tracking possible side effects of the first authorized COVID-19 vaccine say they have seen six cases of severe allergic reaction out of more than a quarter million shots given. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 272,000 shots of the Pfizer vaccine were given nationwide as […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A 66-year-old mentally challenged Chareidi resident of Meah Shearim was found lying half-frozen in a Jerusalem field after police had arrested him and freed him far from his home. The man, Yosef Fleischman, a well known resident of the neighborhood, was arrested in the middle of the night by police who arrived […]

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was vaccinated against the coronavirus on live television Saturday, becoming the first Israeli and one of the world’s leaders to be inoculated. Israel is set to begin vaccinating its health workers and nursing home residents beginning Sunday. Netanyahu said he wanted to be the country’s […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a hurry up and wait moment on Capitol Hill as congressional negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package struggled through a handful of remaining snags Thursday. The holdups mean a weekend session now appears virtually certain, and a top lawmaker warned that a government shutdown this weekend […]

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Several states say they have been told to expect far fewer doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in its second week of distribution, prompting worries about potential delays in shots for health care workers and long-term care residents. But senior Trump administration officials on Thursday downplayed the risk of delays, citing […]