BNEI BRAK (VINnews) — The Chareidi population in Israel constitutes about 12% of the population. Most of its members are young as it is a growing community which has only recently grown in numbers. In theory the older Chareidi community would only represent 5% of the general community’s senior citizens. Yet despite this, recent figures […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic Rabbi Asher Weiss, the head if the Darkei Horaah Beis Din and one of the most prominent poskim in Israel, has been calling on people to strictly adhere to health ministry regulations and even do more than is required by them. In a letter published […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A hidden cellar in the Meah Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem has become the headquarters for a clandestine battle taking place with COVID-19, according to a report by Mako’s Yair Sharki. The cellar holds some 220 oxygen machines which are lent out free of charge to sick persons who chose not to go […]

HAIFA (JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces opened two civilian coronavirus wards in an underground parking complex designed to be used for medical purposes during wartime. The opening of the wards at Rambam Hospital in Haifa mark the first time the military has opened medical wards for civilians. The wards, which opened to patients last […]

LONDON (AP) — The British government carved England into three tiers of coronavirus risk on Monday in a bid to slow a resurgent outbreak, putting the northern city of Liverpool into the highest risk category and shutting its pubs, gyms and betting shops. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the three-tier national system was designed to […]

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Palestine Liberation Organization made the announcement Thursday on Erekat’s Twitter feed. Erekat has quarantined at his home in Jericho, Al Jazeera reported. He met days ago with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the rest of the PLO executive […]

GATESHEAD (VINnews) — A rabbi who established  a school for children with special needs and disabilities has been granted an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Rabbi Avrohom Sugarman directs the Haskel School, an independent school for children with special educational needs and disabilities serving the Jewish community in Gateshead. […]

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — For the second day in a row, Iran shattered its single-day record for new deaths and infections from the coronavirus, with 272 people confirmed dead among more than 4,200 new cases on Monday. Like in many other countries, the spiraling outbreak in Iran reflects the government’s contradictory virus response. This month, […]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Most of the Chareidi community in Israel, which numbers close to a million people, celebrated Hoshana Rabba and Simchas Torah in a subdued manner this year, with small minyanim taking place outdoors in many parts of Israel. Hakafos took place briefly and in most cases people wore masks the entire period of […]

ERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Sunday opened a new coronavirus unit in a converted parking garage at a hospital in northern Israel, in a first-of-its-kind effort by the army to assist the country’s overloaded health care system. The unit, set up at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus, will utilize some 100 military doctors, […]