(By: Sandy Eller) The past few weeks have been heartbreaking, with an unfathomable number of lives tragically cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Over 1,000 aveilim are currently sitting shiva in the greater New York and New Jersey area, their grief further magnified as they mourn their loved ones alone, comfort and solace coming only over the phone because of social distancing requirements that preclude face to face visits. The number of people sitting shiva this week is unprecedented and Misaskim’s office staff has been stepping up to the plate, working around the clock to input the names and phone numbers of mourners on its website so that people can perform the mitzva of nichum aveilim from afar.

To the members of the Passaic-Clifton Community שיחיו, The ultimate outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is ביד הקב׳׳ה. Yet, we remain obligated to fulfill ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם by doing do what we can to mitigate the spread of disease, suffering and death due to the pandemic. The Passaic-Clifton Community – under the leadership of its Rabbonim and Askonim and with the support and agreement of the Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Meir Stern שליט׳׳א – was proactive in implementing aggressive social distancing measures well before State and Federal regulations mandated these measures and well before they were adopted across the greater regional Jewish community.

With the recognition by the medical community that recovered COVID-19 patient blood plasma can save lives, Lev Rochel Bikur Cholim will be holding a plasma testing drive today, Sunday, April 19, 2020.  This drive will allow you to join the growing community of COVID-19 survivors who are mobilizing to fight COVID-19. Today’s drive will be a simple blood test to see if you have high enough antibodies in your blood to be a potential plasma donor. In order to be tested, all of the following requirements must be met: • You had to have had real symptoms, like fever over 99°F. Slight symptoms like a cold or a headache are not enough. • You must be completely symptom-free for at least a week.  • You must be willing to donate blood and possibly travel up to an hour to do so.

To all members of our Lakewood kehillah, 25 Nissan 5780 / April 19, 2020: COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has led to disruption of life and to terrible illness and death in our community. The most vulnerable group of patients are those over 60, but some young adults have been severely affected as well. There have been close to 50 deaths from our community and we still have tens of patients on ventilators in the intensive care units at area hospitals. As much as we want to come out of these restrictions of social distancing, we have to be aware that the virus is still spreading and causing new infections. If we let down our guard we may, chas ve’shalom, see an increase in new cases and deaths.

The coronavirus death toll in New York dropped again, a sign that Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday means the state is “on the other side of the plateau” and that ongoing social distancing practices are working to stem the spread of the virus. Cuomo said 507 people died on Saturday, down 43 from the previous day. Hospitalizations and other medical indicators are trending downward. But Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio maintained their warnings that people in New York City and the rest of the state need to stay vigilant to curb the spread of the virus. “We showed that we can control the beast and when you close down, you can actually slow that infection rate, but this is only halftime,” Cuomo said Sunday at a briefing.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Noach Dear, z’l, passed away of the coronavirus on Sunday morning at the age of 67. Dear served as a member of the New York City Council from 1983-2001 and advocated for the issues of the mostly frum community he represented, including Midwood and much of Boro Park and Bensonhurst. He advanced many laws that assisted the frum communities in Brooklyn. In 2015, Dear was elected as the Brooklyn Supreme Court after serving as a judge for 20 years in the civil court system. Dear’s name was splashed on newspaper headlines in 2017 when he was subject to an anti-Semitic incident on the streets of Brooklyn. As YWN reported at the time, a man began screaming anti-Semitic expletives at him as he was walking near Maimonides Hospital early in the morning.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told New Yorkers Saturday that they can snap smartphone photos of social distancing violations and text them to authorities and “enforcement will come” as the coronavirus shutdown remains in place across the Big Apple. “Now it is easier than ever,” he said in a video posted to his official Twitter account. “When you see a crowd, when you see a line that’s not distanced, when you see a supermarket that’s too crowded — anything — you can report it right away so we can get help there to fix the problem.” The mayor opened Saturday’s video by praising city residents for largely adhering to the guidelines and for being “extraordinary at social distancing,” noting that people are normally used to bustling crowds throughout the five boroughs.

Lakewood community leaders believe more than 50 township residents have R”L been Niftar so far as a result of COVID-19. Lakewood has 1,263 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the county health department’s latest tally. Fifty deaths would mean a local death ratio of 4%. A letter sent Friday to local residents said there have been 50 Levayos held in recent weeks tied to the pandemic. Rabbi Aaron Kotler (CEO of Beth Medrash Govoha) one of the nine community leaders who jointly authored the letter, said that about 45 of those victims were Lakewood residents. The remainder were from Brooklyn or other sections of New York. Additionally, there are tens of Lakewood residents in critical condition still on respirators in area hospital. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Flatbush Hatzolah volunteer was involved in a crash on Ave M and E 27 on Motzei Shabbos. Multiple injuries were reported, but B”H none were serious. The victims were transported to local hospitals by Hatzolah. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The post Hatzolah Member In Involved In Crash On Ave M & East 27th [VIDEO & PHOTOS] appeared first on The Yeshiva World.

(By Sandy Eller) With relatively few crimes taking place locally during the current pandemic, Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol has temporarily steered its community service efforts in a different direction, providing equipment and services to allow less seriously ill COVID-19 patients to weather the virus at home. It was not lost on Shomrim members that their workload was considerably lighter than usual during the coronavirus outbreak while Hatzolah was being slammed with calls and hospitals were overburdened with patients. Trying to find a way to serve the community, Shomrim conferred with the medical community and realized that most people experiencing coronavirus-related breathing difficulties could avoid hospitalizations if they were properly oxygenated.