A congressional hearing on the pandemic turned personal when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) loudly attacked Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease doctor, about when Americans will be able to stop taking public health precautions like wearing masks and physical distancing. Rep. Jordan (R-OH) demands Dr. Fauci give him a date for the end of COVID mitigation measures: “15 days to slow the spread turned into 1 year of lost liberty.” Fauci says: “I don’t look at this as a liberty thing, Congressman Jordan. I look at this as a public health thing.” Rep. Jim Jordan: “Are we gonna be here two years from now wearing masks …?” Dr. Fauci: “You’re ranting again.” Rep. Jordan: “Here’s how it works, Dr. Fauci.

Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, has died in a federal prison, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Levaya details were not known. Madoff died at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently from natural causes, the person said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. Last year, Madoff’s lawyers filed court papers to try to get the 82-year-old released from prison in the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he had suffered from end-stage renal disease and other chronic medical conditions. The request was denied. Madoff admitted swindling thousands of clients out of billions of dollars in investments over decades.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of HaRav Yisroel Pinchas Halevi Gornish ZATZAL. He was 79. The Niftar was the long time Mora D’asra of the Shul he founded around 40 years ago, Khal Chizuk Hadas, located on Avenue O and East 15th Street in Flatbush. He was also a well-known Rav HaMachshir in Flatbush. He is survived by his Choshuva wife and children. His wife, Rebbitzen Gornish, is the principal of Yeshiva of Brooklyn Girls School. Rabbi Gornish was sick with a Machla for some time, and the past few weeks, his condition turned worse. He was Niftar on Wednesday morning. The Levaya is scheduled for 12:00PM today (Wednesday) at his Shul on Avenue O and East 15th Street in Flatbush. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A 34-year-old man allegedly beat his roommate to death and then hid the body for weeks inside a West Rogers Park apartment, the Chicago Sun-Times teports. Anton Urbinkas was charged with first-degree murder after admitting to beating Mark Criddell – a Ger-Tzedek named Akiva ben Avraham Z”L – with the leg of a bed frame that had a screw or a nail poking out of it, Cook County prosecutors said in court Friday. Urbinkas didn’t call for help and later covered the body with coffee grounds, a powder to neutralize pet odors and other chemicals to hide the smell of the decomposing corpse, the Sun-Times reported. Police found the 34-year-old’s body on March 28 when they were called for a well-being check at the apartment in the 6400 block of North Sacramento Avenue.

Reports that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is considering a rotation agreement for prime minister with Yamina leader Naftali Bennett was denied by his spokesperson late Motzei Shabbos. Yisrael Hayom reported on Friday that the prime minister’s associates were considering a rotation agreement as well as considering holding Likud primaries to elect a replacement for Netanyahu to form a government. However, Netanyahu’s spokesperson denied both possibilities. Even with Yamina’s seven members, Netanyahu will still only have 59 mandates, two short of a majority. The problem would be solved if Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party would join the coalition but Sa’ar who made not sitting with Netanyahu one of his key campaign promises refuses to do so.

Health Ministery Director-General Prof. Chezi Levy told Army Radio on Sunday morning that Pfizer has halted deliveries of additional vaccines to Israel until new purchase agreements are signed. Pfizer’s halt of vaccine shipments comes after Defense Minister Benny Gantz last week refused to convene the coronavirus cabinet for a meeting intended to approve a budget for the procurement of new vaccine doses. Gantz’s refusal was due to his anger at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for refusing to hold a vote regarding the appointment of a new justice minister. Gantz’s term as interim justice minister expired last week and he insisted that he or another candidate be appointed as justice minister.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to accept the phone call of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken phone in mid-February, demanding that President Biden himself call him, Kan News reported on Thursday. To date, Biden has still not called Abbas. Instead, US and PA officials are currently in discussions regarding a phone call between Blinken and PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh or senior PA official Hussein al-Sheikh. Despite the lack of direct contact between the president and Abbas, the Biden administration has been quietly increasing assistance to the Palestinians, allocating nearly $100 million for the Palestinians, only a small portion of which has been publicized. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The US State Department referred to Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as territories “occupied” by Israel in its annual report on international violations of human rights that was published on Tuesday The terms signals at least a partial return to the terms commonly used by the State Department prior to Trump becoming president. However, the report clarifies that “language in this report is not meant to convey a position on any final status issues to be negotiated between the parties to the conflict, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the borders between Israel and any future Palestinian state.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Israel’s National Security Agency on Monday advised tourists against travel to the United Arab Emirates and other countries across the region, citing the threat of attack by arch-enemy Iran. The warning included both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE as well as Bahrain. Both Gulf Arab countries established diplomatic ties with Israel last year under historic U.S.-brokered agreements. “We estimate that Iran will continue to operate in the near future to harm Israeli targets,” the agency’s anti-terrorism office said in a statement. It also identified Georgia, Azerbaijan, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, the Kurdish region of Iraq, as well as Turkey, Jordan and Egypt as areas to avoid.

After what seems like months of preparation, anxiety, planning and more anxiety, you finally arrived at your Pesach destination. Boruch Hashem! Yes, it’s been a long cold and difficult winter preceded only by an even longer pandemic. Your children, cooped up for months, have been growing more excited by the day and finally the big moment has arrived, Pesach is here! Despite all of the rental home horror stories that gave you sleepless nights, you offer an extra prayer of thanks to Hashem for arriving safely and without incident to your Yom Tov oasis. The house is great, the accommodations are as advertised and before you can even unload the luggage and endless boxes of food, the kids are in their bathing suits jumping into the crystal-clear waters of their very own private pool.