Over 70% of Israelis over 16 have been vaccinated, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Tuesday morning. A total of 4.5 million Israelis have received the first dose of the vaccine, of whom over 3 million received both doses. The IDF stated on Tuesday that about 85% of its soldiers and personnel will be vaccinated within the next couple of weeks. Vaccines have reduced infections among young people by 50%, according to a report by Prof. Eran Segal, who developed Weizmann Institute’s prediction model for the spread of COVID in Israel. “The first group to see a drop was the over 60s, which saw a dramatic decline in serious illness, followed by those aged 55-60,” he said.

just before the start of the Purim weekend, which is Thursday-Sunday this year, the government voted unanimously in favor of a night curfew to take place each night of the three-day weekend from 8:30 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. The purpose of the curfew is to hamper any possible spread of the virus over the holiday, which many point to as the holiday which began the spread of the pandemic in earnest last year in the country. According to the rules of the night curfew, people will not be able to travel beyond 1,000 meters from their home except for essential needs, and there will be a ban on being in another’s person’s home during that time. Public transportation will also severely limited and in many cases halted altogether.  Intercity bus service will not be running from Thursday at 8 p.m.

A decision was made on Monday to reduce the number of people allowed into Israel each day from 2,000 to 200, following a meeting of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. Only “urgent humanitarian cases” will be approved for entry. The new quota will go into effect next week and will be implemented until quarantine in hotels is restored or another solution is found. The decision comes in response to the revocation of the requirement for returning Israelis to quarantine in state-run hotels, which was knocked down on Sunday by the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch on Sunday slammed the committee’s decision to end the hotel quarantine requirement.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com There are four types of people in the world: Those who prepare their mishloach manos many days before Purim; those who prepare the day before Purim; those who recycle mishloach manos that they have received on Purim itself; and those who do not fulfill the mitzvah at all. This article is written for all four types. The Mitzvah The Michtav M’Eliyahu writes that the best way to form a relationship is to give. When you give, you develop your ahavas Yisrael to that other person, and eventually to others. Mordechai and his beis din enacted that on the day of Purim each person must send a gift of at least two portions of food to a friend.

In the wake of a sudden notice from the Australian government last week about an impending lockdown in Melbourne beginning on Friday at midnight, three frum families decided to move up their children’s wedding until erev Shabbos, with one wedding taking place on the beach. One set of mechutanim sent the following letter to the members of their community. “Last Friday, after the lockdown was announced, our children made the choice to get married that afternoon, rather than wait until weddings would be allowed again.” “We chose to invite the whole ‏קהילה to the wedding, so that everyone could experience this unusual wedding, and be given the opportunity to be ‏משמח חתן וכלה.” “We are forever grateful for the way in which the ‏קהילה responded to this.

Karlin-Stoliner chassidim throughout Israel were informed on Motzei Shabbos that whoever attends tefillos or simchos at the chassidus in Givat Zeev is required to bring documentation that he either recovered from the coronavirus or has been fully vaccinated. The instructions come despite the fact that the Karlin-Stoliner Rebbe, Baruch Hashem, recovered from the coronavirus in October. The message added that anyone who received the second dose of the vaccine less than a week prior should continue to adhere to regulations and shouldn’t come to the chatzer at all until a week has passed.

US President Joe Biden told CBS News on Sunday that his administration will not lift sanctions on Iran before Tehran puts an end to its uranium enrichment and complies with the conditions of the 2015 nuclear deal. In a snippet from the interview with CBS’ Face the Nation, the interviewer asked Biden whether he will give in to Iran’s demand for sanctions to be removed before negotiations on a deal resume. Biden responded: “No.” Biden nodded in response to the question regarding whether Iran would be required to halt uranium enrichment prior to the US lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic. With Iran resuming its enrichment of uranium, we asked Pres. Biden if the U.S. will lift sanctions first in order to get Iran back to the negotiating table on a nuclear deal. “No,” Pres.

A Quebec Superior Court judge has agreed in part with the Hasidic Jewish Council of Quebec’s request to allow more than 10 people inside a synagogue to take part in communal prayer.

“Pregnant women should fear the coronavirus rather than vaccines,” Dr. Rachel Picar, a specialist in obstetrics and senior doctor in Hadassah Ein Kerem, told Kikar H’Shabbos. Dr. Picar added that as is well-known, the coronavirus vaccine is based on mRNA technology, which does not introduce a weakened form of the virus, or any virus at all into the body. Once the active ingredient in the vaccine spurs the production of antibodies, it disappears altogether from the body and therefore pregnant women should not fear being vaccinated. “We’re now seeing [due to the British variant] very serious morbidity among pregnant women, especially in the last trimester, which is accompanied by serious breathing difficulties which deteriorates very quickly to ventilation being required,” Dr.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Rabbi Dr. A.J. Twerski – beloved author, Talmid Chacham, and psychiatrist. He was Niftar after contracting COVID-19 last week and had been hospitalized in a a hospital in Eretz Yisroel. He was 90. Rav Twerski has authored more than 60 Seforim and books, and is a world-renowned expert on addiction who has helped thousands over the years. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE PUBISHED WHEN IT BECOEMS AVAILABLE TO US. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)