On Monday morning, the first day of Chol Hamoed in Israel and exactly a year after the Chareidi sector in Israel was amid the worst coronavirus outbreak in the country and the city of Bnei Brak entered its first lockdown, the Health Ministry confirmed 128 new coronavirus patients, with only one of those cases from the Chareidi sector. Furthermore, the positivity rate in the Chareidi sector is only 0.8%, while the rate in the general population has decreased to 1.5%. The reproduction or R number in the general population in Israel had dropped to 0.55% in the general population and it stands at 0.44% in the Chareidi sector. All Chareidi cities, including Bnei Brak, Beitar Illit, Modiin Illit, Elad, Rechasim, Emanuel and Telzstone, continue to be “green,” with very low infection rates.

A toddler was airlifted after he was pulled from a swimming poll in Orlando. Sources tell YWN that the two-year-old child was pulled out of a five foot pool, Monday afternoon, the second day of Pesach. Emergency personnel were called to the scene at Encore Resort, and Hatzolah Orlando volunteers were on the scene in seconds and assisted in life saving measures. The child was flown by Medevac to Arnold Palmer Medical Center. The child is reportedly in stable condition. Please say Tehillim for Eliyahu ben Rivka.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING COVID TREATMENT OVER SHABBOS / YOM TOV B”H we now have Monoclonal Antibodies available which have been shown to highly reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID. If you are COVID positive or have COVID Symptoms with any the following: – Overweight (BMI 35+) – Chronic Kidney Disease – Diabetes – Immunosuppressive Disease – Immunosuppressive Treatment – Pregnant in 2nd and 3rd trimester – 55 Years of age or older with: Cardiovascular disease Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Chronic Respiratory Disease Asthma – 65 Years of Age or older – Other Medical conditions / High Risk Call the 24/7 hotline at 828-4-Plasma (828-475-2762) even on Shabbos or Yom Tov with a shinui to set up treatment.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies fell short of winning a parliamentary majority in Israel’s latest election, according to a final vote count released Thursday, leaving a political deadlock that put the long-time leader’s future in question. The fourth election in just two years brought a stinging rebuke for Netanyahu, the most dominant figure in Israeli politics in a generation. Adding to the pain, he lost ground to former partners who vowed never to sit in a government with him again. Under Israel’s fragmented political system, Netanyahu could still try to reach across the aisle and cobble together a governing coalition. But the makeup of the new parliament will make that extremely difficult, giving his opponents the upper hand in coalition talks.

President Biden on Thursday will face reporters in a press briefing for the first time as president after weeks of media outlets clamoring to get a chance to grill him in the White House briefing room. The press conference will come on the 65th day of his administration, following the passage of a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, an impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump and the confirmation of several of the president’s Cabinet secretaries. It also comes amid a contentious situation at the southern border, an effort in the Senate to pass a major election reform bill and tensions between the Biden administration and progressive senators. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two days ago YWN published an article about many people who booked homes in Orlando for Pesach only to have their homes cancelled or double booked. Some people – including one website – accused YWN of fear-mongering, over-playing and exaggerating the situation on how many people were actually double-booked. One website – known for publishing fake news for years – went so far as to publish a story headlined “rumors of widespread cancellations false”. Strangely, but not surprisingly, this website then ran an article a day later advising people if there is any recourse. We can now report that the amount of cancellations are exactly as we originally reported – and possibly worse. YWN has been inundated with email after email sent by victims of double-bookings and nightmarish situations.

After 21 and a half years of marriage, a baby girl was born on Shabbos to a couple from Beit Shemesh nine months after fulfilling the instructions of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky. A year and a half ago, Itzik and Efrat Churi turned to HaRav Chaim after years of disappointment, during which they pursued medical treatment in Israel and around the world as well as efforts in ruchniyus, including opening a kollel. HaRav Chaim told the couple that if they build a mikva in a place that never had one, they would see a yeshua. The couple, with the help of their relatives, began raising the large amount of funds necessary for building a mikvah and found a location that fulfilled HaRav Chaim’s requirement – Moshav Zohar in the south of Israel.

Thirty-seven years after spying for Israel, Jonathan Pollard told his story for the first time as a free man and an Israeli citizen in an exclusive interview with Yisrael Hayom, which will be published in full on Friday. In a number of interviews at his new home in Jerusalem, Pollard spoke in detail about his decision to transmit vital security information to Israel, the conversations he had with Rafi Eitan, the head of the Defense Ministry’s Lekem, the Bureau for Scientific Relations [then an intelligence agency similar to the Mossad], the moments during which he was ousted from the grounds of the Israeli embassy in Washington, his long years in prison, and his new life in Israel.

NY Congressman Ritchie Torres wrote a letter to the German Consul-General in New York requesting an investigation in the detainment of 16 Chassidim at the Frankfurt Airport on March 8, including a group of five from New York en route to Vienna. Torres noted the fact that the Chassidim were not informed of why they were detained and requested an answer to why they were held for hours without charges. “The allegations are deeply disbursing and call for an investigation into the actions taken by German officials,” Torres wrote in the letter to German Consul General David Gill. “It is also disturbing that it was not until the U.S. Embassy in Germany was notified about this incident that these Americans were provided a reason for why their passports were taken and why they were being held.

(By Sandy Eller) Businesses, caterers and volunteer groups are among the many who are geared up for a busy Pesach in Orlando, with as many as 100,000 people making their way to Central Florida for yom tov. With few formal hotel programs operating and an ideal Chol Hamoed for day tripping, this year’s Pesach created the perfect storm, with Orlando at its epicenter. COVID-weary families eager for a change of pace set their sights on the Sunshine State months ago, with some looking to enjoy a relatively simple yom tov, while others have found ways to create a more luxurious experience.