A special vaccination drive took place in the Chareidi community in London on Motzei Shabbos, coordinated by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the Hatzalah organization of London, and The Interlink Foundation. The vaccination drive was advertised in frum neighborhoods, with everyone over age 65 urged to come be vaccinated. Local non-Jews, including Muslims, also showed up and were warmly greeted and vaccinated by frum health professionals. There were male nurses available to vaccinate men and female nurses for the women. Health authorities in the UK are trying to reach every sector in the country and the drive in the Chareidi community on Motzei Shabbos was the first cooperative effort between the government and a local community.

The Vizhnitzer Rebbe fiercely condemned anti-vaxxer leaders on Shabbos while saying Divrei Torah at the Shalosh Seudos tisch. “They are irresponsible people, they think they know better than doctors,” the Rebbe said. The Rebbe mentioned polio which broke out 70 years ago, emphasizing: “People are still suffering from it until this very day.” The Rebbe also encouraged his chassidim to increase their tefillos for the pandemic to end “so it will possible like in the past to live a full Torah life and simcha without any disturbances.” On Sunday, a special vaccination drive will be held in Kiryat Vihznitz for everyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated. Last week, the Rebbe instructed that all bochurim over age 16 should be vaccinated. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Throughout the Corona crisis, Chaim V’Chessed has worked hand in hand with Rabbi Zvi Gluck, President of Amudim, and Rabbi Nechemya Malinowitz, Director of the Igud, on all matters relating to entry for foreigners into Israel. Now, for the first time, all three organizations have issued a Joint Travel Advisory, regarding travel during the upcoming Pesach season. The Advisory addresses the uncertainty regarding returning to Israel after Pesach. The organizations emphasize that, at this time, there is no certainty that student visa holders will be permitted to return to Israel immediately after Pesach. Furthermore, the signees mention that there is a possibility that vaccinated/recovered patients will have priority in returning to Israel.

NYC Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang pushed back on a NY Post report on Saturday night, after the paper alleged that his campaign manager has ties with Jew-hater Linda Sarsour. The Post claimed that social media records show that Sasha Ahuja has ties to Sarsour. Yang sent a statement to YWN on Saturday night which reads as follows: “As I’ve said before, I strongly disagree with Linda Sarsour on many many issues including BDS and Israel. I’m proud to have pro Israel Congressman Ritchie Torres as my campaign co chair and advising me on issues important to the Jewish community including Israel. I’m a proud supporter of this community. Always will be.” Additionally, the Yang campaign tells YWN, that his first international trip if elected Mayor, will be to Israel.

The White House Press Secretary declined to Friday Israel and Saudi Arabia are “important allies” of the United States. After a back-and-forth with reporters during the daily White House briefing about President Biden’s failure so far to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked: “Can you please just give a broad sense of what the administration is trying to achieve in the Middle East?

Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, concluding a historic impeachment trial that spared him the first-ever conviction of a U.S. president but exposed the fragility of America’s democratic traditions and left a divided nation to come to terms with the violence sparked by his defeated presidency. Barely a month since the deadly Jan. 6 riot that stunned the world, the Senate convened for a rare weekend session to deliver its verdict, voting while armed National Guard troops continued to stand their posts outside the iconic building.

Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations under Donald Trump’s administration, said the former president “has let us down,” her first public break from him since the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Haley made the remarks to Politico’s Tim Alberta during an interview in mid-December that was published Friday. “We need to acknowledge he let us down,” Haley, who served in her ambassador role under Trump, said. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.” “When I tell you I’m angry, it’s an understatement,” Haley said. “I am so disappointed in the fact that [despite] the loyalty and friendship he had with Mike Pence, that he would do that to him.

The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Israel has been dropping for the past several days as Israel’s vaccination campaign begins to take effect. Health Ministry data also shows that the number of seriously ill patients decreased to less than 1,000 this week for the first time since January 10. The number of new virus cases in the Chareidi sector has also sharply declined in recent days, according to news reports on Friday. A total of 3.7 million Israelis have been vaccinated with the first vaccine dose as of Thursday, and 2.3 Israelis have received both doses. In light of the decline of the number of seriously ill patients in recent days, the IDF closed its underground coronavirus ward at Rambam Hospital in Haifa.

According to a bombshell report in the NY Post, a top aide to New York Governor Cuomo told leading state Democratic lawmakers that the administration had withheld data on COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes to avoid federal scrutiny. Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, admitted they had hidden the COVID numbers in a Thursday call obtained by New York Post. State Democrats in August had asked for the exact figures for nursing home deaths from COVID since March 1. In the call on Thursday, DeRosa admitted they deliberately hid the data, after the Trump administration began asking questions. State Democrats asked for the data in August, ‘right around the same time, [then-President Donald Trump] turns this into a giant political football,’ she said.

Health Ministry Yuli Edelstein said on Wednesday that health regulations will be enforced on Purim in order to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. The government is formulating a plan, which reportedly will divide shuls into capsules of up to ten people, with a maximum number of 100 people allowed in each shul. Parties, parades and other gatherings will be prohibited and Purim seudos will be allowed only at home with nuclear families. Yeshivos will be permitted to hold Purim mesibos in accordance with the capsule system. “In order for Purim not to become the Tisha B’Av of infection, this year’s joy will be very limited,” Edelstein said.