Over a million Israelis have been vaccinated as of Friday, over 11% of its population and over 45% of those over 60. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ was present as the millionth inoculation was carried out in the Arab town of Umm al-Fahm, a move meant to encourage Arab Israelis to show up in greater numbers to be vaccinated (and for Netanyahu to score political points in the Arab sector ahead of the upcoming election). The Arab-Israeli sector has been lagging far behind the Jewish sector in getting vaccinated with many Arabs reportedly believing rumors spread on social media that the vaccine is unsafe. “It’s important to me that the Arab public in Israel be vaccinated quickly,” Netanyahu said. “It’s saving lives.” “We’re breaking all the records,” Netanyahu added.

The worrying rise in coronavirus cases in Israel’s Chareidi sector continues, with about 2,800 Chareidim diagnosed with COVID-19 over Shabbos alone, almost half of the 6,004 new cases confirmed throughout the country. There are currently 48,701 active cases, with 739 seriously ill patients, of whom 177 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 3,384. Adv. Kabha Mu’awiya, who heads the Health Ministry’s search operations of ZAKA Israel and ZAKA Tel Aviv said: “Fifty teams worked around the clock over Shabbos throughout all the Chareidi cities and yishuvim.

On Thursday, Israel’s Health Ministry has decided that the country’s Chevra Kadisha workers and volunteers will be included in the 1st priority population grouping to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The Chevra Kadisha workers will now be included among those of high-risk, the older population, and the Health Workers, who are all being included in the first grouping of people allowed to receive the vaccine in Israel. The decision was made following the request of the Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaakov Avitan, who responded to the requests of many staff and volunteers of the Chevra Kadisha who threatened to strike should they not be included in the first grouping of people to receive the vaccine.

The Morocco-Israel peace deal is not only advancing ties between Israel and Morocco but is also warming up relations between the local Jewish community and the Moroccan government. A historic meeting was held on Wednesday in Casablanca in the Moroccan Supreme Court between the Justice Minister and other senior legal officials and dayanim of the Jewish community. The Justice Minister inquired about the Jewish Batei Din and the legal needs of the Jewish community and promised to do whatever he can to assist the Jewish Batei Din in Casablanca.

Former Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang appears to be nearing an announcement to run for mayor of New York City. A video posted to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon appeared to show Yang shooting footage for an announcement to run for the top spot of the big Apple. In the video, Yang – who turns 46 in January – states to the camera, “I’m Andrew Yang, and I’m running for Mayor of New York City!” In an interesting twist, Yang can be heard saying at the end of the take, “Can we dig it?

The Trump administration is pushing for another Muslim country to agree to a normalization deal with Israel in the remaining three weeks of US President Donald Trump’s term in office, a source in Trump’s administration said on Wednesday, according to a Jerusalem Post report. “We’re working very hard on making it happen,” the source said. The report was confirmed by another Trump administration source as well. Sources in Jerusalem and the US have mentioned the countries of Pakistan, Oman, Indonesia, Mauritania, and Niger as candidates for the next normalization deal with Israel. There have also been persistent reports of a possible normalization deal with Saudi Arabia. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A 15-year-old is facing charges following a shocking bike attack that was caught on camera Tuesday in Midtown. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was arrested Wednesday on charges of rioting and criminal mischief. Because he was charged as a juvenile, he has not been identified. Meanwhile, the search continues for the others involved. Police said a man was driving his mother in his SUV when a group of men on bicycles jumped on the vehicle, beating the windows and yelling for them to get out. As the footage shows, it was a terrifying afternoon sight. A group of young bicyclists surround an SUV and throw their bodies and bikes onto vehicle as its driver freezes in fear. The attackers finally retreat after one jumps onto the hood and smashes the windshield.

One of the first positive results of the Israel-Morocco peace deal was the dramatic release of an agunah from her husband imprisoned in a Moroccan jail. In a complex operation of both countries’ Batei Din, foreign ministries, prison services and security services, a young Israeli agunah was released from her aginus on Tuesday morning with her long-awaited get. The story began with the marriage of two young Israelis. Unfortunately, the husband became involved in various criminal offenses, incurred heavy debts and fled to Morocco. But it seems as if he didn’t learn his lesson. The young husband continued his criminal activities in Morocco, where he was eventually caught and sentenced to a long prison sentence. The young wife, who remained in Israel, turned to the Beis Din for a get.

Antwerp police officers raided a Belzer maariv minyan on Tuesday night, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. According to Belgian law, only gatherings of up to 17 people are currently allowed. The number of mispallelim at the minyan was only slightly above that number but the police recorded the personal information of all the mispallelim and each will be sent a fine of 250 euros. “There were mamash just a few people – all wearing masks and socially distancing as required,” one of the mispallelim told B’Chadrei. “The police are extremely stringent here. There’s someone here who simply is malshin to the police every time and they come and fine us.” This past Friday night, the police also raided the Belz shul and recorded the personal details of all the mispallelim.

We are amid another recurrence of Covid-19 cases here in Rockland County. This current surge has affected members in the community of various ages from younger to older. It has also led to many more hospitalizations than the last recurrence. The treatment options for patients in all hospitals has increased and patients are being well cared for. – There are currently over 40 Covid cases in Nyack Hospital and over 40 in GSH. There are over 7 ICU cases in each hospital. The city and Jersey hospitals are seeing many cases as well. – There is a new variant of the virus that has been seen in Eretz Yisroel and England that is affecting younger people as well and causing more serious symptoms. We have not seen cases here at this time, but it is important to be aware that this is a concern.