Dr. Meshulam Hart is a well-known and respected pediatrician in Bnei Brak and is also considered the doctor of gedolei Yisrael. In the last month and a half, Dr. Hart has become known as the address for any medical information related to the coronavirus, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. He was also asked by the Gedolei Hador to advise yeshivas and Talmudei Torah and ganim how to safely re-open and has published instructions on this topic for the public. Since the coronavirus pandemic began spreading around the world, Dr. Hart has been receiving thousands of telephone calls every day from all over Israel and the world asking for his advice. In light of how incredibly busy Dr. Hart has been in recent weeks, he asked HaRav Chaim Kanievsky a unique shaila.

Senior officials from the Health Ministry, the National Security Council and Home Front Command toured Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday morning in anticipation of a return to the normal operation of commercial flights to Israel and its subsequent positive effect on the economy. However, according to Shmuel Zakai, the CEO of Ben-Gurion, normal operations of flights won’t begin before July. “None of us wants infections to break out in Israel again and we all know that the virus came to Israel by air,” Zakai said. “According to the current pace, we’ll have dozens of flights to Ben-Gurion in mid-July and not before, maybe half a million passengers by then or in mid-September.

An attempted terror attack occurred on Monday afternoon in Jerusalem when a terrorist approached a Border Police officer in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem armed with a Japanese knife, shouted “Allah Akbar” and attempted to stab him. The terrorist was neutralized by other Border Police officers at the scene. He is reportedly in critical condition and being transported to Ein Kerem Hospital. One police officer was lightly injured. Earlier Monday, two armed terrorists attempted to carry out a stabbing attack in the Binyamin area of the Shomron on Monday morning.

The Sanzer Rebbe was hospitalized on Monday in Laniado Hospital in Netanya after suffering a mild heart attack. The Rebbe, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisrael, is fully conscious. He underwent a series of tests and is receiving treatment in the cardiology ward. The Rebbe, 67, has confined himself to his home throughout the past two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to his chassidim, the Rebbe has been in great tzaar in the past two months due to the death of several of his chassidim in the United States from COVID-19 and the serious condition of other chassidim hospitalized after contracting the virus. The chassidim believe that the Rebbe’s tzaar caused his heart attack.

Channel 13 News aired a clip of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu comparing the actions of the Peleg Yerushalmi group to those of various cults around the world. One of the defining characteristics during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Israel was the absolute refusal of certain elements within the Chareidi world to follow the instructions of Israel’s Health Ministry which included the prohibition against davening in a minyan. The refusal to adhere to the rules originally began among the extremist groups within the Chareidi world such as the Peleg Yerushalmi, but dragged the entire Chareidi public down with them, leading to a public discourse of hatred against the Chareidi public in the mainstream and social media.

As YWN reported on Sunday morning, hundreds of stores and small-businesses opened their doors on Sunday in defiance of the executive order. As was expected, the NYC Sheriff Department visited multiple stores in Williamsburg and Boro Park to issue summonses and order the closure of the stores. In Williamsburg and Boro Park crowds gathered to protest the closure of stores on Wallabout Street and on 13th Avenue. In Boro Park the scene turned ugly with people screaming at the Deputies, and passersby encouraging the protesters to hold their ground and not disperse. Naturally, social media exploded with viral videos and many are claiming that the city is targeting the Jewish neighborhoods.

Almost half the number of car accidents occurred this year during the month of April in comparison to April 2019. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), during the month, which generally sees a lot of traveling due to the Pesach vacation, in 2019 there were 987 road accidents 25 of which were fatal and killed 25 people. Another 154 involved serious bodily harm and 1,853 people were injured overall. In 2020, there were only 405 accidents, 18 of which were fatal. The accidents claimed the lives of 21 people and 65 people were seriously injured with 608 people injured overall. In addition, in April of this year, 635 minor accidents resulting in 760 light injuries were reported to the police.

A movement of NY small businesses fighting for survival has grown into a pack of thousands of supporters and hundreds of businesses. Now, the group is planning to fight the system head on. Beginning on Sunday morning, around 200 stores plan on opening in Boro Park, Williamsburg, Flatbush, Monsey and the Five Towns. Many will be opened on Sunday, and others to start on Monday. They will use extreme social distancing, some just curbside service, while others allowing one person at a time into their establishments. The are banded together under the name #ReopenNY Organizers tell YWN that NY Governor Cuomo and NYC Mayor Deblasio are aware of the movement. The group has lawyers & is well prepared for legal action, including visits by the police.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri made a decision, in coordination with the foreign ministry and health ministry, to allow “chutznik” avreichim and bochurim, with valid visas to return to Israel to continue their learning in yeshivos and kollelim. Deri wrote a letter to roshei yeshivos explaining his decision and detailing the arrangements that need to be put into place. “In order to ease the process [of enrolling foreign students], I have decided that the requests will be made via the roshei yeshivos directly to the Population Authority through a dedicated email address and not through the consulates,” Deri wrote. Deri added that the yeshivas must declare that the bochurim have a place to quarantine according to health ministry regulations.

New Yorkers experiencing cabin fever after two months of coronavirus quarantine received an unexpected reprieve when Gov. Andrew Cuomo eased the state’s ban on gatherings in time for the Memorial Day weekend. But beachgoers faced inclement weather Saturday that dampened crowds. A look at those and other coronavirus developments in New York: ___ DAILY DEATHS DROPPING New York state on Saturday reported its lowest number of daily coronavirus deaths — 84 — in weeks in what Cuomo described as a critical benchmark. The daily death tally peaked at 799 on April 8. Reducing the state’s daily death count to fewer than 100 seemed almost impossible several weeks ago, the governor said.