President Trump in his Monday coronavirus briefing hinted that he knew the disputed status of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s health, but stopped short of filling in the White House press. “Yes I do have a very good idea,” Trump said when asked if he had any information on Kim’s health after unconfirmed reports circulated that he may have died after cardiovascular surgery. “I can’t talk about it now,” Trump continued. “I hope he’s fine, I do know how he’s doing, you’ll probably be hearing in the not too distant future,” the president added. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Some criticism of Fort Worth-based American Airlines after a passenger boarded a weekend flight and found it nearly full, with no social distancing guidelines being practiced. On April 25 American Airlines Flight 388 left JFK Airport in New York City, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s not unusual. But what passenger Erin Strine did find troubling was the number of people on the plane and the inability to practice social distancing. Strine posted a short video on Twitter of the elbow-to-elbow passengers saying, “Well silly me thinking that an airline would adhere to social distancing guidelines. Currently abroad a nearly full @AmericanAir flight and I’ve never felt less safe or cared for in my entire life.” READ MORE: CBS

HaRav Avrohom Klyne returned home to singing and dancing on Friday, after a few weeks stay in the Intensive Care Unit, where he was listed in serious condition due to COVID-19. Rav Klyne is a Rebbe in Yavneh for more than 30 years. Other COVID-19 patients from Los Angeles who were hospitalized have Boruch hashem been released including R’ Zvika Ryzman. Please make sure to send any good news (and video) of COVID-19 patients recovering to YWN so we can publish them. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An emotional scene took place this past Friday in the Maalot Dafna neighborhood of Jerusalem. The ten adult children of the Eisenstark family of Maalot Dafna surprised their parents, whom they haven’t seen in a month and a half due to coronavirus constrictions, with a surprise “visit.” About an hour before Shabbos, the male members of the Eisenstark clan gathered on the grass below their parent’s building and put on a mini-concert in honor of their parents. The mother of the family was so moved by seeing her children that the sound of her weeping could be heard throughout the video. Itz’ale Eisenstark, who organized the “reunion,” told Kikar H’Shabbos: “Our parents haven’t seen their 12 children and their almost 50 grandchildren since Purim. They’re not used to being alone.

Timo Haaker, 26, a resident of the Netherlands, was concerned about his grandmother, who lives in the Beth Shalom nursing home in Amsterdam. Fiet Aussen, 91, has spent six weeks in isolation and since she is nearly deaf, she can’t really communicate with family members through video calls. Haaker had a unique idea to alleviate his grandmother’s loneliness, a Jewish Telegraph Report (JTA) said. He called Riwal, an international company that sells and rents equipment that uses cranes, such as forklifts and aerial work platforms, to inquire whether he could rent a crane to lift Aussen’s relatives to the window of her third-story apartment.

Watch the North Miami Beach community come out and show their support with a loud “send off” for ICU Dr Daniel Heller heading in for the overnight shift at Aventura Trauma Center. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The post SALUTING A HERO: North Miami Beach Shows Support For Frum ICU Doctor appeared first on The Yeshiva World.

With limited supplies of coronavirus tests available, the Pentagon is focusing first on testing those performing duties deemed most vital to national security. Atop the list are the men and women who operate the nation’s nuclear forces, some counterterrorism forces, and the crew of a soon-to-deploy aircraft carrier. Defense leaders hope to increase testing from the current rate of about 7,000 a day to 60,000 by June. This will enable them to test those showing symptoms as well as those who do not. The current tight supply forced the Pentagon to take a phased approach, which includes testing sailors aboard the USS Nimitz, the Bremerton, Washington-based Navy carrier next in line to head to the Pacific.

Most of the fleet of ambulances belonging to Catskills Hatzolah were seen being disinfected on Sunday. In the attached image, you will see 10 of the 15 ambulances parked at the Catskills Hatzolah garage on Brickman Road in Fallsburg. As YWN had reported, at least four ambulances were driven down to New York City to assist in the incredibly high call-volume that was pouring into the Hatzolah Emergency Call Center during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. At one point Hatzolah across NYC was responding to more than 550 calls a day (actual ambulance responses) throughout all the various neighborhoods (Flatbush, Boro Park, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Queens, Far Rockaway/Lawrence etc). During the peak of the crisis, the Hatzolah emergency hotline was fielding over 1,000 calls a day.

As the rollback on coronavirus restrictions went into effect on Sunday, Machane Yehudah Shuk shop owners held a protest about the continued closure of the shuk. The Machane Yehudah shuk is not only an icon of Jerusalem but is also the means of parnassah for hundreds of small business owners, who have been badly affected by the coronavirus restrictions. And although most stores were allowed to re-open on Sunday, the rollback regulations apply only to stores located on the street versus malls or open-air markets. Unfortunately, the protest turned violent with a scuffle taking place between shop owners and police. One of the shop owners was arrested and the head of the Shuk Machane Yehudah Vendors Association Tali Friedman was summoned to the police for questioning.

R’ Lipa Deutsch, a 31-year-old Williamsburg resident returned home to singing and dancing on Sunday. He arrived home with a Hatzolah ambulance, after spending around 4 weeks on a ventilator at NYU, as he suffered from COVID-19. Please make sure to send any good news (and video) of COVID-19 patients recovering to YWN so we can publish them. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)