Figures released Thursday by the Military Intelligence Directorate show that the number of epidemiological investigators in Israel is dramatically lower than any other country in the Western world. The current ratio of epidemiological investigators in the U.S. range from one investigator per 1,400 residents in Michigan, to one investigator per 6,200 residents in New York. The ratios are comparable in Europe. In Israel, the current ratio is one investigator per 300,000 residents and even after plans to reinforce the numbers of investigators are complete the ratio will be only one investigator per 30,000 Israelis.

Following a statement by the Israel Airports Authority on Monday that Israel’s borders will be closed to non-citizens until September, a Maariv report on Monday said that it’s possible that the ban will be extended until after the Yamim Tovim. The reason for the reported possible decision is the Health Ministry’s concern about a large number of visitors arriving in Israel for the Yamim Tovim just as Israel is facing an unprecedented health crisis as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise and hospital wards are filling. It should be assumed that in light of the announcement by yeshivas and seminaries that they were given permission to open for the coming year that students will be exempt from the ban of non-Israelis entering the country before the Yamim Tovim.

Imagine a yeshiva that makes every single Talmid feel comfortable and wanted. Imagine a place that no matter what your background is or your history was, you are now part of a family where you’re embraced with a warm welcome and sincere smile. Imagine a staff of talented personable Rebbeim who make you feel important and treat you like a success no matter what you have been through.

Coca-Cola’s revenue plunged 28% in the second quarter, but the company thinks the worst could be behind it. Coke Chairman and CEO James Quincey said sales improved sequentially in May, June and July despite surging cases in key markets like the U.S., Iran and Australia. While the path forward is unclear and the global economic recovery will take years, Quincey said it’s unlikely that the world will see another worldwide lockdown as it did earlier this spring. Even in countries that have seen virus flareups, like Japan, sales have not fallen as far as they did the first time, Quincey said. “I am pretty confident the second quarter will ultimately prove to be the most difficult and the most impactful quarter,” Quincey said Tuesday in a conference call with investors.

Federal officers’ actions at protests in Oregon’s largest city, hailed by President Donald Trump but done without local consent, are raising the prospect of a constitutional crisis — one that could escalate as weeks of demonstrations find renewed focus in clashes with camouflaged, unidentified agents outside Portland’s U.S. courthouse. Demonstrators crowded in front of the U.S. federal courthouse and the city’s Justice Center late Monday night, before authorities cleared them out as the loud sound and light of flash bang grenades filled the sky. State and local authorities, who didn’t ask for federal help, are awaiting a ruling in a lawsuit filed late last week.

EBay Inc. is selling its classifieds business to Norway’s Adevinta in a deal worth $9.2 billion that will create the world’s largest online classifieds group, the companies said Tuesday. Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. company will get $2.5 billion in cash and become the largest shareholder in Adevinta, with a 44% equity stake and a third of the voting rights. The combined company will have classified ad websites in 20 countries, covering 1 billion people and receiving about 3 billion monthly visits. “With the acquisition of eBay Classifieds Group, Adevinta becomes the largest online classifieds company globally, with a unique portfolio of leading marketplace brands,” Adevinta CEO Rolv Erik Ryssdal said.

The Justice Department on Tuesday accused two Chinese hackers of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars of trade secrets from companies across the world and more recently targeting firms developing a vaccine for the coronavirus. The indictment, which officials expected to discuss at a news conference, says the hackers in recent months had researched vulnerabilities in the computer networks of companies publicly known for their work in developing vaccines and treatments. The indictment includes charges of trade secret theft and wire fraud conspiracy against the hackers, who federal prosecutors say stole information not only for themselves but also that they knew would be of interest and value to the Chinese government.

A Guidebook to Two Meaningful Mitzvos Hadassah Bay Whoever I speak to, I hear about more and more women who have begun to make challah baking a regular part of their Shabbos prep. And while the wonderful aroma of fresh-baked challah filling the home is certainly a bonus, it’s clearly the actual blessing over the hafrashas challah, and the accompanying auspicious time for prayer, that provides the inspiration to continue, week after week.  This rediscovery of hafrashas challah has created a corresponding need for a clear, precise and detailed guide to the finer points of the mitzvah. The Laws of Challah and Hadlakas Neiros, authored by HaRav Shraga Kallus and Rabbi Avraham Chaim Slansky, is a beautifully formatted, user-friendly handbook that does just that, and more.

At least 100 students of the Hebrew Gymnasium high school in the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, where over 220 students and staff members contracted the coronavirus at the beginning of the second wave, participated in a graduation party at the school on Sunday night, some without masks or adhering to social distancing regulations, Ynet reported. The party was held with the knowledge and participation of staff members, in direct contradiction to the current ban on gatherings of over 10 people.

The Pentagon is considering “adjustments” to its military presence in South Korea and around the globe as it shifts from years of countering insurgencies and militants in the greater Middle East to focusing on China, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday. Esper said he has issued no order to withdraw from South Korea. Without discussing specifics, Esper said he favors more emphasis on rotational deployments, as opposed to permanent stationing, of American troops “because it gives us, the United States, greater strategic flexibility in terms of responding to challenges around the globe.” The U.S.