An unspeakable tragedy has befallen us! A shocked community grieves and four young children are left without a father while their mother battles Corona Virus. The unspeakable tragedy which began when Yerachmiel “Rick” Beiles passed away this past Shabbos morning continues as his wife is battling both Covid-19 and cancer. Every penny they made was spent on the children’s education and the widow’s battle with cancer. We are raising funds to help the family in their desperate time of need. Yerachmiel “Rick” Bailes was a dedicated member of the Chicago Jewish community and Congregation Khal Chasidim. With a warm smile and friendly cheer he warmed the hearts of all who saw him every day.

Klal Yisroel recently suffered the loss of Mrs. Milicent Silbermintz A”H, wife of legendary Pirchei Agudas Yisroel founder Rabbi Yehoshua “Josh” Silbermintz after a lengthy illness. Mrs. Silbermintz, 88 was the daughter of Yosef and Sarah Bachman. She was born and grew up in Boro Park,Brooklyn. Incredibly, she and R’ Josh built a home dedicated to chinuch that impacted thousands upon thousands of yiddishe children across 3 generations. Rabbi & Mrs Silbermintz served as Head Counselor and Camp Mother in Camp Munk for over 4 decades, thousands lovingly remember the incredible warmth and vibrancy of Mrs. Silbermintz.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense carried out a covert operation with the assistance of ICL corporate and its representatives in China, to procure much needed medical equipment to Israeli hospitals to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Also playing an essential role in the operation were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in China. The preparation for the mission took two weeks. The airlift departed for Israel on Sunday. The airlift is being conducted by El Al airlines which specially outfitted a number of Dreamliner (787) aircraft in order to bring the shipment over. The first plane is carrying over 900,000 surgical masks, half a million protective suits for medical teams, and additional critical equipment.

The government’s stockpile of critically needed medical supplies and equipment is nearly drained just as the numbers of people infected with the coronavirus and in need of critical care is surging. Back in January, the first alarms were sounding about the outbreak in China. In time, it would become a global pandemic. An Associated Press review has found that the Trump administration squandered precious months before bolstering the federal stockpile of urgently needed medical supplies and equipment. A timeline of events in the administration’s response to the outbreak: DEC. 31 — Chinese health officials alert the world of a cluster of 27 pneumonia cases of unknown cause, in the first report from Wuhan. JAN.

Yes, we are busy preparing for our pre-Pesach delivery of approximately $750,000 worth of essential Pesach foods, but we are also being bombarded with calls due to the unprecedented crisis. CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW! If you need our help during this difficult time, please let us know immediately.Alternatively, if you are in a position to help others, there has never been a time when the need for your help was as great as it is right now.Every day, and sometimes every hour, I hear from individuals who have been completely unsettled financially by the current pandemic. Some were dismissed from jobs that kept their families afloat, while others are running businesses that have taken crippling financial hits. The details may be different, but each call represents another family in crisis.

With the military under broad pressure to step up its coronavirus response, Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday defended the firing of an aircraft carrier commander who sought help for sailors during an outbreak as a matter of holding leaders “accountable.” He also said the matter was under review. In two television interviews, Esper said acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly made a “very tough decision” last Thursday to oust Capt. Brett Crozier of command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which was docked in Guam, and that he supported the decision. “It was based on his view that he had lost faith and confidence in the captain, based on his actions. It was supported by Navy leadership,” Esper said.

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S. or a tiger anywhere, federal officials and the zoo said Sunday. The 4-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia — and six other tigers and lions that have also fallen ill — are believed to have been infected by a zoo employee who wasn’t yet showing symptoms, the zoo said. The first animal started showing symptoms March 27, and all are doing well and expected to recover, said the zoo, which has been closed to the public since March 16 amid the surging coronavirus outbreak in New York. The test result stunned zoo officials: “I couldn’t believe it,” director Jim Breheny said.

The death rate among Swedish Jews is 14 times higher than that of the general population, comprising 2.7% of the almost 400 people in Sweden who have died as a result of the coronavirus, a JTA report said on Motzei Shabbos. The Jewish community in Sweden numbers about 20,000 Jews, about 0.19% of Sweden’s population of about 10 million. Aron Szugalski Verständig, president of the Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, said he is unaware of any explanation for the disproportionately high death rate in the Jewish community, saying that the victims, most of whom were older than 80 and many whom were Holocaust survivors, contracted the virus independently of each other. Sweden is currently the European country with the loosest coronavirus restrictions.

Dear Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael Hanisunim Batzara Ubashivya, The extraordinary display of compassion and chessed born of the current crisis, R”L, has be an exceptional kiddush sheim Shamayim. So many chessed organizations and yichidim have not only stepped up to the plate, but have gone to bat to hit homeruns for the various causes. Their, proactively, being there for the yesomim, almanos, choilim, homebound, and so many others, showed that we truly strive to fulfill the mitzvah of vihalachta bidrachav. We can truly beseech HASH-M and declare mi kiamcha Yisrael. I feel an obligation to relay a disturbing incident that occurred last night. I had the opportunity to speak with a nurse in one of the local hospitals.

After receiving countless calls from family members desperate for status updates on their loved ones in the hospital, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein is calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to issue an executive order requiring all hospitals to communicate and provide medical updates to families on a regular basis. Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals have implemented no-visitors policies. This has led to a lack of communication between medical providers and patient’s families due to the families not being allowed in the hospitals. Patient representatives need to be given the access and ability to communicate updates at a minimum every 24 hours to desperate families eagerly awaiting information on the medical status of their loved ones.