This is the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
The Latest
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Life Praying in the face of coronavirus— via conference call
On the Fast of Esther, thousands of Orthodox Jews joined in communal prayer — in arranged simultaneous times to pray, or by conference calls. At 9:30am EST, several Haredi organizations called for a worldwide Psalm recitation, in response to Agudath Israel’s call to prayer; at 12:30pm EST, the Orthodox Union organized a conference call for…
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Fast Forward Israel to require 14-day quarantine for all travelers from abroad
(JTA) — Israel will require all travelers from abroad to complete a 14-day quarantine, according to the latest regulation aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The decision, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Monday, capped days of open deliberations about how far Israel would to go to stop the…
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Culture What does the Bible say about quarantine?
In recent weeks, the Jewish community has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus. The good news is, we’re old hands at dealing with quarantines. Our history with the practice of self-isolation began during our trip out of Egypt to the Promised Land, where Moses was our first public health official. In Leviticus, Moses, giving…
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Film & TV Spock’s Jewish-Vulcan gesture is the way we should greet each other today
No handshakes. No Italian abbracci (hugs) and certainly no French bises (kisses on the cheek). Be sure to keep your distance from others. As the novel coronavirus continues ravaging the planet, actor George Takei, who rose to fame playing Sulu on “Star Trek,” has an idea for an acceptable greeting that won’t spread the deadly…
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Opinion Coronavirus is our Amalek. The Torah’s lesson is clear: Protect the vulnerable.
As Jewish communities gather to celebrate the Purim holiday under the shadow of a global pandemic, it is worth heeding a piece of wisdom embedded in one of the scriptures most closely associated with the holiday. On the Sabbath before Purim, observant Jews traditionally study a biblical passage known as Parashat Zakhor (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). This…
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News Live coronavirus coverage: Chabad of West Side confirms diagnosis
We are closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak within the Jewish community in New York and beyond, and are posting updates as they happen here. If you are being affected by the virus we would like to speak to you, please email our news director at kunza at forward.com. 3:35 p.m. | Coronavirus confirmed at Chabad…
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Israel News Quarantine Diary, Day 5: There’s a 10% chance it’s corona. Should we call a doctor?
Z ack Dinerstein and Lisa Tauber, both 35, moved from Park Slope, Brooklyn, to Tel Aviv a year ago for her job at Fiverr, an online marketplace for freelance services (he is a web developer and former podcast producer). Newlyweds, they recently went for a romantic getaway to Paris — only to find on their…
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News More closings, Jewish Funders Network conference canceled
Editor’s note: This article originally said, incorrectly, that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas had self-quarantined after attending last week’s AIPAC policy conference, where several of the 18,000 attendees have tested positive for coronavirus. In fact, Cruz, a Republican, took the steps because he had interacted with an infected person at a different conference, the Conservative…
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Antisemitism Decoded After Minneapolis, a YouTuber comes for Jewish ‘welfare queens’
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News Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s exiled crown prince, has a plan for his people’s future — if they’ll have him
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News What We Know About Jeffrey Epstein’s Childhood
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News An Arizona cemetery now requires mourners to leave before burial. A rabbi plans to sue.
In Case You Missed It
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Culture In the face of conflict over assimilation, appropriation, colonialism and hegemony, a plea for human dignity through dance
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Yiddish איראַניש־אַמעריקאַנער ייִדן זעען האָפֿענונג אין טראָמפּס פּלאַן אַראָפּצוזעצן דעם רעזשיםIranian American Jews see hope in Trump’s plan for regime change
אין גרייט־נעק און לאָס־אַנדזשעלעס הייבן איראַנישע ייִדן אָן חלומען וועגן אַ רײַזע אין זייער היימלאַנד.
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Culture It’s Purim in Tel Aviv — but in the shelter there are few costumes in sight
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Fast Forward Did Israel force Trump into war with Iran? After Marco Rubio suggests so, Israel’s critics erupt.
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