Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
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Opinion To my fellow Orthodox Jews: Don’t open shuls until you can open them to women
After two months of heavy restrictions on New Yorkers’ comings and goings, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that religious gatherings of up to ten people will now be permitted. My ears, like those of many religious Jews, perked up at the number ten. In Judaism, ten is the minimum number of people required to…
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Life The rush to return to our sanctuaries is misplaced
Last week, President Donald Trump called for churches, synagogues and mosques to reopen. In a press conference, the president said, “In America we need more prayer, not less.” As a congregational rabbi, I can affirm that so many in my community are missing the ability to sing together, catch up in our hallways, hug people…
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Fast Forward Etsy vendor who doesn’t know Yiddish accidentally sells ‘NYC crotch’ face mask
A vendor on the e-commerce site Etsy wanted to sell facemasks that said “NYC Strong” in Yiddish – but the final product said “NYC Crotch” instead. The vendor Tees Go Bling, based in Wyoming, offers dozens of glittery facemask designs for sale, including images of the American flag and the Disney logo, as well as…
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Community ‘The Jewish people may be called the People of the Book, but Jewish life revolves around being ‘people of the people’’
When my grandfather passed away from COVID-19 on April 24, I thought we might only have ten men, for an Orthodox Jewish prayer quorum, at his graveside funeral. I was wrong. Only his wife, his three sons and the synagogue’s rabbi could see him off. After 22 years of memories with him, I had to…
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Fast Forward WHO pauses hydroxychloroquine studies over safety concerns
The World Health Organization announced Monday that it was pausing studies in multiple countries of hydroxychloroquine after an analysis of thousands of Covid-19 patients treated with the drug found that it was associated with a higher risk of death. The drug — an antimalarial that is also used routinely to treat rheumatoid arthritis — has…
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Fast Forward Hasidic school in upstate N.Y. operating with ‘hundreds of students inside’
(JTA) — A school in the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel in New York was ordered to close after it was found operating with hundreds of students in its building. Orange County said in a statement that officials visiting the school last week “found what appeared to be hundreds of students inside, not wearing personal…
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Life A prophet in his own city: Jacob Kornbluh, the Hasidic reporter standing up for social-distancing
As a public service during this pandemic, the Forward is providing free, unlimited access to all coronavirus articles. If you’d like to support our independent Jewish journalism, click here. A group of about a hundred Hasidic men and boys milled about on a dark street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boro Park, a gleam of…
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Life 18 Tikkun Leyl Shavuot to help you celebrate the holiday — wherever you are
An often-overlooked spring holiday, Shavuot commemorates the moment when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people. For generations, Jews have celebrated with communal Torah study sessions, called “Tikkun Leyl Shavuot,” that last long into the night, often until dawn. Because of coronavirus, most tikkunim are taking place virtually this year. Although you can’t gather…
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Fast Forward Hochul orders Hunter College to remove Palestinian studies job listings
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Fast Forward Michelle Trachtenberg, Jewish ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Buffy’ star, dies at 39
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