Tuesday, March 24, 2020

New Hatzola (Rockland County) Corona hotline

BS"D

New Hatzolah Alert Hotline, in Yiddish (Rockland) 

845.582.7770

I urge the relevant PR venues to publish that number prominently every day for a few days now. They're warning the Yiddish speaking communities in the language they best understand.


Unfortunately, despite escalating Corona fatalities, there are still numerous people who still don't grasp the gravity of the situation, as evidenced by the listening audience calling into the four hour marathon conference-call lastnight, performed by New-Age quackmaster Yakov Vishnevsky, of Nerofei Inc. (Www.nerofei.com  Office: (732) 497-2448, Cell: (215) 421-8539,  Jv@nerofei.com; attached are two sample segments [from about 1am this morning]; listen to about 1 minute into part v17).

It also appears likely that other outside financial interests, like antivaccination guru Del Bigtree, are actively pouring money into propaganda being pumped into local communities, as they did in the measles outbreak, for which they were largely responsible.

Misinformation is killing people.

New-Age quack missionaries never seem to learn, but that doesn't stop them from "teaching" - propagating their encyclopedic ignorance of medicine.


And in some cases, the MORE educated the quack practitioners are, the MORE dangerous they are - because they throw around pseudoscientific sophistry, duping even some intelligent people. (I.e., we'd be better off if these quacks never learned science altogether.)

Thank you,


Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter

Help Rescue Our Children,

Tomim Tih'yeh [countering New Age infiltration]

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6


3: Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard

The John Hopkins website offers a lot of details by country, with as much or as little detail as you want. John Hopkins was designed for public health authorities, researchers, and you.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Rand Paul defends actions amid criticism for staying at Capitol as he awaited coronavirus test results

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rand-paul-faces-criticism-awaited-coronavirus-test-result

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was on the receiving end of withering criticism from Senate colleagues after it appeared he was still tending to his typical business at the U.S. Capitol after being tested for the coronavirus — his results came back positive Sunday.

But in an extensive statement Monday afternoon, Paul defended his handling of the situation, saying he got tested simply because he and his wife had traveled extensively in recent weeks and he's at higher risk due to having part of his lung removed following an assault.
"I felt that it was highly unlikely that I was positive since I have had no symptoms of the illness, nor have I had contact with anyone who has either tested positive for the virus or been sick," he said.
Paul said he remains "asymptomatic" and said to his critics: “For those who want to criticize me for lack of quarantine, realize that if the rules on testing had been followed to a tee, I would never have been tested and would still be walking around the halls of the Capitol. The current guidelines would not have called for me to get tested nor quarantined.  It was my extra precaution, out of concern for my damaged lung, that led me to get tested.
 

Rand Paul Tests Positive for Coronavirus Days After His Father Dismissed Panic Over the Disease as a Hoax



Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul's father, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, penned an article titled "The Coronavirus Hoax," just six days before his son became the first U.S. senator to test positive for COVID-19.

Ron Paul – The Coronavirus Hoax



The chief fearmonger of the Trump Administration is without a doubt Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Fauci is all over the media, serving up outright falsehoods to stir up even more panic. He testified to Congress that the death rate for the coronavirus is ten times that of the seasonal flu, a claim without any scientific basis.

WILL COVID-19 HIT THE RESET BUTTON ON RABBINIC CORRUPTION


הדרמה בהר נוף בעקבות התפשטות הנגיף בשכונה: מרן פוסק הדור בהוראה על האפשרות להתפלל ביחידות, ועל סגירת השטיבלאך המרכזי בשכונה, "מי שלא מציית להוראות עתיד ליתן את הדין"‎


הדרמה בהר נוף בעקבות 


התפשטות הנגיף בשכונה: הוראתו הדרמטית של מרן פוסק הדור  על שינוי סדר היום בשכונה, "מי שלא מציית להוראות עתיד ליתן את הדין"
עם התפרצות הנגיף בשכונת הר נוף: מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א בהוראה לתושבים אין חובה להתפלל במניין עקב סכנת הידבקות, מי שלא חש בטוב ויוצא מהבית עתיד ליתן את הדין.
בימים האחרונים אובחנו מספר תושבים חרדים בשכונת הר נוף בירושלים כנושאי נגיף הקורונה. התושבים הסתובבו במרכזי התפילה והתורה בהר נוף, דבר שעורר חשש כבד להתפשטות הנגיף בשכונה.
היום בבוקר התכנסו רבני וגבאי השטיבלאך המרכזי של הר נוף "אמרי שפר" להתייעצות במעונו של ראש הישיבה ומרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א, לקבלת החלטות באשר להמשך תפעולו של ה'שטיבלאך' המרכזי בשכונה לאור התפשטות הנגיף בשכונה.
במהלך האסיפה הובאו דבריו של ד"ר סלוצקין המתגורר בשכונה, כי קיים חשש רציני להתפשטות הנגיף בצורה ניכרת בשכונה, וכי השיא בשכונה עוד לפנינו ויש לנקוט באמצעי זהירות קפדניים לצמצום התפשטות הנגיף.
יצויין כי כבר בשבוע שעבר נכנס ראש הקהילה הגאון רבי יעקב משה שפיצר שליט"א למעונו של הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א לשאול אם לסגור את השטילבאך. מרן פוסק הדור  השיב שלא יסגרו מיד כדי שלא לגרום לבהלה בציבור, ויש להמתין ולהודיע קודם לציבור כי אם לא יקיימו התקנות יסגרו את בית המדרש.
היום (ב') לאחר התפשטות הנגיף בשכונה, ועם קבלת הנתונים מכלל הגורמים המקצועיים, הורה מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך בסיומה של האסיפה שהתקיימה במעונו, על מספר הוראות דרמטיות בשינוי סדר היום בשכונה.
א] לסגור את השטילבאך המרכזי אמרי שפר כדי לצמצמם את התפשטות הנגיף בשכונה.
ב] יש להודיע לכלל התושבים כי אין חובה להתפלל במניין עקב סכנת הידבקות
ג] מי שלא חש בטוב לא ייצא מהבית, והמפר הוראות אלו הרי הוא מזיק את הרבים ועתיד ליתן את הדין.
בעקבות כך פורסמו הבוקר בשכונת הר נוף בירושלים מודעות הקוראות לציבור מטעם מרן פוסק הדור  הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א: "בעקבות ריבוי המקרים של חולי קורונה שבקרו בבתי הכנסת כאן בשכונת הר נוף, אין חובה להתפלל במנין עקב סכנת הידבקות", "וכל מי שלא מרגיש בטוב וחש איזה חולשה שהיא, אסור באיסור גמור לצאת מהבית ולא לבוא לבית הכנסת בשום פנים ואופן, ומי שמפר את זה הרי הוא מזיק את הרבים ועתיד ליתן עליו את הדין, ובבואו לבית הכנסת עובר בגזל".
כמו כן בבית המדרש המרכזי בהר נוף "אמרי שפר" הוציאו הודעה על סגירת בית המדרש המרכזי אמרי שפר, והתושבים התבקשו לקחת את חפציהם האישיים כמו טלית ותפילין מבית המדרש עד היום – טרם סגירת בית המדרש החל ממחר בבוקר.

מכתב הרופא שגרם לשינוי בדעת הראב"ד הגר"מ שטרנבוך

https://www.kikar.co.il/352541.html


ראב"ד בד"צ העדה החרדית פרסם היום הנחיה הלכתית שאין חובה להתפלל במניין. 'כיכר השבת' חושף מה הביא לשינוי בדעתו ולפרסום ההנחיה החריגה • וגם: הפסק לתושבי ארה"ב

 

No buses, strolls or shopping: Drastic new restrictions said set to be applied

https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-buses-strolls-or-shopping-drastic-new-restrictions-said-set-to-be-applied/


Government reportedly to announce strictest limitations yet, including shuttering all stores but food markets and pharmacies and keeping people within 150 meters of home

 

Fauci on Trump: 'I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down'

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/23/politics/fauci-trump-science-interview/index.html


Fauci also said he had never used the term "China virus." Asked if he ever would, Fauci responded, "No."
 

New-Agers Making Plagues Great Again

BSD

New-Agers Making Plagues Great Again:


Just when we most need frum people to jettison the dangerous new-age/ avoda zoroh and kefira based worldview that provided a grave boost to the recent American measles outbreak, new-age quacks are doubling down on spouting their encyclopediac ignorance of all matters medical and scientific.

This following phone conference is held by new age quackmaster:

"Conference lead by 

Holistic Health Practitioner, Yakov Vishnevsky,  Nerofei Inc, 


Office: (732) 497-2448 

Cell: (215) 421-8539 


His website says enough... energy  therapies, Health Kinesiology, spiritual healing, one brain, yoga, homeopathy...
 
Please alert those who can counteract this propaganda, giving people false hope with false information, and mixing theological nonsense with medical nonsense.

PS: An important clarification re an earlier email today, addressing HIPAA confidentiality laws is in order. Those laws only apply to certain people (e.g. practitioners),and allow exceptions for protection of the safety and lives of others.

Rabbi Noson Shmuel Leiter,

Executive Director,

Tomim Tih'yeh


Here is a most recent example of new-age propagandists targeting frum communities internationally:

------- Original message --------
From: 
Date:03/22/2020 4:38 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: 
Subject:

Two FREE live Conference calls  tonight with NEW INFORMATION.      Two different times.  For Israel audience in English. 3:30 pm us est time and for american audience in English  9:30 pm us est.  Interpretors are  welcome if available."

 

Dial-in number (US): (774) 258-6612 International dial-in numbers: https://stme.in/i/jv4  Online meeting ID: jv4. Join the online meeting: https://join.startmeeting.com/jv4. PW:123       

 Practical and detailed instructions on how to improve the body's ability to fight Corona-like infections and symptoms.  Traditional Jewish, >>>spiritual, and >>> holistic methods of protecting and strengthening your immune system will be discussed in detail.  Learn how to empower the immune system with available foods and natural products.  There will be a >>> meditation session targeting those with symptoms and those with stress and anxiety." 


Conference lead by 

Holistic Health Practitioner, Yakov Vishnevsky,  Nerofei Inc, 


Office: (732) 497-2448 

Cell: (215) 421-8539 



Guest speaker Integrative Physician and Gastroenterologist, Dr.  Alexandra Shustina www.wholegut.com 

(212) 634-4233. 


Q and A after event.  Any information provided during this conference call is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease."


Please try online login first if possible.  Last conference call many  people were unable to join due to capacity of 1000 on phone line."

1,238 Israelis infected with coronavirus

https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/945-Israelis-test-positive-for-coronavirus-621857

 As of Monday morning, 24 people are considered in serious condition - an increase of four people from press time on Sunday.
 

Brooklyn: Hundreds in isolation after being infected

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277631


According to reports from weekend, dozens are in moderate to serious condition, some of whom are on respiration and need people’s prayers.
 

Saying Kaddish from balconies and fasting: The Haredi response to coronavirus

https://www.timesofisrael.com/saying-kaddish-from-balconies-and-fasting-the-haredi-response-to-coronavirus/


Social distancing takes hold in the particularly communal ultra-Orthodox community; leaders come up with makeshift workarounds during an unprecedented halt to religious rituals

 

Hannity claims he’s “never called the virus a hoax” 9 days after decrying Democrats’ “new hoax”

https://www.vox.com/2020/3/20/21186727/hannity-coronavirus-coverage-fox-news

Sean Hannity’s coronavirus coverage underwent a remarkable transformation in just a week. And it’s not just him — the shift is emblematic of a broader trend at Fox News.
At first, Hannity took an antagonistic approach to coronavirus coverage, even using the word “hoax” as recently as 10 days ago. “This scaring the living hell out of people — I see it, again, as like, let’s bludgeon Trump with this new hoax,” Hannity said during his March 9 broadcast, during a segment in which he downplayed the risk of coronavirus to everyone except for people with compromised immune systems and older individuals.
He even cited “coronavirus hysteria” just two days after alleging a “hoax.”
 But Hannity is now singing a different tune. While he’s still singing the praises of Trump and trying to shift blame for the coronavirus onto China, Hannity is now urging his viewers to take the coronavirus seriously. Alluding to the social distancing guidelines recommended by the White House’s coronavirus task force and others, Hannity on Tuesday night told his viewers to “take the following crucial precautions over the next couple of weeks. Do it why? Because we love our grandmothers, our grandfathers, our older moms and dads. They are the most vulnerable. They are the most at risk.”

Fox News' dangerous hypocrisy on the coronavirus, exposed


Of all the shameful things that Fox News has done over the years, its most blatantly irresponsible might very well be the weeks its hosts spent claiming that coronavirus wasn't nearly as dangerous as liberals in the media were making it out to be and that Democrats exaggerated the threat in order to attack President Donald Trump. But Fox News, like Trump himself, has changed its tone — finally acknowledging the severity of coronavirus. And a video by the Washington Post, titled "How Fox's Coronavirus Has Shifted," shows how dramatic the change has been.

'I'm gonna go to work': How Andrew Cuomo and his press conferences contrast with President Trump

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/22/politics/andrew-cuomo-press-conferences/index.html

The pressers have turned into indelible split screen moments between Cuomo and President Donald Trump -- whose own news conferences often take place during or after those in New York -- unfolding in real time for those watching in New York City. For many viewers, they are a stark and jarring reminder of the broad chasm between the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts at the state level, where governors like Cuomo are increasingly taking stricter action -- and greater responsibility -- as they seek to stabilize both health infrastructure and ward off a public panic.

Khamenei: Coronavirus could have been made by the US

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277663
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday refused US assistance to fight the new coronavirus, claiming the virus could be man-made by America.
"I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication?" Khamenei said, according to The Associated Press. "Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more."
He also alleged without offering any evidence that the virus "is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means."

65 Chabad hasidim diagnosed with coronavirus

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277654

65 Chabad hasidim who arrived from the United States last week and were staying at the Dan Jerusalem Hotel were diagnosed with the coronavirus on Sunday evening.
In coordination with the Ministry of Health, it was decided that the patients would at this stage be transferred to the Shmuel Harofeh Hospital in Be'er Ya'akov.

 

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Conspiracy theory that Jews created virus spreads on social media, ADL says

https://www.timesofisrael.com/conspiracy-theory-that-jews-created-virus-spreads-on-social-media-adl-says/


As coronavirus pandemic has impacted across the world, white nationalists have found a familiar bogeyman to blame online. But some of them also see an opportunity

Trump's 'Chinese' Virus Is Part of a Long History of Blaming Other Countries for Disease

https://time.com/5807376/virus-name-foreign-history/

“Research shows that when ordinary citizens see a disease threat as foreign, it can lead those ordinary citizens to not take action,” Dionne says. “So if someone sees this as a quote ‘Chinese’ virus, they might not be as likely to take up important hygiene behaviors like handwashing or social distancing.”
Shah thinks it’s particularly interesting that Trump and many of his allies are doubling down on COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” at a moment when the disease is a global pandemic unconfined to any one region. Fear, he says, may be linked to a desire to fix the blame on someone else. That’s a repeating pattern in U.S. history—and so is the damage it can cause.

 

Coronavirus isn't a 'Chinese virus' no matter what Trump says

https://www.cnet.com/news/coronavirus-isnt-a-chinese-virus-no-matter-what-trump-says/

The counterargument Trump and many of his supporters make is that we've historically named viruses after locations. There's the Spanish flu and the Ebola and Zika viruses. So why the fuss now?
Let's take the Spanish flu, which many cite as an example of a virus being named after its place of origin. In reality, it got its name because Spain during World War I was the first to report that its citizens were dying from the flu, and other countries feared it might hamper their fundraising efforts for the war. The Spanish called it the French flu, and some researchers believe it may have originated in Kansas
Also, things have changed. We're a lot more aware of the consequences of being cavalier with our words. In 2015, the WHO established best practices for naming new infectious diseases. The guidelines address the fact that these previous labels carried negative effects on certain populations. (Here's the WHO guide on dealing with social stigma.)

 

Fact-Checking 5 Trump Administration Claims On The Coronavirus Pandemic

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/21/818932167/fact-checking-5-trump-administration-claims-on-the-coronavirus-pandemic

President Trump has made a lot of promises about actions that his administration is taking to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Not all of them have been exactly on the mark — and some have yet to pay off as advertised.

Trump dismisses report on early coronavirus warnings as 'inaccurate

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/trump-us-coronavirus-warning-china

On Saturday, Trump, who has made a habit of shooting the media messenger, attacked the Post without dealing with any of the substance of the allegations contained in the reporting.
“I think the Washington Post covers us very inaccurately, covers me very inaccurately,” he told reporters at the daily White House coronavirus task force briefing. “I saw the story. I think it’s a disgrace but it’s the Washington Post and I guess we have to live with it. It’s a very inaccurate –”
 As a journalist tried to interject, Trump raised his hand and snapped: “Quiet, quiet.”

How the Coronavirus Became an American Catastrophe

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-many-americans-are-sick-lost-february/608521/

A study published this week by Imperial College London predicted that unless aggressive action is taken, the coronavirus could kill 2.2 million Americans in the coming months. A day after that study was published, its lead researcher developed a dry cough and fever. He had COVID-19.

 

Coronavirus is revealing how badly the UK has failed its most vulnerable

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/22/uk/coronavirus-homeless-intl-gbr/index.html


 As the novel coronavirus rips through a stunned global population, it's becoming clear that no one can escape the impact it's having on society.
The past few weeks have shown that even the world's wealthiest and most powerful are as likely to contract the virus as anyone else. However, less attention is being paid to the most vulnerable members of society -- those in poverty, people living on the breadline and the homeless.

Washington Post: US intelligence warned Trump in January and February as he dismissed coronavirus threat

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/20/politics/us-intelligence-reports-trump-coronavirus/index.html

President Donald Trump ignored reports from US intelligence agencies starting in January that warned of the scale and intensity of the coronavirus outbreak in China, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Citing US officials familiar with the agencies' reports and warnings, the Post reported that intelligence agencies depicted the nature and global spread of the virus and China's apparent downplaying of its severity, as well as the potential need for government measures to contain it -- while Trump opted to dismiss or simply not address their seriousness.
"Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were -- they just couldn't get him to do anything about it," the official noted to the Post. "The system was blinking red."

 

Coronavirus – A Torah Perspective, Rav Elya Brudny, Rav Yisroel Reisman & Rav Bin


A Torah Perspective on the Coronavirus | Rabbi Kelemen


ER Doctor: Trump Is ‘Not Listening To People On The Front Lines’ | The Last Word | MSNBC


Shields and Brooks on American life amid a pandemic


Senate Intel chairman asks Ethics Committee to review stock sales under scrutiny

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/politics/richard-burr-coronavirus-comments/index.html

 Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr is asking the Senate Ethics Committee to review his sale of up to $1.7 million in stocks last month ahead of the sharp market decline that's resulted from the novel coronavirus global pandemic, according to Senate documents.
Burr's stock sales have come under fire after he sold them off just days before the market began a downturn as a result of the coronavirus outbreak shutting down businesses and travel in the US and across the world.
Burr said Friday that he did not base his sales on any information he received as chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

There's no indication that the stock sales were made on the basis of any inside information Burr received as a senator, or that he broke any Senate rules by selling the stock. Congress passed the Stock Act in 2012 that made it illegal for lawmakers to use inside information for financial benefit. Burr was one of three senators to vote against the bill.

A 'Chinese Coronavirus'? Officials accuse Trump of stoking xenophobia and violence against Asian-Americans

https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-coronavirus-officials-accuse-trump-stoking-xenophobia-violence-against-asian-americans-1493546

 Organizations and lawmakers throughout California as well as nationally are condemning recent rhetoric by President Donald Trump describing the novel coronavirus. They say his words, intentionally or not, encourage prejudice and violence against people of Chinese or Asian descent. On Thursday a group of civil rights organizations announced the creation of a reporting center to track anti-Asian violence and discrimination in California and across the country. Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), chair of the California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, told Capital & Main that the creation of the site was motivated by more than 300 recent incidents collected from media outlets and other organizations.
 

Is Hydroxychloroquine the Answer to COVID-19 Pandemic? Racing For a Cure

https://www.newsweek.com/2020/04/03/hydroxychloroquine-answer-coronavirus-pandemic-inside-race-find-covid-19-cure-1493349.html


 The antimalarial drug chloroquine, and its derivative, hydroxychloroquine, are also candidates for COVID-19 treatments. Researchers first began testing their ability to halt the spread of viruses during the battle against AIDS. The drugs are designed to interfere with "endocytosis," the process by which a virus or other microbe enters a cell. They have since been shown to have some success in the lab against a wide range of viral diseases including the common cold and the SARS virus. On March 16, Chinese public health officials announced that a clinical trial at 10 hospitals in Beijing, Guangdong and Hunan Provinces involving more than 100 patients showed a positive effect—patients who took chloroquine were more likely to show a reduction in fever, showed clearer lungs on CT scans and reduced the amount of time to recover.