Crime of the Century

 Last week an oil spill floated for approximately a hundred kilometers and washed up on Israel’s shores bringing with it tar-laden birds, turtles, fish, and even a suffocated 30-foot baby whale. Israeli authorities are still searching for the source of the oil spill.Meanwhile, Israel has closed the beaches due to the pollution and forbid fishing and selling of seafood due to the danger of indirectly ingestion of hazardous material. Israel’s environmental agency has no prediction how long the beaches will remain closed.  But that is not the crime of the century.

Purim, the Jewish holiday celebrating the Hebrew’s escape from annihilation by the evil Haman in 5th Century BCE Persia, snuck into Israel under the cloud of the Coronavirus.  Last year Purim festivities, reading of the Megillah in crowded synagogues, Purim parties and the sharing of the traditional Purim “seudah” (meal) and raucous mixing on the streets by drunken Israelis, was the super spreader event. Corona had just begun to be noticed, and in Israel only a few thousand people had tested positive and less than a dozen were ill.

A year later, Israel is 26th in the world in infections. 773,335 Israelis have tested positive, at 84,080 per million, with 5732 deaths, at 623 per million, with 760 critical cases and 39,801 active cases. This, while 4.3 million Israelis have received at least one dose and 3 million both doses.  Israel also began vaccinating anyone over 16 in hopes of reaching a herd immunity. However, according to Channel 12 health expert Prof. Uri Barabash, herd immunity will not be reached until children are inoculated. Pfizer, according to Prof. Barabash, is now testing their vaccine on children under 16, but the process could stretch to the winter, at which time herd immunity might be possible.

Prof. Barabash also said that the variants, the mutations, of Covid-19 are the worry now. While the Pfizer and Modern vaccines are proven to be at least 96% effective, there is no precise data on the vaccines efficacy on the newer mutations. Pfizer is reportedly working on a third shot to deal with the S. African variation. But that third shot has yet to be fully tested. Israeli health officials now talk about a new British mutation that has spread through New York and will, they say, probably show up in Israel. More on that below.

But Purim is still a problem. And after it, Passover. Both holidays where Israelis mix. Prof. Barabash expects a spike in infections after these holidays.Israel’s health ministry tried to forestall infection by issuing an odd curfew. From last Thursday night until this Sunday morning, Israelis were forbidden to leave their homes and travel more than a kilometer (6.2 tenths of a mile) from 8:00 PM until 05:00 AM every night, ending Sunday morning.

However,  Israel TV was rife with footage of parties held during the day, when no curfew was in force. Hundreds of revelers were seen gathered in places like Jerusalem’s First Station, in the Machane Yehuda market, and in Tel Aviv’s flea market. Most of those gathered were imbibing carry-out drinks and eating take-away food, standing close, many without masks. Some interviewed said they needed the “break” to get out, gather, after the recent month-long lockdown, and pointed out that they’d received both vaccines so were probably immune. The police reportedly stood by and did nothing, although a police spokesman later said that officers had handed out many fines. Again, this wasn’t the crime of the century.

Israel has kept the borders closed. Tourists are not allowed into Israel. Returning Israelis are limited to 2,000 a day and then they must apply to a special committee for approval. Israel TV Channel 12 interviewed many Israelis who were not allowed back into Israel. Secular Israelis. Israel TV showed scenes of passengers arriving at Ben Gurion airport pushing their luggage carts. Nearly all, if not all, were Haredim. Ultra-orthodox.

The few ultra-Orthodox interviewed at the airport have said they received permission through connections to one or another to the ultra-Orthodox Knesset members, or their staffs.  Many of those ultra-Orthodox, with forged test results, were coming from New York, where the latest Covid-19 mutation was spreading.  A number of ultra-Orthodox people on the plane were caught with forged test results, and 11 later tested positive for Covid-19.

Transportation minister Miri Regev has called these reports “fake news.” An investigation into the charges has been called for, however other media reports say that Channel 12 got it wrong. The pro-Likud daily Israel HaYom said that the figure was about 50% ultra-Orthodox on the flights. Today, Minister Regev has said she was going to allow Israelis to return even for two days in order to vote in the upcoming election. This proposed move has been deemed “political,” a way for Regev, one of PM Netanyahu’s supporters, to bring back voters who will help Netanyahu get re-elected. However, even Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has backed the move to allow Israelis to return to vote.
And these events are  still now the Crime of the Century.

Last week, an unnamed formally ultra-Orthodox  25-year-old woman from the ultra-Orthodox town of Modiin Illit, crossed illegally into Syria from Israel’s Golan Heights Druze border town of Majdal Shams. The woman, who said she was seeking adventure, spoke Arabic, a language she’d reportedly studied. She approached some villagers in Syria asking the way to Damascus. Villagers contacted the military who arrested the woman as a suspected Israeli spy. The Syrian military turned to the woman over to Russia’s military in Syria. Russia is allied with Syria who is fighting a civil war. Israeli analysts dismiss that assumption that the woman was a spy saying the Mossad is much too sophisticated to send a woman to Damascus who had to ask directions of villagers.

Israeli media was awash with the episode. The Prime Minister reportedly contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin to help get the woman back to Israel. This, while some Israelis have been held captive in Gaza for years. Putin apparently responded positively to Netanyahu’s request, and arranged for the woman to be returned to Israel. Media reports that Israel financed the Russian purchase of 100,000 Russian Corona “Sputnik” vaccines. Observers speculate the vaccines will be given to those close to Syrian leader Bashir Assad.
Even this was not the Crime of the Century.

Syrian radio reported that a large contingent of Russian military was scouring a Damascus cemetery looking for a specific grave. The speculation was that the military was searching for the remains of some Israeli soldiers kidnapped during the 1982 battle of Sultan Yacoub between Syria and Israel;  or perhaps even searching for the remains of the Israeli super-spy Eli Cohen.

But, analysts question Netanyahu’s motives.Who was this unnamed woman, and why was she unnamed? The supposition is that she is the daughter or granddaughter of a very important and influential person, perhaps a relative of Rav Kanievsky, the ultra-Orthodox leader of the Ashkenazi “Litai” movement, or that of Degel HaTorah leader Yacov Litzman or some other ultra-Orthodox politician.

What is the Prime Minister’s motive?  Political favors. Netanyahu, who’s Likud party according to the polls may get less than 30 seats, and only be able to mount a coalition of 48 seats, is doing everything in his power to get more votes. The ultra-Orthodox parties have been curiously noncommittal in this round of elections, the fourth election in two years, and according to observers, Netanyahu is worried.

Netanyahu is also still on trial for three felonies. His appearance in court was cut short and then postponed until after the elections. Not the first time elections have kept Netanyahu out of court. Observers point out that Netanyahu hopes to win the upcoming election and pass a law that would keep him out of jail for as long as he is Prime Minister, although Kan TV’s political commentator Yoram Dekel believes the fourth election will be inconclusive and lead to yet another election, the fifth in about two years.

So, what was The Crime of the Century? On Oct 1, 1910, bombs destroyed the six-story Los Angeles Times building. The bombing was the result of a violent struggle between industrialists and unionists with the owner of the Times one of the leading anti-unionists in the country. 21-newspaper employees were killed in the blast and 17 injured, according to journalist Howard Blum’s book “American Lightening.”

The LA Times publisher, Harrison Gray Otis, had been a fervent supporter of the anti-union message, “sending flattering editorials and disingenuous reporting” in support of Patrick Calhoun, the president of the United Railroad, who had been indicted for bribery. Due to Otis’ support, the jury dismissed the charges against Calhoun, who, according to Otis, “had seemingly saved the city” from the vicious unions. According to Blum“The incriminating facts of the bribery case were simply a tedious irrelevancy.” Sound familiar?

Netanyahu has made every effort to appear to be the savior of Israel, according to critics, showing up at every opportunity, at inoculation centers, at the airport where the vaccines arrive, and wherever he can have his photo taken showing him in as saving Israel. As the world learned from Trump, say a thing often enough and people begin to believe it.

Nowhere does Netanyau admit that his actions were part of a team effort. Nor does he explain why mostly the ultra-Orthodox get entry visas while secular Israelis are left to linger outside of Israel. Nowhere does Netanyahu explain why the ultra-Orthodox are allowed to ignore the rules the secular society adheres to, like not gathering in mass, or closing schools. Nowhere does he take the blame for the rise in the infection rate due to those he’s courting, who are among the most infected and the least inoculated.

Nor does he explain why a protest in the Arab Israeli town of Umm Al Fahm against the rise in organized crime and police inaction, resulted in 35 injured including a mayor and Knesset member, when ultra-Orthodox are free to demonstrate in great numbers, attend funerals en mass, or why Israelis protesting outside the Prime Minister’s residence are pepper-sprayed by the police.

So, what is the Crime of the Century? Is it Trump’s encouraging incitement in the Capitol? Trump’s new campaign to become the leader of the Republican party and perhaps lead another insurrection? Is it Trump’s ignorance of the facts that Covid-19 kills and masks saves lives? Is it the public who are “rubes,” according to Trump’s one-time aid, and friend Anthony Scaramucci, speaking on MSNBC? Supporters who are being fleeced by a con-man who is making “more money than he ever made… $300 million off of these rubes that he’s conning after the election with his big lie” that the vote was rigged.

Or is it Netanyahu’s flaunting the truth? Ignoring morality in favor of staying out of jail?Sending  spokesmen like Jacob Bardugo to eviscerate Netanyahu’s critics, according to the Times of Israel, and attack Israel’s top legal officer Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who filed the criminal indictments against Netanyahu? Or showing unjust favoritism to those groups who can vote for him, at the expense of the public’s health?

In 1910 the Crime of the Century was the bombing of the LA Times.
The question is: what is the crime of the century today?  There are a lot of candidates.
And the answer is still unclear. But then again, we’re talking about an entirely different century.

A Different Conclusion

Israeli media announced two treatments that apparently cure Covid-19. One, from Prof. Nader Arber, head of a research team at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, discovered that the Crown inhalation treatment using the drug EXO-CD24, inhaled once a day for five days, cured 29 out of 30 moderate to severe hospitalized patients. TV interviews showed them at home after the fifth treatment. According to media reports “This drug can resist all known mutations, as it acts on the cells of the human body and causes them to properly fight the coronavirus.” The treatment has been fast-tracked for phase II and III trials, and has attracted international attention.

Another treatment was discovered at Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem using the “Allocetra” drug, developed by Dr. Dror Mevorach. The treatment enters phase three trials and shows 90% effective in serious to critical patients.

In Britain,Oxford University researchers say a common asthma drug, budesonide, is effective in reducing the need for urgent care or hospitalization by 90% when administered to patients within a week of first symptoms

Also, U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly  announced they’d received FDA approval for emergency use of their drug that was proven 70% effective in mild to moderate cases of Covid-19.  So there is hope for a cure looking to find a different more positive conclusion to those stricken with Covid-19.

Worldwide 108,298,669 people were infected, at a rate of 13,879 per million, with 2,378,875 deaths at a rate of 305 per million, with 99,948 critical cases and 25,654,392 active cases.  #1 in the world was still the USA there were 28,002,240 cases at a rate of 84,294, with 486,922 deaths at a rate of 1,466 with 20,407 critical and 9,584,499 active cases. In Israel, still #27 in the world, with 714,812 infected at a rate of 77,717 per million, with 5,283 deaths at a rate of 574, per million with 972 critical and 64,597 active cases.

An Israeli HMO Maccabi official stated that of 523,000 fully vaccinated Israelis only 4 later became severely ill and none died. Meanwhile, Israel has vaccinated over 3 million people, including those over 16, foreign workers, and Palestinians working in Israel.

Still, according to media reports, the rush to get vaccinated in Israel has slowed down drastically with 2.5 million Israels still unvaccinated, among them 350,000 in the ‘at-risk’ 60+ group. Reportedly anti-vaccination false information has been pouring into the ultra-orthodox community, the most highly infected in the country. Yesterday, a 36-year old Haredi man, with a pre-existing condition, died of Corona. He eschewed the vaccine after reading that the shot could cause sterility, something to be avoided in a sector that considers large families enviable.

Statistics released today in Ynetnews shows that  one in 75 ultra-Orthodox over 65 died of Corona. In the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) town of Bnei Brak every fifth person had Corona, that was 21.6% of the town. The Haredi town of Modiin Illit was higher with 29.9%. By contrast the largely secular cities shows a striking disparity. Haifa had only 4.9% while Tel Aviv had only 4.6%.

The Israel government has gone after what they called the “Coronavirus Conspiracies.” Facebook closed down some of their users disseminating false information about the vaccine, and one ultra-Orthodox rabbi was arrested for his on-line statements.

On Sunday. the nearly six-week lockdown in Israel ended, allowing small stores, barber shops and beauty parlors to reopen. Israel also began to reopen their schools with children in 1-4th grade and 11-12th returning part time to class  The malls still remained closed, although yesterday three malls all in different cities tried to reopen but were shut down by police.

On a positive note, two Americans were rewarded with prestigious Israeli prizes. Singer Stevie Wonder was awarded the Wolf Prize, and producer/director Steven Spielberg was awarded the Genesis Prize, considered Israel’s Nobel.

Then there’s the trials. In the USA the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, and in Israel, the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  In the Trump impeachment trial, a former federal prosecutor told Fox News that there wasn’t enough direct evidence to convict Trump of incitement. The former prosecutor said the impeachment should have aimed at the charge of  ‘dereliction of duty,’ showing that Trump did nothing during those hours the Capitol had been occupied by a rioting mob.

Most commentators doubt that the senate Democrats have the 17 Republican votes needed to convict Trump of incitement to riot. Some pundits said there was a chain of Tweets and statements Trump made that stretched back to 2016 deriding first Hilary Clinton, his rival in the presidential race, the Democratic party and Democrats in general. He has hinted broadly that something drastic has to be done to Make America Great Again. However, he never came out and explicitly called for an armed rebellion. He danced around like Mohammad Ali when opponents tried to hit him, but always, say legal analysts, dodged uttering the critical phrases needed to convict him.

Observers say that his followers were not as cautious. The Impeachment Mangers making the case in the senate trotted out quote after quote taken from social media that were clearly incitement, clearly showed an intent to do harm or even murder, but Trump, say these observers, never did. According to most analysts, those followers should be arrested, tried, and convicted. They attempted a coup and committed murder. But, as one observer said, stringing together all of those messages Trump sent out in text or in speeches, the messages still don’t add up to the right conclusion, that that directly and unequivocally incited the rioters.

Some hope that the Senate will draw a different conclusion than acquittal since the impeachment isn’t a court of law. Media reports state that Trump still has a large following and there are those in the Republican party who are urging him to run in 2024. Some analysts say that the Senate could obviate that option by voting by a “simple majority” to prohibit Trump from ever running for a pubic office again. However, the same analysts also say that such a decision is on shaky constitutional grounds and the Supreme Court would have to make the final decision, should the court even agree to hear the case. Meanwhile, the impeachment process goes on and those still seething over events of Jan 6 can only hope, probably in vain, for Trump to be convicted.

Israel has their own trial going on. Prime Minister Netanyahu, indicted on three counts of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust, returned to court briefly this week. He denied any wrong doing and called his accusers liars. News reports hint that Netanyahu is worried about one of the witnesses against him returning to court and dropping a bombshell. No names are given but Haaretz ran a drawing of Netanyahu alongside of billionaire Arnon Milchen, who reportedly provided Netanyahu and his wife with hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts of cigars, champagne and even diamonds.

Protestors still gather weekly outside of Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence calling for him to resign. With new Israeli elections looming, the fourth in two years, some in the anti-Netanyahu camp are hoping for a different conclusion to the next election, to be held on March 23rd. If Netanyahu’s past winning record holds, the results are already foretold, even if Netanyahu is now courting the ultra-right wing Kahanist parties, a move unfavorable to mainstream Likud voters. But, say the pundits, like the new drugs that seem to stop Covid-19 in its tracks, there’s also a chance for a different conclusion to what seemed like an inevitable outcome in the upcoming election.

Some More Equal Than Others

Some people are simply more equal than others in any society. Israel is no different, one pundit wrote in a biting analysis, quoting Channel 12 news statistics that fines are being handed out unevenly for those who break the regulations. For example, in the largely secular city of Tel Aviv 3.5 fines per 1,000 were handed out to those breaking quarantine once tested positive for Covid-19. However, in the near-by ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak only 0.3 fines were handed out.

According to the Israel ministry of health, 25% of all new patients in the hospital come from the haredi, ultra-Orthodox, population. Last week, according to the ministry, 23% of the infections came from the haredi neighborhoods, with 64% of the haredi community infected, while haredim only make up 12% of Israel’s population.

A steady stream of Covid-19 infections seemingly undeterred by the vaccination campaign.

The infection rate in Israel is still high, running at nearly 8,000 infections in 24 hours. That was over 9% of those tested showing positive for the virus.

Israel, #27 in infections in the world, has 672,324 infections, at 73,098 per million, with 4,975 deaths at 541 per million, with 1,120 critical cases and 77,732 active cases, with nearly 300 on ventilators. The USA was still #1 with 27,155,394 cases, at 81,755 per million, with 462,022 deaths ad 1,391 per million, with 23,449 critical cases and 9,784,823 active cases. Worldwide there were 105,029,776 confirmed cases at 13,458 per million, with 2,281,471 deaths at 292 per million, with 106,355 in critical condition and 26,036,189 active cases.

Meanwhile, the rush to receive a vaccination seems to have abated. The health ministry has now opened up to vaccinations for anyone over 16. This, according to a health ministry statement, includes non-residents. So far, between 70-80% of the population over 60 has been vaccinated. But there has been a 252% increase in infections of those under 40. The number of infections among babies and infants quadrupled in December, to 1526, with only 377 in November. But most are asymptomatic. One 18-month old infant was in serious condition and attached to a ventilator.

However, Channel 12 health analyst, Prof. Uri Barabash, worried that 500,000 Israelis over 50 have not yet been vaccinated. The highly contagious “British” variant of the disease is the most prominent in Israel. Should that at risk over 50 group get infected they could overwhelm the already over-crowded and over-worked hospitals. According to an early study in Britain, the Pfizer, Moderna, and other RNA vaccines work against this ‘British variant,’ protecting those vaccinated from a serious case of Covid-19.

Barabash suggested that mobile vans with a health staff visit factories and neighborhoods bringing the vaccines to the people who for whatever reason are not coming to the HMO for vaccinations. He said these vans could be equipped to handle the vaccine and keep them safe. The problem, said Barabash, was bureaucratic. Each health fund was responsible for vaccinating their members. A mobile unit showing up at a factory would create a problem for the health funds whose data was all very carefully and precisely monitored as an innoculation was administered. He thought the health ministry had to step in and solve the problem.

Israel is still running an ad campaign stressing the importance of the vaccinations, though many in the haredi community have stayed away. Some observers say that the haredi community’s ignoring the Israeli regulations is driving a deep wedge between the regular Israeli population and their haredi cousins.

The fact that two haredi funerals were held last week, one with an estimated 10,000 mourners crowded together, many without masks, following the casket down the streets of Jerusalem to the cemetery on Har HaMenuchot (mountain of rest), the other with several thousand along the same route, will ultimately result in a spike in infections in the ultra-Orthodox community. Those infected will spread the infection to others and it will ultimately seep into the non-religious community.

Israel is still officially in a “lockdown” scheduled to last several more days, with shops, schools restaurants and bars closed, fast-food only by phone-in order for delivery, while the airport and border are also closed. Elections only a month and a half away, the fourth elections in two years. Some of the parties are running on a campaign to exclude the ultra-Orthodox parties from being a part of the next government. Media analysts say that Netanyahu, who relies on those parties to stay in power, may be brought down by his close association with these ultra-Orthodox parties.

These analysts also point to the disparity with which the government applies penalties and pressure on the secular segment of Israel compared to the ultra-Orthodox. For example, the police did not interfere in the mass ultra-Orthodox funerals, but when protesters gather in front on Netanyahu’s home, or in Tel Aviv protesting what they claim is a corrupt Prime Minister (some signs call him the ‘Crime Minister), these anti-Netanyahu protesters are met with a forceful police presence including water canons, batons, and arrests.

The fact that the ultra-Orthodox are also not showing up for vaccines has a negative impact on the quantity of vaccines in Israel’s possession. Thousands of doses of the vaccine are tossed in the garbage at the end of the day because not enough people show up to get the vaccinations. Again, many of these are ultra-Orthodox. And the problem is not limited to Israel. Last night, Channel 13 news showed an ultra-Orthodox community in London’s Stamford Hill neighborhood with an extremely high Covid-19 infection rate, especially compared to the general population. The ultra-Orthodox in that neighborhood were shown ignoring health regulations much as they do in Israel. Of course, there are still those in New York City who were Trump supporters and proudly refused to wear a mask even as the Covid-19 tore through their neighborhoods.

Schools across Israel are shuttered, except for special education, but not in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. When the police attempted to close those schools illegally open they have are met with violent resistance, including rocks, resulting in injured policemen. Some of the schools try a clever ploy and tell the police they have permission to stay open since they’re running a school with special education students. One TV report showed the students fleeing a back entrance when the police raided. However, critics say the police raid these schools only rarely, and then only after public pressure, like news reports showing how the schools ignore the health regulations.

According to reports, the rabbis who hold sway over these communities have issued rulings to obey the rules, get vaccinated, and close the schools. However, skeptics say that these rabbis are not really putting their full influence behind these efforts. As one resident of Benei Brak said of 92-year old Rav Kamievsky, ‘He is the boss. What he says everyone does.’ ‘So why doesn’t he give the order to obey the rules?’ asked a commentator.

Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked why he doesn’t approach the rabbi, and the other ultra-Orthodox leaders, and demand they obey the rules. Netanyahu answered the question on TV last week. He said he called Rabbi Kanievsky and could only speak to his grandson who handles the calls. He never reached the rabbi himself. Critics say that was a lame excuse. The Prime Minister could have the rabbi arrested, or at least brought to him, or demanded to see the rabbi in person. But, say the critics, that would endanger Netanyahu’s standing with the ultra-Orthodox and he needs their support in the next election.

So, Israel is divided, unhealthily. The law-abiding citizens who are also worried about their health, and the ultra-Orthodox who answer to a higher power, who live in Israel but obey a different set of rules and rulers. Should this situation not change, the future looks more like the Sedducees and the Pharisees than anything else.

Some More Equal Than Others

 

Some people are simply more equal than others in any society. Israel is no different, one pundit wrote in a biting analysis, quoting Channel 12 news statistics that fines are being handed out unevenly for those who break the regulations. For example, in the largely secular city of Tel Aviv 3.5 fines per 1,000 were handed out to those breaking quarantine once tested positive for Covid-19. However, in the near-by ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak only 0.3 fines were handed out.

According to the Israel ministry of health, 25% of all new patients in the hospital come from the haredi, ultra-Orthodox, population. Last week, according to the ministry, 23% of the infections came from the haredi neighborhoods, with 64% of the haredi community infected, while haredim only make up 12% of Israel’s population.

A steady stream of Covid-19 infections seemingly undeterred by the vaccination campaign.

The infection rate in Israel is still high, running at nearly 8,000 infections in 24 hours. That was over 9% of those tested showing positive for the virus.

Israel, #27 in infections in the world, has 672,324 infections, at 73,098 per million, with 4,975 deaths at 541 per million, with 1,120 critical cases and 77,732 active cases, with nearly 300 on ventilators. The USA was still #1 with 27,155,394 cases, at 81,755 per million, with 462,022 deaths ad 1,391 per million, with 23,449 critical cases and 9,784,823 active cases. Worldwide there were 105,029,776 confirmed cases at 13,458 per million, with 2,281,471 deaths at 292 per million, with 106,355 in critical condition and 26,036,189 active cases.

Meanwhile, the rush to receive a vaccination seems to have abated. The health ministry has now opened up to vaccinations for anyone over 16. This, according to a health ministry statement, includes non-residents. So far, between 70-80% of the population over 60 has been vaccinated. But there has been a 252% increase in infections of those under 40. The number of infections among babies and infants quadrupled in December, to 1526, with only 377 in November. But most are asymptomatic. One 18-month old infant was in serious condition and attached to a ventilator.

However, Channel 12 health analyst, Prof. Uri Barabash, worried that 500,000 Israelis over 50 have not yet been vaccinated. The highly contagious “British” variant of the disease is the most prominent in Israel. Should that at risk over 50 group get infected they could overwhelm the already over-crowded and over-worked hospitals. According to an early study in Britain, the Pfizer, Moderna, and other RNA vaccines work against this ‘British variant,’ protecting those vaccinated from a serious case of Covid-19.

Barabash suggested that mobile vans with a health staff visit factories and neighborhoods bringing the vaccines to the people who for whatever reason are not coming to the HMO for vaccinations. He said these vans could be equipped to handle the vaccine and keep them safe. The problem, said Barabash, was bureaucratic. Each health fund was responsible for vaccinating their members. A mobile unit showing up at a factory would create a problem for the health funds whose data was all very carefully and precisely monitored as an innoculation was administered. He thought the health ministry had to step in and solve the problem.

Israel is still running an ad campaign stressing the importance of the vaccinations, though many in the haredi community have stayed away. Some observers say that the haredi community’s ignoring the Israeli regulations is driving a deep wedge between the regular Israeli population and their haredi cousins.

The fact that two haredi funerals were held last week, one with an estimated 10,000 mourners crowded together, many without masks, following the casket down the streets of Jerusalem to the cemetery on Har HaMenuchot (mountain of rest) the other with several thousand along the same route, will ultimately result in a spike in infections in the ultra-Orthodox community. Those infected will spread the infection to others and it will ultimately seep into the non-religious community.

Israel is still officially in a “lockdown” scheduled to last several more days, with shops, schools restaurants and bars closed, fast-food only by phone-in order for delivery, while the airport and border are also closed. Elections only a month and a half away, the fourth elections in two years. Some of the parties are running on a campaign to exclude the ultra-Orthodox parties from being a part of the next government. Media analysts say that Netanyahu, who relies on those parties to stay in power, may be brought down by his close association with these ultra-Orthodox parties.

These analysts also point to the disparity with which the government applies penalties and pressure on the secular segment of Israel compared to the ultra-Orthodox. For example, the police did not interfere in the mass ultra-Orthodox funerals, but when protesters gather in front on Netanyahu’s home, or in Tel Aviv protesting what they claim is a corrupt Prime Minister (some signs call him the ‘Crime Minister), these anti-Netanyahu protesters are met with a forceful police presence including water canons, batons, and arrests.

The fact that the ultra-Orthodox are also not showing up for vaccines has a negative impact on the quantity of vaccines in Israel’s possession. Thousands of doses of the vaccine are tossed in the garbage at the end of the day because not enough people show up to get the vaccinations. Again, many of these are ultra-Orthodox. And the problem is not limited to Israel. Last night, Channel 13 news showed an ultra-Orthodox community in London’s Stamford Hill neighborhood with an extremely high Covid-19 infection rate, especially compared to the general population. The ultra-Orthodox in that neighborhood were shown ignoring health regulations much as they do in Israel. Of course, there are still those in New York City who were Trump supporters and proudly refused to wear a mask even as the Covid-19 tore through their neighborhoods.

Schools across Israel are shuttered, except for special education, but not in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. When the police attempted to close those schools illegally open they have are met with violent resistance, including rocks, resulting in injured policemen. Some of the schools try a clever ploy and tell the police they have permission to stay open since they’re running a school with special education students. One TV report showed the students fleeing a back entrance when the police raided. However, critics say the police raid these schools only rarely, and then only after public pressure, like news reports showing how the schools ignore the health regulations.

According to reports, the rabbis who hold sway over these communities have issued rulings to obey the rules, get vaccinated, and close the schools. However, skeptics say that these rabbis are not really putting their full influence behind these efforts. As one resident of Benei Brak said of 92-year old Rav Kamievsky, ‘He is the boss. What he says everyone does.’ ‘So why doesn’t he give the order to obey the rules?’ asked a commentator.

Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked why he doesn’t approach the rabbi, and the other ultra-Orthodox leaders, and demand they obey the rules. Netanyahu answered the question on TV last week. He said he called Rabbi Kanievsky and could only speak to his grandson who handles the calls. He never reached the rabbi himself. Critics say that was a lame excuse. The Prime Minister could have the rabbi arrested, or at least brought to him, or demanded to see the rabbi in person. But, say the critics, that would endanger Netanyahu’s standing with the ultra-Orthodox and he needs their support in the next election.

So, Israel is divided, unhealthily. The law-abiding citizens who are also worried about their health, and the ultra-Orthodox who answer to a higher power, who live in Israel but obey a different set of rules and rulers. Should this situation not change, the future looks more like the Sedducees and the Pharisees than anything else.