THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: ToI Community update — Editor’s Note: Days of uncertainty * ToI podcast: Making seder of a Zoom Passover * Special ‘Why, Why, Why’ podcast preview

Dear Community members and Daily Edition readers, When we published Simona Weinglass’s exposé Sunday of the very troubling sequence of events that saw dozens of Brooklyn yeshiva students flown home to Israel two weeks ago on a series of flights in which their fellow passengers were placed in avoidable danger of exposure to the coronavirus, we wanted to believe that we were highlighting the kind of flaw in Israel’s efforts to thwart the virus that had since been corrected. Evidently not. As of last night, and despite declared regulations to the contrary, passengers on some of the few flights still landing in Israel — including from pandemic epicenters such as New York, Italy, and Spain — were simply walking through the airport, and out into Israel, without being checked for the virus and without being sent to the various quarantine hotels set up nationwide. Along with the lagging inability to effectively inform at least some of the ultra-Orthodox community, persuade key spiritual leaders of the gravity of the hour, and to effectively enforce the country’s general lockdown in ultra-Orthodox areas, these are failures that are undermining what might otherwise be an effective Israeli response to the pandemic. Illustrative photo: Passengers wearing protective masks in the arrivals halls at Ben Gurion Airport on March 10, 2020. (Jack Guez/AFP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ahead of the curve in implementing the measures that gave Israel a better chance that many other countries of minimizing the spread. And the apparent success of covert efforts made in recent weeks by the Mossad and others to obtain additional ventilators and other equipment, for a feared major surge in serious cases, may prove crucial. But it’s still far too early to determine whether Israel is winning this battle. Encouragement comes, too, from the Israeli scientific community, where the race is on for a treatment, and where progress is being reported on the road to a vaccine. But again, it’s far too early for unbridled optimism. This is going to be a long haul. Prof. Isaiah (Shy) Arkin, who is working on a treatment for the coronavirus, in his lab at the Hebrew University, March 29, 2020 (ToI staff) Uncertainty abides, too, when it comes to Israel’s leadership, where the imperative for an “emergency” unity government, so often cited in recent days both by Netanyahu and his bitter rival turned potential partner Benny Gantz, seems to have gotten lost as negotiations on that urgent coalition have stalled. Here at ToI, there is earnest disagreement between me and our political analyst Haviv Rettig Gur. I believe Gantz unwarrantedly abandoned his voters, by breaking the key pledge he’d made in three election campaigns that he would not sit in government with Netanyahu so long as the prime minister was facing grave criminal charges, that he should have supported a Netanyahu-led government from the outside for the duration of the battle against the pandemic, and that his tactics are inept and he will be devoured (politically) by Netanyahu at immense cost to Israeli political moderation. Haviv argues that Gantz acted with commendable national spirit, that the intransigence of some of his colleagues in Blue and White left him with no better alternatives, that he is proving himself astute in his conduct of negotiations with Netanyahu, and that he will be able to safeguard Israel from extremism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, at a memorial ceremony for late president Shimon Peres, at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on September 19, 2019. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP) Much as I disagree with Haviv, and he with me, ToI has of course given our readers both narratives, prominently, along with 24/7 reporting to help you make your own judgments. As ever, thanks to the ToI Community for helping us to do all of the above. And if you haven’t yet joined, please do! All Times of Israel content remains open to all readers. But if that content matters to you, do please support us — for as little as $6 a month. The Times of Israel newsroom, pre-coronavirus (ToI) Finally, if there is something that relates to the coronavirus crisis where you think ToI can usefully focus — an element we’ve missed; something out of left field; whatever — please email us at office@timesofisrael.com. And wherever you are, stay healthy. — ToI podcast makes seder of hi-tech prayer forums and Zoom Passover meals — kosher or not? This week, we’ll discover how hi-tech can allow religiously observant Jews stay connected to their prayer communities, and how it can also help those at highest risk during the coronavirus crisis — the elderly. Haifa University’s Dr. Michal Isaacson, an expert in gerontechnology, explains that the biggest risk to older adults is not the disease, rather social isolation and its associated loneliness. She gives tips to help host Amanda Borschel-Dan stay connected with her 95-year-old grandma. Zooming in to reciting Kaddish, the mourners’ prayer, at home. (Photo montage, Gil Be’eri) Many religiously observant Jews have taken to online prayer forums. Also, a group of Sephardi rabbis recently made Zoom Passover seders permissible. (First rice and now this?) To make seder of what is kosher, Borschel-Dan speaks with Rabbi Avi Poupko about the very deep and historically Jewish need for prayer quorums. They’re usually made up of 10 adult men, so how can technology fill the gap now that the Israeli Health Ministry has put out an order stopping all gatherings of more than two individuals? To listen to the podcast, click here or on the image above. — Community podcast preview: Short story ‘Alone together With Fiona’ on ‘WhyWhyWhy!’ This week, in a special six-minute mini-episode of the “WhyWhyWhy!” podcast, we bring you one short story told by Abi Hartuv, “Alone Together With Fiona,” a tale of neighbors nurturing ties even while confined to their homes. In other words, it’s a story borne of the extraordinary circumstances in which we all find ourselves at the moment. To listen, click here or on the image below. An Israeli family waves in solidarity from its porch. (Courtesy) “WhyWhyWhy!,” which normally features stories told in a Tel Aviv bar, is hosted by Opinion and Blogs Editor Miriam Herschlag together with Noah Efron. For now, they’ve taken the show off the road, and continue to seek out true, gripping stories that reveal our humanity amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic. The podcast, a collaboration between The Times of Israel and TLV1 Podcasts, welcomes new story submissions. If you have a story to tell that you think might be a fit, contact the hosts at story@tlv1.fm — April perks for ToI Community members: 10% off a pre- or post-Pesach delivery order from BeerBazaar (English). Discount Code: TOI-COMMUNITY 20% off Gur Inbal’s ceramic art at ArtSource. Indicate you’re a member of the Times of Israel Community to receive discount. A 15% discount at Judaica Webstore: Coupon code: TOI_15 A $100 voucher for a Hebrew course from eTeacher. Be well, David Horovitz