By Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post— In the Great Plague of London in 1665-6, nearly a quarter of the city’s population perished, while the Third Plague Pandemic, which struck beginning in 1855, led to more than 1 million deaths in China and over 10 million in India. Sadly, there are numerous other instances as well. But…
Passover 2020 will not be the kind of Passover we know. Starting on April 8th and lasting till April 16th, normally this is a time for extended families and friends of the family to all gather together for the most festive (and lengthy) meal on the holy calendar. Throughout the meal of matzah, wine, bitter…
By Aish.com— During the Nazi occupation of the Warsaw Ghetto, despite the hunger, typhus and dysentery, the Jews did their best to celebrate Passover. But Passover of 1943 was different. The Nazis started deporting Jews to Treblinka in January, 1943. The final liquidation of the ghetto was scheduled for the night of Passover. On April…
By Israel Today— Jerusalem, while small in geographical size, is a wildly diverse city, making its administration all the more difficult during times of national crisis like we are now experiencing amid the coronavirus pandemic. As a partial solution to the balagan (as we call such chaotic situations in Hebrew), the Jerusalem Municipality has effectively…
By Itay Blumenthal, Ynetnews— Dozens of passengers traveling from the United States were allowed entry to Israel on Thursday, despite regulations requiring any non-nationals to enter a 14-day quarantine at a state-run facility. It is the second time in days that such a breach has happened. According to health regulations that came into effect overnight…
By JPost— The curfew and other restrictions imposed on all Israelis to slow the spread of the coronavirus over the Passover holiday are supposed to be lifted Friday at 6 a.m. But at press time, as the number of Israelis infected with the novel virus hits 9,968 – 166 in serious condition – and 86…
By Sarah Stern, Emet— “Never underestimate the power of ideas. Philosophical concepts nurtured in the stillness of a professor’s study could destroy a civilization” – Heinrich Heine Among the manifestations of contemporary anti-Semitism are its ubiquitous nature, and its emergence in some of the least expected places. One might expect it, perhaps, in a working-class…
The COVID-19 Virus continues to haunt every nation, every people– nearly every corner of the globe. In so doing it has crippled life as we know it with stay-at-home and quarantine orders. Not only has it disrupted life, including freedom of movement and assembly, it has been crippling economies. Certain sectors, however, are flouring to…
By Susan Michael, ICEJ USA Director— There is much discussion throughout the Christian world as to whether this coronavirus pandemic is God’s judgment on the earth or simply a highly infectious virus. Some say it is judgment, others that it is a warning of judgment to come. Whichever it may be, let’s learn the lessons…
By Gordon Govier, Christianity Today— The nation’s leading evangelical archaeology program is closing, partly in response to COVID-19. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) will shut down its archaeology program in May, terminating five professors and discontinuing its degree program, which currently has more than 25 graduate students. The decision came as “part of campus-wide budgetary…