New Israeli drug cured 29 of 30 moderate/serious COVID cases in days

 

A new coronavirus treatment being developed at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center has successfully completed phase 1 trials and appears to have helped numerous moderate-to-serious cases of COVID-19 quickly recover from the disease, the hospital said Friday.

Hailing a “huge breakthrough,” the hospital said Prof. Nadir Arber’s EXO-CD24 substance had been administered to 30 patients whose conditions were moderate or worse, and all 30 recovered — 29 of them within three to five days.

The medicine fights the cytokine storm — a potentially lethal immune overreaction to the coronavirus infection that is believed to be responsible for much of the deaths associated with the disease.

It uses exosomes — tiny carrier sacs that shuttle materials between cells — to deliver a protein called CD24 to the lungs, which Arber has spent decades researching.

“This protein is located on the surface of cells and has a well known and important role in regulating the immune system,” said researcher Shiran Shapira of Arber’s lab.

The protein helps calm down the immune system and curb the storm.

“The preparation is inhaled once a day for a few minutes, for five days,” Arber said. “The preparation is directed straight to the heart of the storm — the lungs — so unlike other formulas… which selectively restrain a certain cytokine, or operate widely but cause many serious side effects, EXO-CD24 is administered locally, works broadly and without side effects.”

The medicine will now move on to further trial phases, but hospital officials were already hailing it as a possible game-changer in fighting serious COVID-19 illness.

Ichilov director Roni Gamzu, the former coronavirus czar, said the research “is advanced and sophisticated and may save coronavirus patients. The results of the phase 1 trial are excellent and give us all confidence in the method [Arber] has been researching in his lab for many years.”

He added: “I am proud that at Ichilov we are… possibly bringing a blue and white remedy to a terrible global pandemic.”

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Divorcing In COVID

by  Miriam Miedzinski

I am sure many couples are separated, or even getting divorced as a result of the the many stresses that the coronavirus came along with.

There must also be the fair few who got divorced during the pandemic, having initiated the process before the pandemic took over the world.

I am one of those who found myself standing in a court room with a judge far away from me, wearing a mask.

I found myself looking at my now ex husband in the eyes, literally, as that was all I could see with most of his face covered by a mask as we parted ways.

We finished the legal dealings and walked out of the room.  Squirt, squirt, we doused our hands in hand sanitizer, and headed out the building.

It was weird.  I mean it would have been no matter what, but it felt extra weird.

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Israel set to limit access to cafes, culture and more to those who didn't vaccinate

 The Health Ministry is reportedly closing in on a plan to spur more Israelis to get vaccinated by bringing back certain leisure activities in the near future, but making them hard to access for those who have not gotten shots.

Channel 12 News reported Wednesday that officials are looking to limit access to gyms, hotels, restaurants and cultural and sports events for those who refuse to be vaccinated, while the inoculated will be able to enter freely.

As it is legally problematic to completely ban those who do not want to take the shots, a path will be available to those with fresh negative COVID-19 test results from the past 48 hours.

But health officials hope to find ways to make getting tested more difficult — thereby further encouraging more people to go for the vaccine — including charging for tests, limiting their numbers and cutting back on testing locations.

In the last three days, only about 65,000 Israelis a day have been vaccinated with their first shots, even though vaccinations are now available to all Israelis aged 16 and over.

Unnamed senior Health Ministry officials told the network they were working on formulating an exact list of activities that would hard to access for the non-vaccinated.

One official told the network, “If they are required to pay a few dozen shekels [fora COVID test] every couple days so they can enter their workplace, gym or restaurant, it will encourage them to get vaccinated.”

Israel’s Manufacturers Association has asked government officials to be able to put workers who refuse vaccinations on unpaid leave, Channel 12 also said. The association was said to request permission to demand non-vaccinated workers present a negative coronavirus test every 72 hours.

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Facebook removes R' Amnon Yitzchak's anti-vaxxer group that peddled fake news

 

As Facebook ramps up its fight against rampant misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, the social media giant on Tuesday deleted a group associated with popular Israeli rabbi Amnon Yitzhak that peddled fake news about the pandemic and the immunizations.

The group, which had over 12,000 members, featured false information about the virus and the vaccines’ efficacy and safety, alongside conspiracy videos and efforts to thwart the country’s rapid vaccination drive, according to the Ynet news site.

Amnon Yitzhak is known for convincing hordes of secular Israelis to embrace religious observance by warning them, among other methods, of the grisly fate that awaits them in hell should they persist in their errant ways.

The rabbi, who boasts a sizable online presence and following, launched a failed bid in 2013 to enter the Knesset as the head of his own political party.

Facebook still has a series of other groups and pages associated with Yitzhak, with tens of thousands of members, many of which are also peddling misinformation about vaccines. These include his own online TV channel called “Virus TV.” They were being reviewed by the social network as well, Ynet reported.

The report said Yitzhak’s videos were still up on YouTube and were regularly being shared on WhatsApp and Telegram.

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Iranian scientist was killed using one-ton gun

 Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Iranian nuclear scientist who was shot dead near Tehran in November was killed by a one-ton automated gun that was smuggled into the country piece-by-piece by the Mossad, the British-based Jewish Chronicle revealed on Wednesday.

According to the report, the 20-plus spy team, which comprised both Israeli and Iranian nationals, carried out the high-tech hit after eight months of painstaking surveillance, intelligence sources disclosed.

Israeli analysts have concluded that Fakhrizadeh's death has extended the period of time it would take Iran to achieve a nuclear bomb from about three-and-a-half months to two years — with senior intelligence figures privately putting it as high as five years.

Fakhrizadeh, 59, known as the “father of the bomb”, lost his life in a burst of 13 bullets as he travelled with his wife and 12 bodyguards in Absard, near Tehran, on November 27 last year.

Neither his wife nor any of his security team were harmed in the attack, which was carried out using a hyper-accurate automated weapon in order to protect civilians from collateral damage, according to JC.

The report confirmed that the Mossad spy agency was behind the hit, which was carried out by mounting the killing device in a Nissan pickup.

The weapon, operated remotely by agents on the ground as they observed the target, was so heavy because it included a bomb that destroyed the evidence after the killing, according to JC.

It was carried out by Israel alone, without American involvement, the report added. US officials were only given a “little clue, like checking the water temperature” prior to the attack, according to top international intelligence sources.

Iran has repeatedly baccused Israel of directing Fakhrizadeh’s death, calling his elimination an act of "state terrorism".

Senior Iranian military officials have vowed to avenge the killing of the top nuclear scientist.

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Arabs Destroy Yehoshua's Mizbeiach

קלטו את זה!
הרשות הפלסטינית הרסה את האתר הארכיאולוגי מזבח יהושע - והשתמשה בשרידיו כחצץ לסלילת כביש.
ככה, אחד אחרי השני, נהרסים פה אתרי מורשת יהודיים כמעט באין מפריע
פרסמנו ב @N12News pic.twitter.com/wk0Ez2WM7d

— ליה ספילקין | Lia Spilkin (@LiaSpilkin) February 10, 2021

 In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has paved a new road near the altar of the Biblical Prophet Joshua on Mount Ebal, north of the city of Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria.

The road is intended to connect the village of Atzira a-Shamalia and the city of Nablus. In response to an urgent question on the subject submitted by MK Michal Shir in the Knesset about two months ago, Minister in the Defense Ministry Michael Biton replied that the works were approved by the Civil Administration and that there was no damage to the archeological site.

The 'Shomrin al Hanetzach' (preservers of eternity) organization has documented that in recent weeks the Palestinian Authority has carried out work with heavy machinery that has breached the site.

Stones making up one side of an ancient fence were crushed using a gravel crusher to serve as a substrate for the new road. The PA is operating unhindered due to the site's location in Area B.

The physical damage to the site is a direct continuation of the attitude PA's attitude towards the site over the years, who set themselves the goal of suppressing the Israeli presence and visits to the site. According to PA officials, identifying the site as a Jewish altar is a falsification of Palestinian history which they are working to combat. In the video, it can be seen that the stone was crushed knowingly and intentionally.

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Israel’s Chareidim Reject Criticism, Defy Virus Rules

 

Mendy Moskowits, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Belz Hassidic sect in Jerusalem, doesn’t understand the uproar toward believers like him.

In recent weeks, ultra-Orthodox Jews have defied coronavirus restrictions by holding big funerals for beloved rabbis who died of COVID-19, celebrating large weddings, and continuing to send their children to schools. The gatherings have led to clashes with police and an unprecedented wave of public anger toward the religious community.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators protested lockdown restrictions, set dumpsters on fire, and faced off with police officers in Jerusalem.

Moskowits, like many other ultra-Orthodox faithful, says Israeli society doesn’t understand their way of life and has turned his community into a scapegoat.

“The media gives us, in my opinion, a very bad misrepresentation,” he said.

The ultra-Orthodox community makes up about 12% of Israel’s 9.3 million people. Gilad Malach, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, says ultra-Orthodox believers accounted for over a third of the country’s COVID-19 cases in 2020. Among Israelis over 65, the community’s mortality rate was three times that of the general population, he added.

Health Ministry data show vaccination rates in ultra-Orthodox areas lag far behind the national average.

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HaRav Sheftel Neuberger Nasi Of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel Passes On

 HaRav Sheftel Neuberger,  Sheftel Meir ben Naftoli Halevi, Nasi of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel died this morning. Rav Sheftel,, has been sick for the past year.

Rav Neuberger was the son of Rav Naftali Neuberger, president of Ner Yisroel for many years. Following Rav Naftali’s death in 2005, Rav Sheftel succeeded his father as Nasi.

Rav Sheftel’s devotion to the yeshiva and the Baltimore community as a whole was legendary. He was one of the most well-known and beloved figures in Baltimore’s frum community.

He was also famed for his beautiful and inspiring tefillos as a ba’al tefillah. Many people flocked to Ner Yisrael for the Yamim Noraim just to hear Rav Sheftel serve as the Ba’al Tefilloh.

Rav Sheftel left behind his rebbetzin and children, as well as his siblings: Rav Shraga Neuberger, Reb Yaakov Neuberger, Reb Yitzchok Neuberger, and Rav Ezra Neuberger.

 The Levaya will take place Wednesday at 1PM in the Yeshiva Bais Medrash. No visitors from outside the Yeshiva’s bubble will be allowed into the Yeshiva Bais Medrash or Mechina Bais Medrash buildings. The Ezras Noshim will be open to women, but women must enter/exit through the door facing the Administration building.

There will be space for guests in the Dining Room with socially distant seating.

Masks must be worn everywhere on campus.

Due to covid, we encourage people to participate online or by phone instead of coming to campus.

You may follow the funeral procession to the cemetery, but only family will be allowed in the cemetery due to covid restrictions.

Live Stream of the Levaya. Video: http://go.nirc.edu/levaya

Phone: 301-715-8592 ID: 824 6010 6228 Passcode: 551184

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Efrat Brenner 19 Killed in by a Car Driven by Palestinian Arab

19-year-old Efrat Brenner, a resident of Yitzhar, was killed on Tuesday evening after she was hit by a Palestinian Arab car at the Yitzhar junction in Samaria.

Brenner (nee Ben Pinchas) was married only four months ago. She is survived by her husband, parents, seven sisters and three brothers.

She was married to the son of Rabbi Giora Brenner, the head of a yeshiva in Rehovot and president of the kollel in Givat Assaf.

United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom EMS personnel responded to the emergency and performed CPR on the woman but to no avail and her death was pronounced at the scene.

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Menachem Halpern who was one of the first responders at the scene relayed: "When I arrived at the intersection I saw a young woman who had no signs of life. According to eye-witnesses, she had been hit by a car. I began CPR on her and attached a defibrillator. Sadly, she had suffered a full-system trauma and due to the severity of the injuries IDF medical personnel were forced to pronounce her death at the scene."

MDA paramedic Moshe Shimon said, "When we arrived at the scene, we saw the young woman lying on the side of the road unconscious. With the help of an IDF medical force, we performed medical tests on her, but were forced to determine her death at the scene."

The driver of the vehicle was detained at the scene for questioning and police traffic inspectors are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Soldiers and witnesses at the scene made it clear that there is no suspicion that the incident was an attack.

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Kloizinbergers Learned from the Best As They Attack Filmmaker in their Netanya Neighborhood

The strained relations between secular and religious reached another boiling point yesterday - this time in the world of entertainment when a camera crew of a new film starring Maor Schweizer was attacked by residents of Netanya while filming in a haredi neighborhood. The attackers attacked the crew, threw objects at them and their cameras, and shouted insults at them.

Mako reports that the catalyst for the attack was a film about the culture of matchmaking in the haredi world. The main role is played by Amit Rahav, who plays in the series "The Rebel", and is familiar with the Haredi world. He arrived with actresses Liana Iyun and Naya Federman and director Maor Schweitzer, only to be greeted with considerable public outrage at the costumes involved.

Yaki Reisner, the film's producer, did not expect this reception when he came to shoot in the predominantly haredi Kiryat Sanz neighborhood, commented, "I think today, especially in light of the coronavirus crisis, people thought they were conducting some kind of surveillance.”

Yaki added that this is not the first time the photography team has entered a haredi neighborhood and said: "We have been filming for a month in Bnei Brak. There are always people watching, but it always goes smoothly. In Bnei Brak, people acted naturally and it was quite nice." This incident ended without damage or injuries when the production people chose not to confront the locals, and moved to film in another location in the city. The filming will continue as planned.

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