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Study: Vaccinated People Can Carry As Much Virus As Others

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Study: Vaccinated People Can Carry As Much Virus As Others

In another dispiriting setback for the nation’s efforts stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots.

Health officials on Friday released details of that research, which was key in this week’s decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is fueling infection surges.

The authors said the findings suggest the CDC’s mask guidance should be expanded to include the entire country, even outside of hot spots.

The findings have the potential to upend past thinking about how the disease is spread. Previously, vaccinated people who got infected were thought to have low levels of virus and to be unlikely to pass it to others. But the new data shows that is not the case with the delta variant.

The outbreak in Provincetown — a seaside tourist spot on Cape Cod in the county with Massachusetts’ highest vaccination rate — has so far included more than 900 cases. About three-quarters of them were people who were fully vaccinated.

Travis Dagenais, who was among the many vaccinated people infected, said “throwing caution to the wind” and partying in crowds for long nights over the July Fourth holiday was a mistake in hindsight.

“The dominant public messaging has been that the vaccine means a return to normal,” the 35-year-old Boston resident said Thursday. “Unfortunately, I’ve now learned it’s a few steps toward normal, not the zero-to-sixty that we seem to have undertaken.”

Dagenais credits being vaccinated with easing the worst of the flu-like symptoms in a couple of days. He has recovered.

Like many states, Massachusetts lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in late May, ahead of the traditional Memorial Day start of the summer season. Provincetown this week reinstated an indoor mask requirement for everyone.

Leaked internal documents on breakthrough infections and the delta variant suggest the CDC may be considering other changes in advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus, such as recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health workers.

The delta variant, first detected in India, causes infections that are more contagious than the common cold, flu, smallpox and the Ebola virus, and it is as infectious as chickenpox, according to the documents, which mentioned the Provincetown cases.

The documents were obtained by The Washington Post. As they note, COVID-19 vaccines are still highly effective against the delta variant at preventing serious illness and death.

The Provincetown outbreak and the documents highlight the enormous challenge the CDC faces in encouraging vaccination while acknowledging that breakthrough cases can occur and can be contagious but are uncommon.

The documents appear to be talking points for CDC staff to use with the public. One point advised: “Acknowledge the war has changed,” an apparent reference to deepening concern that many millions of vaccinated people could be a source of wide-ranging spread.

An agency spokeswoman declined to comment on the documents.

The White House on Friday defended its approach to rising virus cases and shifting public health guidelines, repeatedly deferred to the CDC while stressing the need for vaccinations.

“The most important takeaway is actually pretty simple. We need more people to get vaccinated,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Pressed about the changing guidance, Jean-Pierre repeatedly said, “We don’t make those types of decisions from here.”

People with breakthrough infections make up an increasing portion of hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths among COVID-19 patients, coinciding with the spread of the delta variant, according to the leaked documents.

Although experts generally agreed with the CDC’s revised indoor masking stance, some said the report on the Provincetown outbreak does not prove that vaccinated people are a significant source of new infections.

“There’s scientific plausibility for the (CDC) recommendation. But it’s not derived from this study,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher.

The CDC report is based on about 470 COVID-19 cases linked to the Provincetown festivities, which included densely packed indoor and outdoor holiday events at bars, restaurants, guest houses, and rental homes.

Researchers ran tests on a portion of them and found roughly the same level of virus in those who were fully vaccinated and those who were not.

Three-quarters of the infections were in fully vaccinated individuals. Among those fully vaccinated, about 80% experienced symptoms with the most common being cough, headache, sore throat, muscle aches and fever.

Dagenais said he started to feel ill the evening he returned home and initially chalked it up to long nights of partying in packed Provincetown nightclubs.

But as the days wore on and the fever, chills, muscle aches and fatigue set in, he knew it was something more.

In the report, the measure researchers used to assess how much virus an infected person is carrying does not indicate whether they are actually transmitting the virus to other people, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan.

CDC officials say more data is coming. They are tracking breakthrough cases as part of much larger studies that involve following tens of thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated people across the country over time.

(Vosizneias / AP).

The coming earthquake

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The coming earthquake

Giant fissures are emerging from just beneath the earth’s surface throughout the Middle East and Israel is bracing for the inevitable eruption. The United States had better wake up, too, because the aftershocks will be felt here, and they will not be mild.

In a briefing this week to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies’ Professor Manuel Tratjenberg stated that Tehran has accumulated immense knowledge of greater levels of highly enriched uranium and uranium metal production operating more and more of advanced centrifuges.

He also expressed concern that the talks in Vienna are leading nowhere, buying more valuable time for Iran.

Iran, in the meantime, has insisted that there will be no more talks until their new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, assumes office on Aug. 5. In order to sweeten the pot to induce Iran to sit down to the negotiating table, we have already rewarded the Islamic Republic.

Robert Malley, the U.S. Special Envoy to Iran, gave a rather revealing interview on the PBS news hour on April 2, basically blaming the United States for leaving the deal during the Trump years.

Malley said “the United States will have to lift those sanctions that were inconsistent with the nuclear deal of 2015, so that Iran enjoys those benefits that were part of the deal.”

This, despite the fact that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when he spoke at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 21, said we will have a “longer, stronger deal.”

Malley also said that “verification will be easily determined by the International Atomic Energy Administration (IAEA).” This does not conform at all to the reality on the ground in Iran. Earlier this month, the story emerged that Iran has been restricting access to the nuclear inspectors in its main power plant in Natanz.

When they have been let in, the IAEA nuclear watchdogs have found suspicious particles at several undeclared sites. “They are provoking us,” said one Western official who closely monitors the IAEA.

Getting back to his April 2 interview, Malley cites the progress that Iran has made towards a nuclear bomb since the United States, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the deal as the reason for the necessity of returning to the deal. But correlation is not causation.

We had been promised by former President Barack Obama that once this deal was agreed to, Iran will be welcomed back into the international community, its maligned behavior curbed.

The United States did not announce its withdrawal from the nuclear deal until May of 2018. This means that Iran had three full years to prove to the world that they had become civilized with our inducement of$ 150 billion as a windfall for the agreement in 2015.

None of this huge windfall has trickled down to the impoverished people in Iran, but has been used to arm Hezbollah, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and has simply made the Middle East more volatile.

In Lebanon, which has become nothing more than a puppet state of Iran, billionaire businessman Najib Mikati has just been appointed as the prime minister-designate and has the firm backing of Hezbollah.

One cannot count on Makati to cleanse the state of its corruption and cronyism that has entered into every sphere of life there, and the throat of the good people of Lebanon remain under Hezbollah’s and Iran’s firm boot.

Today, the streets of Iran are erupting. What began as an isolated demonstration because the government absconded with water during the hot summer and because of the horrific summer drought in Khuzestan province has spread rapidly throughout the country. In Khuzestan, we know that people have been murdered on the street, and that is with the Internet service cut and a news blackout from that region.

People are being heard in Tehran chanting, “Shame! Khomeini, let go of this country!” And, “Mullahs, get lost!”

This is profoundly reminiscent of 2009, when millions of protestors were out on the streets holding up signs that read, “Obama, where are you?” And the Obama White House ignored their anguished cries – simply to get a horribly flawed nuclear deal.

If it is truly serious about wanting stability and peace in the region, the United States should support these brave protesters. We did it when we stared down the former Soviet Union, utilizing the human-rights issue of the Soviet Jewry movement as leverage. We now that have that opportunity again not to ignore the courageous people in Iran and throughout the region that are suffering under Iranian militias and proxies.

Raisi, the notorious “butcher” of Tehran is about to assume office. Iran is perhaps, mere weeks away from total nuclear breakout. The tremors of the earthquake are already being felt.

What are we waiting for?

Sarah N. Stern is founder and president of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), a pro-Israel and pro-American think tank and policy institute in Washington, D.C.

(JNS).

Biden nominates Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt as next anti-Semitism envoy

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Biden nominates Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt as next anti-Semitism envoy

Lipstadt’s nomination was hailed by numerous Jewish organizations, which over the past months had been lobbying the White House to appoint a candidate as violent acts of anti-Semitism have surged.

After months of pressure from Jewish communal organizations to appoint someone to the position, the Biden administration on Friday nominated Deborah Lipstadt to serve as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism.

Lipstadt, 74, is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust studies at Emory University and author of numerous books on the subject. Her 2019 book “Anti-Semitism Here and Now” is considered a primer on anti-Semitism, according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and won the National Jewish Book Award that year.

“The Biden administration has chosen wisely in appointing Deborah Lipstadt to fill this ambassadorial post, so vital to U.S. leadership in fighting anti-Semitism,” AJC CEO David Harris said in a news release.

“Professor Lipstadt is one of this country’s—indeed the world’s—foremost experts on modern anti-Semitism, its constant morphing and multiple sources, and the current challenges to confronting it.”

The position was created by Congress in 2004. Most recently, it was filled by Elan Carr during the Trump administration. It was upgraded to the rank of ambassador in the final months of the administration and will require Senate confirmation.

The position aims to raise consciousness both in the United States and internationally about the menace of anti-Semitism and urge governments and institutions to take action to protect vulnerable Jewish communities.

“I first met Deborah Lipstadt in 1990 when she was the resident scholar on a trip to Poland and Israel. For decades, she has served as both academic and activist, inspiring policymakers to confront the harsh realities of anti-Semitism in our world and fight for justice,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said in a news release.

“I can’t imagine a better, more qualified person to lead the United States’ efforts to combat anti-Semitism. Amid recent rising anti-Semitism around the globe, Deborah Lipstadt will lead with a vigorous moral clarity.”

Lipstadt was the target of a libel suit from British Holocaust denier David Irving over how he was described in her 1993 book “Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory.”

The lawsuit lasted for five years until the London courts ruled in favor of Lipstadt in April 2000. Lipstadt’s ordeal made her the protagonist of the 2016 film “Denial,” where she was played by British actress Rachel Weisz.

Lipstadt’s nomination was hailed by numerous Jewish organizations, which over the past months had been lobbying the White House to appoint a candidate as violent acts of anti-Semitism have seen exponential growth in the United States and the world, especially in the aftermath of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in May.

This week, a swastika was discovered etched in a wood panel of an elevator inside the State Department, not far from where Lipstadt’s office will be.

Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer, welcomed the news on Friday.

“With anti-Semitism on the rise in the U.S. and around the world, Dr. Lipstadt is absolutely the right person at the right time for this critical role,” Soifer said in a news release.

“Dr. Lipstadt is one of the leading global authorities on anti-Semitism given her meticulous scholarship, deep personal commitment to the truth, and profound understanding of the dangers of extremism.”

“We extend our sincere congratulations to Deborah Lipstadt upon her expected nomination to this critical State Department post that comes at a time we are witnessing a terrible surge in attacks and threats committed against the global Jewish community,” Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy at the Orthodox Union, said in a release.

“These range from assaults on individuals to legal assaults on fundamental Jewish rites including Kashrut and Brit Mila. While it’s unfortunate we need to have such a position at the State Department, Prof. Lipstadt is certainly the best person to fill this job.”

B’nai B’rith President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin also applauded the nomination in a joint news release, where they called her eminently qualified for the post.

“She has devoted her professional life to studying, teaching and writing about the world’s oldest hatred and to countering it on a global scale,” they wrote. “B’nai B’rith looks forward to working with Lipstadt as anti-Semitism has spiked exponentially in the United States and around the world, manifesting itself in many forms and variants, oftentimes fueled by social media.

“It is vitally important that the U.S. government, through the person of the special envoy, continue to assume a leadership position in the battle against this alarmingly growing challenge. Lipstadt’s appointment is a most reassuring indication that this will indeed be effectuated.”

(JNS).

Elli Schwarcz – Shema Yisrael: Meanings and Messages

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Elli Schwarcz – Shema Yisrael: Meanings and Messages

Shema Yisrael: Meanings and Messages

 – Part II: Conclusion –

Let’s review what we’ve learned so far about the Shema.

  • In reciting the Shema verse we accept Hashem as the only real power and our Protector, and proclaim that His rule will be universally recognized in the future.
  • The Shema declares that Hashem is ‘One’. This means that He is unique in the Heaven and on Earth; His is the only real existence, as everything else is finite and dependent on Him; and that we must only serve Him.
  • The next verse in the Torah exhorts us to love Hashem with all of our heart, soul (life) and means. The Midrash teaches that each of these dimensions was fulfilled by one of our forefathers: Avraham Avinu’s “heart was found faithful” to Hashem; Yitzchak was willing to give up his life at the Akeidah; and Yaakov gave all of his money to be buried in Me’arat Hamachpeilah (and promised to tithe from all blessings he received).

In the rest of the passage (“Ve’ahavta”) we are commanded to keep ‘these words’ on our heart, to teach them to our sons and to speak of them- whether at home or away, lying down or getting up- and to use them in our tefilin and mezuzah. These commandments lead us to keep Hashem in our hearts, leading us to express love of Hashem to our children and others.

While the cause and effect, or reason, behind the following ideas may be beyond us, we can still gain by recognizing some patterns and connections that emerge.

We want to understand why each of our forefathers fulfilled one particular idea- and why in the very order of the verse (Avraham: ‘heart’; Yitzchak: ‘life’; Yaakov: ‘possessions’).

We first need to see some background material. We know that our forefathers embodied three fundamental traits. Avraham’s shining trait was that of Chesed, kindness. He recognized Hashem’s ultimate kindness, and taught this to the world. He showed all strangers kindness by giving them food and shelter, and bringing them closer to Hashem. Yitzchak embodied Gevurah, ‘strength’, sometimes known as ‘fear of Heaven’. He generally lived with a conscious dread of sin, living through the prism of ‘strict justice.’ His ‘self-sacrifice’ was highlighted, we know, at the Akeidah. Avraham and Yitzchak, it may be said, served Hashem from two ‘opposite’ directions. Yaakov came after them and signified Tiferet, beauty- expressed separately as Rachamim, mercy. Our Rabbis teach that Tiferet represents a ‘balance’ of Chesed and Gevurah– and thus Yaakov’s ‘beauty’ was a fusion of his predecessors’ holy ways. (To be precise, we’re taught that Yaakov did not compromise between them. Rather, Tiferet ultimately stands on its own elevated plane; we may, to borrow a phrase, say that here ‘the sum is greater than its parts.” This echo of an infinite, transcendent quality explains how Yaakov also represented Torah study and Truth.)

Our Rabbis explain that the traits of the Avot, our forefathers, reflect Creation itself. Rabbeinu Moshe Chaim Luzzato (1707-1746; Padua, Italy and Acre, Israel) in Mesilat Yesharim teaches that Hashem created the universe in a stunning act of Chesed, supreme kindness; being that He gains nothing from any other ‘existence,’ His creation of our world was completely for our benefit- to gain by coming close to Him and to earn eternal reward.
So, the ‘reason’ for Creation was Chesed. And how did the universe actually came into being? The Midrash (cited by Rashi, Bereisheet) tells us that Hashem first ‘planned’ to create the world utilizing the attribute of Din, strict justice (reminiscent of Gevurah.) Upon ‘seeing,’ however, that Man could not survive such expectations (immutable consequences for his actions), Hashem added mercy- Rachamim (itself reminiscent of Tiferet.)*
As such, we see why the Avot fulfilled their respective aspects of the Shema passage: in their holy service of Hashem, they emulated the traits (so to speak) displayed by Hashem in Creation, and in the same order: first kindness, then justice, and finally a fusion of the two.

The world stands on three things: on Torah, service of God, and on acts of lovingkindness.

-Pirkei Avot, 1:2

In a classic thought, the Maharal of Prague (Rav Yehudah Loew; 1520-1609) explains that our forefathers each embodied one of these pillars; the Torah of Yaakov, the service of Yitzchak, and the kindness of Avraham, then, expressed the very foundations of our world. Now, the holy Avot certainly excelled incredibly in all areas of spiritual accomplishment. Still, each managed to express his unique soul and mission through one specific prism. In the same manner that they embodied distinct traits, the focal point of their work differed as well. Similarly, we understand that the Avot did not each fulfill only one dictum of the Ve’ahavta; rather, they each perfected one approach in their service of God.

When Hashem commanded Avram to leave Ur Kasdim for “the land that I will show you,” He guaranteed the following:

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great.”

-Lech Lecha

What do these words specifically mean? One teaching links them to the future nation’s prayers…

I will make you into a great nation: This refers to how we say (in Amidah) “The God of Avraham.”
And I will bless you: This refers to how we say “The God of Yitzchak.”
And I will make your name great: This refers to how we say “The God of Yaakov.”

One could think that we conclude (the blessing in prayer) with all of them (i.e. “The God of Avraham, the God of Yitzchak, and the God of Yaakov”). The verse therefore (concludes differently, and) says:

And you will serve as a blessing: With you (Avraham) they will conclude- and not with them.

-Gemara Pesachim

Avraham was thus given a measure of honor that even Yitzchak and Yaakov did not receive; we end the first blessing of Amidah with “Magen Avraham,” referring to Hashem as the “Protector of Avraham,” specifically invoking the merit of Avraham.

Now, we’ve been discussing how the ‘Ve’ahvta’ verse of Shema hints to the Avot in chronological order, alluding to Avraham’s heart, Yitzchak’s life, and Yaakov’s possessions.
The Ga’on of Vilna (cited last week as quoting this teaching) adds another layer to this idea, drawing a parallel between the two teachings: Avraham’s ‘heart,’ in the context of sacrifice for God, is actually also given its own special mention, in the next verse:

And these words that I teach you today shall be on your hearts.

-Va’etchanan, 6:6

 

Just as the passage in Lech Lecha ends with a promise that only Avraham will be mentioned in the blessing’s conclusion, so can the verses of Shema be interpreted…

-Ga’on of Vilna

-In other words, this second mention of the heart may be read as a second reference to Avraham. Here too, the reiteration of Avraham may be interpreted as an assurance of his primacy (on some level) among the forefathers- whether in the matter of invoking his merit as we pray, or in recognition of the supremacy of his dimension of sacrifice.

It’s become clear that there is a strong relationship between the Shema- our fundamental declaration of faith in, and love of, Hashem- and our forefathers. The Avot truly perfected the principles that would form the fabric of the nation (B’nei Israel) that they were building. Perhaps, then, our privilege to proclaim the Shema, to stand in prayer, and to strive in all dimensions of serving Hashem stems largely from the indescribable efforts of the Avot.

It should come as no surprise, then, to read a beautiful insight:

The word Ve’ahvta contains the same letters as Ha’Avot (the Forefathers).

-See Ba’al HaTurim, Va’etchanan

At the same time, we also know that Avraham is given unique credit and mention in these areas. Why? We may answer that this too reflects the world’s creation, and the manner in which we connect to- and strive to ‘emulate’- Hashem. The motivation behind creation, so to speak, was Hashem’s Chesed. Therefore, even when other ‘tools’ are used in creating, maintaining, and perfecting the world, it is all truly built on love, on kindness:

For I have said: ‘(Olam) Forever is kindness built; in the very Heavens You establish faith in You.

-Tehillim, 89:3

-Which is alternatively read as:

 (Olam) The world is built on kindness…

Moreover, we find an allusion to Chesed as the underlying them in Creation itself:

These are the happenings of the Heavens and the Earth, when they were created (be’hibar’am)…

-Bereisheet, 2:4 (abridged)

-On which our Rabbis comment:

The word be’hibar’am can be rearranged as Avraham

…Meaning that the world was created, as it were, for the sake of Avraham…**

-See Ba’al HaTurim, ibid.

So, it all seems to come together. The world was created as an act of love and kindness, allowing us to reach out to Hashem through love and dedication. Hashem granted us our holy forefathers, who forged the path upon which we would one day tread. Hashem gave us Mitzvot to help us remain conscious of our connection with, and to concretize our love for, Hashem. In other words, we begin with an inspiration of love for Hashem, although we must work on ourselves to truly feel and live with this feeling. And after we successfully live in accordance with God’s will, we find that all along everything was based upon our love for Hashem, and our efforts to emulate- in our own finite way- the kindness Hashem has always shown us. At the same time, we come to spread our love of God to the world- the purpose of our existence. How fortunate we are!

*Of course, Hashem does not, Heaven forbid, make mistakes, nor does He ‘regret’ any of his actions. See the work of Rav Shimshon Pincus (1944-2001; United States and Israel) on Rosh Hashanah, where he sheds light on this Midrash.

** See Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvot, where he cites Avraham’s teaching the world about Hashem as a prime example of true love of Hashem- exactly encapsulating this theme!

Have a great Shabbat!

Elli Schwarcz

 

Elli Schwarcz is an alumnus of the Toras Moshe, Ner Israel, and Carteret Yeshivos, and has been involved in Jewish outreach for almost 15 years. He is a Hebrew School and English Language Arts teacher, and has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Of all his pursuits, Elli most enjoys teaching high-level Jewish thought and Talmud to teenage boys, exposing them to the beauty and wisdom of their heritage while highlighting their own ability to engage in advanced Torah learning. Elli lives in Lakewood, New Jersey, with his wife and children.

Passengers Outraged After Delta Serves Ben & Jerry’s On Flight To Israel

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Passengers Outraged After Delta Serves Ben & Jerry’s On Flight To Israel

Passengers on a Delta flight from New York to Tel Aviv on Wednesday were displeased when they discovered that the in-flight service included a less-than-sweet treat—Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.

Many of the passengers on the flight handed the dessert back to the flight attendants, who said that they had warned the airline that it was an “inappropriate” choice, given the company’s recent decision to stop selling its products beyond the Green Line.

The decision caused an international controversy and much concern in Israel, where it was seen as a capitulation to the BDS movement.

One of the passengers was former Likud Knesset member Anat Berko, who was traveling with a relative.

“After the ice cream was served, a lot of people protested the serving of a food product whose producer boycotts Judea and Samaria. I protested, as well, and gave my ice-cream back,” said Berko.

The former MK said that a few upset passengers declared that they would write to Delta to protest its decision to serve Ben & Jerry’s.

“Not only did I give my serving back; I also filmed the event, so the airline couldn’t deny it had happened. Delta needs to explain itself and this astonishing decision,” she added, saying that despite the ice-cream incident, the flight and service had been excellent.

{JNS}

{Matzav.com}

California, Nevada Governors Tour Site of Massive Wildfire

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California, Nevada Governors Tour Site of Massive Wildfire

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) – The governors of California and Nevada on Wednesday planned to tour the state line area blackened by one of two massive wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the U.S. West.

Cooler weather and even some rain helped in the battle against some of the largest blazes but fire officials warned that hotter, drier weather will return later in the week and could pose a threat of renewed fire ferocity.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, both Democrats, planned a brief morning tour of damage from the Tamarack Fire south of Lake Tahoe.

The 106-square-mile (275-square-kilometer) blaze was chewing through timber, grass and sagebrush, but it was more than halfway surrounded by fire breaks. At least 23 buildings have burned since lightning sparked the fire on July 4.

Evacuation orders for about 2,000 residents on both sides of the state line were lifted early in the week.

Tuesday saw thunderstorms that brought some rain and cooler and more humid weather that made grass and brushy areas less prone to burning, fire officials said. The chance of thunderstorms with some rain, possibly heavy at times, was expected to continue through Friday.

“This wet stuff fell out of the sky yesterday that I barely remembered and recognized,” Dan Dallas, an incident commander for the fire, said Tuesday evening at a briefing.

It fell gently overnight over the whole fire and coupled with firefighter efforts moderated the ferocity of the blaze.

“We’re not doing hand-to-hand combat” on the blaze, he said.

It was a welcome relief from the fiercely dry, hot weather that had scorched much of the West only a week or two earlier, when flames feeding on bone-dry fuel raged through a dozen states.

A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

California’s largest blaze, the Dixie Fire, continued to threaten more than 10,000 homes in the region about 175 miles (282 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

The fire had scorched more than 325 square miles (842 square kilometers), an area bigger than New York City. Weather conditions trapped smoke over the blaze and the shade helped lower temperatures and keep humidity up but authorities said temperatures could warm up to well above normal in the second half of the week.

Teams reviewing damage from the fire in the mountains of Northern California have so far counted 36 structures destroyed and seven damaged in the remote community of Indian Falls, said Nick Truax, an incident commander for the fire. It’s unclear if that figure included homes or smaller buildings.

In neighboring Oregon, rain also fell Tuesday morning over the 3-week-old Bootleg Fire, which has destroyed 161 homes, 247 outbuildings and 342 vehicles in Klamath and Lake counties.

Crews hoped to get a break from cooler temperatures and a chance of isolated thunderstorms through Wednesday before hotter, drier weather returned, officials said.

Crews had the lightning-caused fire more than halfway contained after it scorched nearly 641 square miles (1,660 square kilometers) of remote land.

On July 18, a day of especially extreme fire activity, the blaze spawned a fire tornado in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, scientists say. The phenomenon occurred when smoke rose nearly 6 miles (10 kilometers) into the sky and formed giant clouds, Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist assigned to the Bootleg Fire, told the Herald and News of Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Neil Lareau, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Nevada, told the newspaper that extensive tree damage, scoured road surfaces and damage to the soil indicated wind speeds between 111 mph (178 kph) and 135 mph (217 kph).

“Prior to last year, there had only been two well-documented tornado-strength vortices generated by fires,” said Lareau, who began studying the phenomenon after fire-generated tornadoes occurred last fall. “A decade ago, we could not have even imagined this. But here we are.”

Nearly 80 large, active wildfires that have blackened more than 2,300 square miles (6,000 square kilometers) continued to burn through 11 Western states and Alaska, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

On Tuesday, record-breaking heat hammered the northern Rockies and smoke from dozens of large wildfires as far away as California drove pollution to unhealthy levels.

Unhealthy air was recorded around most of Montana’s larger cities — Billings, Butte, Bozeman and Missoula — and in portions of northern Wyoming and eastern Idaho, according data from U.S. government air monitoring stations.

Source: Hamodia

WH dodges question on why vaccinated Americans must wear masks – while infected migrants are released into TX towns

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WH dodges question on why vaccinated Americans must wear masks – while infected migrants are released into TX towns

Border Patrol has reportedly been releasing infected migrants into
rural Texas towns.

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to directly answer a question as to how the Biden administration justifies asking vaccinated Americans to wear masks while the Border Patrol releases coronavirus infected migrants into Texas border towns

“You talked about this administration having a priority of protecting the American people,” Fox News’ Peter Doocy said to Jean-Pierre Wednesday at the White House.

“Can you help us understand why is it that the federal government is asking vaccinated Americans to wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19 but at the same time, federal agents are also releasing COVID-19 border crossers into small towns in Texas?”

“Well, let’s step back for a second,” Jean-Pierre responded before being briefly interrupted by a nearby fire alarm that Doocy jokingly suggested was triggered by his question.

Jean-Pierre then told Doocy she would try to give him a “30,000 foot view” of the situation and went on to describe the process of placing some migrants into alternative programs rather than detention.

“CBP provides migrants with PPE from the moment they are taken into custody and migrants are required to keep masks on at all times including when they are being transferred or in the process of being released,” Jean-Pierre said. “If anyone exhibits signs of illness in CBP custody, they are referred to local health systems for appropriate testing, diagnosis, isolation, and treatment.”

Jean-Pierre, appearing to be reading off a script, added that Border Patrol takes protecting migrants from the virus “very seriously” and complimented local organizations that house migrants.

Doocy’s question comes as coronavirus cases among migrants have surged as much as 900% in some areas and Fox News reported earlier this week that illegal immigrants infected with the coronavirus were being released to local charities and housed in rural Texas hotels without the knowledge of local law enforcement.

Additionally, it was reported this week that two DHS whistleblowers warned of dangerous conditions for migrant children at the border and said they were told to downplay the severity of a coronavirus outbreak among migrant children housed at Fort Bliss.

(Fox News).

Israeli high school students win six medals (three gold) at International Math Olympiad

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Israeli high school students win six medals (three gold) at International Math Olympiad

Its national team finished in seventh place, its best ranking to date, among all countries involved in the two-day competition.

Israeli high school students won six medals at the 62nd International Math Olympiad (IMO) in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Israel’s national team finished in seventh place, its best ranking to date, among all countries involved in the two-day competition this month and also took home three gold medals for the first time.

Yahel Manor from the Leo Baeck School in Haifa, Yair Shoham from the Ben Gurion High School in Ness Ziona and Almog Wald from Ahad Ha’am High School in Petach Tikvah won gold medals.

Omri Zemer from Ironi Alef High School in Modi’in and Shahar Friedman from De Shalit High School in Rehovot won silver, while Dror Fried from Ironi Dalet High School in Tel Aviv won bronze.

The IMO has been held since 1959. Israel competed for the first time in 1979, finishing in the top 10.

The competition consists of six questions related to four categories: algebra, geometry, combinatorics and number theory. Participants receive three questions a day and are given four-and-a-half hours to answer them.

The student team that participated in the Math Olympiad was trained at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, led by the academic director Professor Avraham Iisenbod; head coach Lev Radziilovsky; head of the delegation Dan Carmon; and a team of coaches, including Daniel Kenner, Sasha Tolsnikov and Guy Kapon.

(JNS).

Analysis: Russia might be testing Israel in Syria, but no reason for panic

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Analysis: Russia might be testing Israel in Syria, but no reason for panic

Despite a report saying Biden gave Putin an implicit go-ahead to confront IAF strikes more forcefully, Moscow doesn’t appear to be doing much more than sending anonymous signals.

A narrative has emerged over the past week that Russia is fed up with Israel’s ongoing aerial campaign in Syria, and is moving to change the rules of the game there to Israel’s detriment.

The speculation took off in the wake of a report on Saturday by Asharq Al-Awsat. The London-based Arabic daily cited a “well-informed” Russian source who said that in June talks between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin received the impression that “Washington does not welcome the continuous Israeli raids,” and believes Moscow can act more aggressively to foil them.

According to the unnamed source, the Russians are now supplying Syrian forces with more advanced anti-missile systems and knowhow, rendering them more effective at countering Israeli raids.

Seven of the eight missiles fired by Israeli jets on July 19 were intercepted by Syrian-operated Russian air defense systems, according to Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, the deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria.

The following day,Kulit referenced two other Israeli attacks that week, including strikes by IDF F-16s in the Homs province. “All four missiles were destroyed by the Syrian duty air defense facilities, with the use of Buk-2ME systems of Russian manufacture,” Kulit claimed.

Illustrative Explosions seen in the city of Hama, Syria after suspected Israeli airstrikes on June 24, 2020 (Screen capture/Twitter)

Russia is frustrated with Israel ignoring the “rules of the game” Moscow seeks to lay down in Syria and the US gave the Russians an implicit nod to operate more aggressively against Israel, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

But the report stretches credulity in many ways, and the latest Russian statements should be seen as part of years-long tensions and messaging between Jerusalem and Moscow over Syria.

In late 2010 and early 2011, the Arab world experienced a series of convulsions that tore apart the Middle East as we knew it. Starting in Tunisia, where a young fruit vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest corruption and police abuse, angry demonstrations spread throughout the region. Some of the world’s longest-ruling leaders were toppled within months.

Those protests reached Syria in March 2011, with tens of thousands taking to the streets to demand government reforms and civil rights. The demonstrations quickly turned into a full-blown armed uprising against the Bashar Assad regime.

Thousands of anti-Syrian government protesters shout slogans and wave revolutionary flags, to mark 10 years since the start of a popular uprising against President Bashar Assad’s rule, in Idlib, the last major opposition-held area of the country, in northwest Syria, March 15, 2021. (AP)

By 2013, Israel understood that the civil war in Syria offered an opportunity. The fraying Syrian army meant that Israel enjoyed unprecedented freedom of action in the country to fight against Iranian entrenchment and Hezbollah’s military buildup there.

The IDF effort that emerged from that understanding was called the “campaign between wars,” or Mabam in its Hebrew acronym.

Israel ramped up its attacks as time went on. In 2018, Israel accused Iran of firing 20 rockets from Syria at IDF positions, the first time Israel had directly accused Tehran of firing at Israel. According to Israeli officials, IAF planes retaliated in a massive operation by striking logistics and intelligence sites used by Iranian forces in Syria.

Per the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli strikes killed 113 Iranian soldiers and allied militiamen in a one-month period in 2018. The IDF said it struck over 200 Iranian targets in Syria that year.

Despite the Israeli campaign, Iran has continued to push ahead with its efforts to establish a bridgehead on Israel’s northern border to threaten the Jewish state and has advanced plans for a range of attacks, according to the IDF.

Iran army chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri (left, with binoculars) and other senior Iranian military officers, as they visit a front line in the northern province of Aleppo, Syria, October 20, 2017, in a photo provided by the government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media (Syrian Central Military Media, AP).

In January 2015, an IAF strike targeted the leaders of what Israel said was a substantial new Hezbollah terror hierarchy that was set to attempt kidnappings, rocket attacks and other assaults on military and civilian targets in northern Israel.

In recent years, Iran has also attempted to send attack drones into Israel. In August 2019, the military said it carried out bombing runs to thwart an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps plot involving what were described as “kamikaze” attack UAVs.

Each Israeli strike, though, carries risks of inviting reprisal attacks or snowballing into a larger conflagration. Making the theater even more perilous from an Israeli perspective is the fact that Russia too has attempted to exploit the chaos for its own gains.

In 2015, Russia moved forces to Syria to ensure Assad’s survival. Israel had to flex its muscles to establish clear red lines that the Russians would understand, and it turned to an Arab security partner to do so. According to Jordan’s King Abdullah,Israeli and Jordanian jets together confronted Russian warplanes over southern Syria and warned them away from crossing their shared border in January 2016.

Israel and Russia established a so-called deconfliction mechanism to keep the sides from getting tangled up, and then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Putin on multiple occasions to discuss the issue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin, in Moscow, on February 27, 2019. (Pool/AFP).

Israeli officials do not generally discuss the full extent of that coordination, but they stress that the IDF does not seek Russian permission before carrying out operations. At the same time, though, Israel’s freedom of action was seriously curtailed, especially after Russia provided advanced S-300 air defense batteries to Syria following an incident in which a Syrian gunner, aiming for Israeli jets, knocked a Russian plane out of the sky instead, killing all 15 people on board.

It is clear that Iran is not about to stop sending Iranian troops and proxy militias to Syria. At the same time, Israel has shown a firm resolve not to let that happen, and has demonstrated that its intelligence and operational capabilities give it a distinct advantage over Iran in Syria.

Russia as well is there to stay, along with its advanced air defense systems that could threaten Israel’s dominance in the skies over Syria. “Our freedom of action is in the hands of the Russians,” argued Mitvim Institute fellow Ksenia Svetlova. “It’s not a Syrian-Israeli issue anymore. It’s a Syrian-Russian-Israeli issue.”

A possible message

It’s no secret that Russia is not happy with Israeli strikes in Syria.

In a joint summary statement by Russia, Turkey, and Iran after the 16th Astana conference earlier this month, the three parties “condemned continuing Israeli military attacks in Syria which violate the international law, international humanitarian law, the sovereignty of Syria and neighboring countries, endanger the stability and security in the region.”

Addressing the matter during a January visit to Jerusalem, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “If Israel is really forced to respond to threats to Israeli security coming from the Syrian territory, we have told our Israeli colleagues many times: if you see such threats, please give us the information.”

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari (C) attends the plenary session of Syria peace talks brokered by Iran, Russia and Turkey in Astana on November 29, 2018. (AFP).

But that longstanding Russian position is no reason to buy into the idea that the rules in Syria are about to change drastically.

“We can’t rule out the fact that they [Asharq Al-Awsat] received messages from the Russians to publish,” said Zvi Magen, Israel’s former ambassador to Russia and senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “The question is who the source is.”

Without knowing anything about the sole unnamed source, there is no reason to accept the piece’s argument of a drastic change in policy.

No one she has spoken to in Russia believed that the source is from Russia’s foreign or defense ministry, said Svetlova.

Moreover, the Russians are not publicly standing behind the report.

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the ‘Villa la Grange’, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP).

In addition, the Biden administration, which has hinted at displeasure with Israel over other issues — including over violence in Jerusalem and the May Gaza conflict — hasn’t signaled anything of the sort that the Asharq Al-Awsat claimed. In fact, the US even coordinated with Israel on a strike in Syria in February.

Still, there is the possibility that Russia is sending a message with its claims of successful interceptions and leaks to the media.

With an Iran nuclear deal possibly approaching, and the subsequent improved ties between Tehran and the West, the Russians might be signaling to the Iranians that they are their most reliable interlocutors in the Middle East and that Russia will support them against Israeli attacks.

“The Iranians are not Russia’s friends, they’re partners,” Svetlova stressed.

“We’re not partners,” she said, referring to Israel.

A prototype of Russia’s prospective fighter jet is displayed at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky outside Zhukovsky, Russia, July 20, 2021. (AP / Pool).

The messages about successful interceptions of Israeli missiles might be a different type of signal. The MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon took place near Moscow over the same period as the Israeli strikes in Syria.

As Russia continues to try to promote its weapon systems as a preferable alternative to American-made systems — even to US partners like Egypt and Turkey — claiming that its air defenses foiled the IAF in Syria could alleviate concerns about their effectiveness.

Russia could be playing a bit of diplomatic chess as well. Its focus on information warfare is no secret, and sensing some daylight between the Biden and Bennett administrations, Moscow might be working to make waves in the US-Israel relationship through the media.

At the same time, with the new Bennett-Lapid government getting comfortable after 12 years of Netanyahu, Moscow might be testing how firm Israel’s new leadership is, and whether it can be intimidated into making concessions in Syria.

There is no question that Kulit’s statement last week was a departure from the usual technical briefings, and that the focus on Israel signified some type of message. But that message doesn’t necessarily have to come from the highest levels of Russia’s leadership. There may well be a faction within Russia’s military that is opposed to coordination with Israel and asserted itself last week.

Keep calm

Russia’s posture toward Israel in Syria bears watching, but there is no reason for panic.

Bilateral relations are generally good. Still, they are affected by developments on the international stage, especially in the Middle East.

“Nothing, as far as I know, has changed,” said the INSS’s Magen. “All the talk of interceptions is not new… Nowhere did they say that Russia is changing its fundamental approach to Israel.”

Israeli Air Force chief Amikam Norkin, center-right, meets with Russian officials in Moscow on September 20, 2018. (Israel Defense Forces).

Moreover, Russia cannot force Israel to stop its strikes through military means. It has tried to clip Israel’s wings in Syria by warnings and diplomacy, but if Israel is determined to act, Russia is powerless to stop it.

“At the same time, if I look at everything together, I see a string of hints that together create a message…maybe,” said Magen. “If [that’s the case], we have to treat it a little more seriously, because even though it’s clumsy, it’s a Russian message to Israel.”

“I recommend that Israel doesn’t give in and doesn’t blink,” he concluded.

(Times of Israel).

 

Israel approves 3rd COVID vaccine for the elderly – 1st country to do so

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Israel approves 3rd COVID vaccine for the elderly – 1st country to do so

The decision comes before the approval by the FDA for the booster shot and with the questioning of top Israeli experts.

The Israeli Ministry of Health approved on Thursday a third dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine for those over 60, giving the go-ahead to health funds to begin giving the shot as early as Sunday.

The recommendation comes before the Federal Drug Administration has approved a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which would be used for the booster dose. The unusual move was approved Wednesday night by a panel of experts.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the recommendation by the panel carries “great weight.”

“Our strategy is clear,” said Bennett. “Save lives and preserve the normal routine of the State of Israel.”

In a recent meeting with its investors, Pfizer said that their research shows that a third dose increases an individual’s antibodies by five to 11 times.

Last week, the government approved the reinstitution of the “Green Pass” program, which went into effect Thursday. The program includes the obligatory wearing of masks indoors and applies to bars, cafes, gyms, event halls, studios, hotels, tourist attractions, houses of worship, sports events and conferences, except when an individual is engaged in an activity that would preclude wearing a mask.

To enter an establishment or event with over 100 people, a Green Pass or a negative coronavirus test (taken within the last 72 hours) must be shown.

The Delta variant has caused a surge in cases in Israel – as well as an increase in cases listed as serious, which caused health officials to recommend the new steps.

New daily infections have numbered over 2,000 since Monday with serious cases climbing from 124 to 159 in the same period. Twenty-six people are currently ventilated. However, the average number of deaths per day in the last month has remained steady at one per day.

Wednesday’s decision by the panel of experts was not unanimous, however, according to reports by the Hebrew media. Recent data coming out of Israel has shows that the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing serious illness in the general population dropped from 97 percent in April to 81 percent in July. However, among the elderly, it has reportedly dropped to 50 percent.

Yet, many health professionals have questioned that data – particularly how it was gathered — citing a conflicting report out of the UK published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which showed that the vaccine was still 88 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID infections.

Israeli data has showed that the vaccine is now only 39 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID.

“The decision was based on considerable research and analysis, as well as the rise in risk of the Delta variant wave,” Bennett said in a statement to the press Thursday evening.

“Israel has already vaccinated 2,000 immunosuppressed people with a third dose with no severe adverse events. And now we’re rolling out a national third dose campaign. We will share all the information we have with the rest of the global community as we make progress.”

(World Israel News).

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