Ten Musicals by Jewish Composers to Watch In Times of Quarantines

Enough of medical warnings. If you want to relax and keep happy at home, watching musicals is just the thing. Here are some selections by our favorite Jewish composers and lyricists, many of which are available to stream online; the songs also might be found on Spotify, Apple Music or other music streaming services.

Continue reading

Black Death Painting

Why Were Jews Blamed for the Black Death?

With an uptick of anti-Semitism worldwide coinciding with the Coronavirus pandemic, it is all too easy to wonder if a comparable attack on Jews is brewing. And stories of insults of Asian-Americans on public streets are an unsettling reminder of what a hateful response to a public health crisis might yield. Jews, who in recent decades have mostly stood against bigotry, may again have to reacquaint themselves with this tragic chapter in their history.

Continue reading

Moment Epidemiology Update | Understanding Testing

It’s difficult to sift through the constantly developing news about the novel coronavirus. It’s confusing and, unfortunately, some of it is false. We reached out to an epidemiologist to give us clear facts about COVID-19 and some guidance in these uncertain times. Send questions to be answered in this ongoing series to editor@momentmag.com

Continue reading

Coronavirus in the Sunshine State: Here Comes Trouble

There are between 6,000 and 8,000 Jewish students at the University of Florida, the largest Jewish population of any public university in the United States, according to Chabad. Like other universities around the nation, UF called off classes and sent students home to take online instruction on March 19. But fully a third of UF’s Jewish students have chosen—or been asked by family members—not to come home. Their families were fearful of their carrying the infection with them as it seems Florida has become a glowing hot spot of COVID-19. Some Jewish students from outside the U.S. were unable to join their families abroad because of COVID-19 spread in their own countries or fear of infecting older relatives at home. The state system said that those students, or others with "extenuating circumstances," would be permitted...

Continue reading

Arab-Jewish Equality Does Not Extend Beyond the Medical System

Mahmoud, the nurse working in the hospital in the north, concludes, “the medical system is a place of equality between Arabs and Jews, both for staff and for patients. But outside of the medical system, Arabs are discriminated against in many ways. We have needed systemic solutions to create greater equality for a long time, and now we realize that we needed them even more.”

Continue reading

Recipes from a Quarantined Cook | Asparagus Frittata

Welcome to “A Momentary Kitchen”—a moment of something (Jewish and foody) to do with your loved ones in these uncertain times. Come in, grab a stool and some tea, kibitz and cook. Each recipe has been chosen for children 10 and over (under 10, please cook with a grownup!) and each will offer variations for dietary needs and palette. Every recipe will take less than 30 minutes to prepare and less than three hours to cook. Spring is here for some, and many of them are opening their windows to milder breezes. In my city of Ann Arbor, however, it snowed yesterday (two boys made snowmen standing six feet apart). In other cities, cherry blossoms are in bloom, and folks are thinking gardens and lawns. Cooks are dreaming about ramps and fiddleheads, morels, and soon enough, spears...

Continue reading

Dan Levin (FL): ‘People Can Die from More than a Virus’

Daniel Levin (50), a Democrat from Boca Raton, FL, is a past president of the southeast region of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and served as a member of the Reform Movement’s Think Tank, a group focused on planning the movement’s future. He has also served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? The federal response has lacked clarity, direction and responsiveness. It is terribly frustrating to know that the administration ignored the early warnings of...

Continue reading

Lou Weiss (PA): ‘Anthony Fauci for President!’

Lou Weiss (63), a Republican from Pittsburgh, PA, grew up a Reform Jew in a “McGovern liberal family” in Pittsburgh. His conservative political views took hold in a college freshman political science class. Today, he belongs to four synagogues. He was president of Congregation Or L’Simcha, the synagogue that merged in 2010 with the Tree of Life congregation. He occasionally writes op-eds for The Wall Street Journal. We are providing the unfiltered opinions of voters interviewed for this project. Those views are based on their understanding and perception of facts and information from a range of sources. In some cases, that information may be misleading or incorrect. What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? Trump steps on the message of any good things that he does. The lack of gloves and masks is a fiasco. It’s...

Continue reading

Israel’s Weakened Health Care System Leads to a Near-Total Lockdown

Israel was one of the first countries to respond forcefully to the coronavirus. Many of the steps taken to contain the virus were later adopted by other advanced countries. The regulations are intended to “flatten the curve”—that is, to prevent a spike in the number of cases that could spiral out of control and overwhelm health services, as happened, for example, in Lombardy, Italy.  And on Wednesday, as the Ministry of Health announced that 2,170 people in Israel are sick with COVID-19 and 5 have died from the virus, the country went into an almost total lockdown. The new restrictions, issued by the government and based on emergency regulations, severely curtail freedom of movement. Israelis are now allowed to walk only within 100 meters (less than 110 yards) of their homes. Only two people are allowed in...

Continue reading