25 Mar
Anti-Semitism Monitor, Coronavirus, Latest

Coronavirus Serves as Fodder for Conspiracy Theorists, Racists and Anti-Semites

For the vast majority of Americans, the potential collapse of our public health systems and predictions of economic Armageddon have left us frightened and uncertain. But there are some who have found a silver lining in our coronavirus fears: the conspiracy theorists, the racists and the anti-Semites. 

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25 Mar
Coronavirus, Israel, Latest

Gaza Fears Impending Coronavirus Outbreak

The possibility of a full outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in the Gaza Strip is both likely and terrifying. More than two million people, over half of them children, live in the 139-square-mile area, one of the world’s most highly-populated regions. Unemployment stands at 52 percent and half of the population lives in poverty. Much of the housing and 97 percent of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

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24 Mar
Latest, Lighter fare

Recipes from a Quarantined Cook | Chicken Soup Two Ways

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. Chicken soup needs no introduction. When I was a girl in Hebrew School,  we were instructed to imagine what manna tasted like to the early Israelites. I fantasized about green pepper pizza and chicken soup with my Aunt Mildred’s matzoh balls. Thirty years later, Aunt Mildred confessed that she got her matzah-ball recipe from the side of a box, but her...

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Screenshot of an Israeli comedy show
23 Mar
Israel, Latest, Lighter fare

Israeli Humor in the Time of Coronavirus

Like most first-world people stuck in their homes, Israelis are using traditional and social media to connect with others and distract themselves. And like everyone else, they are sharing humor to pass the time. We have the run of English-language humor, from Jimmy Fallon to Broadway spoofs to memes to pithy one-liners.  We have our Hebrew one-liners, too: As the world became aware of the crisis in Wuhan, Israelis, who are among the world’s biggest buyers on cheap sites in China, quipped that the virus would never make it here because the mail from China takes so long. As people were told to self-quarantine, we warned each other that the Messiah won’t come, because he’s in quarantine. And while throughout the world people are singing from their balconies, Israelis are using their balconies to play matkot (a bizarre form of...

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20 Mar
Michael Ginsberg

Michael Ginsburg (VA): ‘We Shouldn’t Pick At Every Little Failure’

Michael Ginsberg (45), a Republican from Centerville, VA is an attorney and aerospace engineer. He is vice president and deputy general counsel for CACI International, an information technology company that contracts with federal defense and intelligence agencies. He is a leader of the Suburban Virginia Coalition, which aims to improve Republican standing in suburban communities that have “taken a hit over the last several cycles.” 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? I think it got off to a confused and slow start and I think we spent too much time early on downplaying the severity of...

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20 Mar
Eliot Strickon

Eliot Strickon (WI): ‘In My Orthodox Community, There Were Still Large Gatherings’

Eliot Strickon (54), a Democrat from Milwaukee, WI, lives in an Orthodox Jewish and African American urban community and serves on his synagogue’s board. He is the child of anthropologists who were students of Margaret Mead, and he describes himself as a Bundist (a secular Jewish socialist movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s). His grandmother joined the hatmakers union in the 1930s. Following in her footsteps, Strickon, his mother and his sister joined teachers’ unions. 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? I am still amazed, though I should be over it by now, about...

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20 Mar
Hannah Rosenthal

Hannah Rosenthal (WI): ‘This May Well be Trump’s Undoing’

Hannah Rosenthal (68), a Democrat from Madison, WI, originally thought she would follow her father, a 16th-generation rabbi, into the family business. Instead, she became a “professional Jew” and a “professional feminist.” Rosenthal has held a range of political and government roles, including Midwest regional director at the Department of Health and Human Services (Clinton administration) and the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism (Obama administration). 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? I think the federal response has been confusing, late and embarrassing.  The president started by calling this pandemic a...

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20 Mar
Miriam Laing

Miriam Laing (FL): ‘We’ve Literally Never Experienced Anything of this Magnitude In Our Lifetimes’

Miriam Laing (50), a Democrat from Lake Worth, FL, has spent most of her career working for nonprofit Jewish organizations. An activist since childhood, she is very involved with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and lives just 32 miles from Parkland, Florida. She believes it is important that her children “understand what it means to be involved in your community and to give back and take responsibility.” What do you think about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic? I think that the federal response has been atrocious. From Trump's denial of a problem, to rejecting testing kits from the World Health Organization, to racist language laying blame for the virus, to Mitch McConnell's long weekend in the midst of a crisis--it’s just shameful.  What do you think about the response in your state/community? I think the response...

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20 Mar
Stephanie Wudarski

Stephanie Wudarski (PA): ‘I Started to Exhibit Symptoms Myself and Realized How Serious This May Be’

Stephani Wudarski (30), a Democrat from Pittsburgh, PA, does not belong to a synagogue but attends High Holy Day services with her family and went to Israel on Birthright. She works for a managed Medicaid company and has a background treating substance use disorders. She was a passionate supporter of Kamala Harris and volunteered for her campaign until Harris dropped out of the race in December. 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 is better late than never. My bar for the Trump administration is pretty low, so on one hand I am...

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