Letters to the Editor May 4, 2020: More corona repercussions

Readers of The Jerusalem Post have their say.

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters (photo credit: PIXABAY)
Letters
(photo credit: PIXABAY)
More corona repercussions
Regarding "Coronovirus lockdown 'unnecessary? Some Israeli researchers think so’" (April 30), it seems that today's academicians, regardless of their area of expertise, are devoting their time to building statistical models relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and many are directed at criticizing Israel's lockdown policies.
The work cited was based on two assumptions:
1)     “In countries where the number of intensive care beds per million people is above the threshold of about 100, closures are unnecessary.
2)    “The model assumes that the goal is not to overburden the healthcare system, as opposed to reducing the amount of infection or saving lives".
The first assumption is factually wrong and the second is morally repugnant
The United States leads the world in the number of ICU beds per million of population with 347 and at the same time is at the head of the list with over a million cases and more than 60,000 deaths. I shudder to think what these numbers would be without a lockdown.
Our primary goal must ultimately be the saving of lives and we must direct our efforts to maximize that objective.
One approach that has been generally overlooked and whose statistics are underutilized is the mortality rate; not per capita but rather per reported cases of illness. We must understand why countries such as Spain, Italy, France, the UK, Belgium, Holland and Sweden all have mortality rates in excess of 10%; The USA about 6% and Germany and Austria about 3%.
Amazingly, in Israel the rate has been steady at 1.3%.
DR. SAMUEL DERSHOWITZ
Jerusalem
Due to the pandemic, there is much less driving and many fewer accidents. In the US, insurance companies have returned money to their policy holders.  Why is that not done here?  They have a windfall of money that they're not spending on claims and most of that should be returned.
TZVI STERNLICHT
Rehovot
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert (“What was Benny Gantz really thinking?” April 24) accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exaggerating the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic in order to pressure Benny Gantz into forming a government with him on terms favorable to Netanyahu. As evidence of this, Olmert points to the fact that Netanyahu had earlier predicted that there could be a million coronavirus cases in Israel by the end of April, while in fact there were only 15,000 cases at the time Olmert was writing.
While it is true that Netanyahu has a history of manipulating people's fears for his own political benefit, in this case Olmert is wrong, and reveals his ignorance of the meaning of exponential growth.
In almost every country in the world, coronavirus cases initially doubled every three days. That is this virus's natural rate of increase, in the absence of social distancing measures. To go from 15,000 cases to a million cases, the number of cases would have to double six times, increasing by a factor of 64. In the absence of social distancing measures, this would take only 18 days.
If Netanyahu had not made the early decisions he did to reduce the rate of transmission of the coronavirus in Israel, but had dithered for 18 more days before doing anything, then we could indeed have had a million cases by now. Netanyahu, for all his serious faults, at least has a degree from MIT and understands what exponential growth is.
MICHAEL GERVER
Ra’anana
Regarding “De Blasio's blunder” (April 30), shame on The Jerusalem Post for joining the knee-jerk chorus of some American Jewish “leaders” in their mini-blood libel against New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for his stating the simple truth about certain ultra-Orthodox Jews. He clearly referred not to the entire Jewish community, but to whom genuine Jewish leaders might call bad Jews, if they had the courage to do so.
The editorial stated, “There have been repeated offenses in hassidic communities in Brooklyn, with synagogues holding secret prayer services and yeshivot holding underground classes. They should be condemned full-throatedly by their communities’ leaders and dealt with by the NYPD – though not any more harshly than any other group in New York’s diverse population.”
Why not? Israel itself has recognized the egregious threat of scofflaw haredim ignoring social distancing and other health regulations and endangering their own lives and the lives of countless others. We have locked down parts of Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem’s Mea She’arim, and arrested and fined offenders, including extremists who have attacked police.
Furthermore, the populations of New York City and the State of Israel number approximately the same nine million, yet so far there have been some 200 coronavirus fatalities in Israel compared to about 18,000 in the New York area.
The mayor is absolutely right to express outrage at an irresponsible minority of Jewish fundamentalists who believe more in rebbes and the moshiach than in medical science. He did not slander Jews, just bad Jews.
ILAN CHAIM
Jerusalem
NY Mayor De Blasio’s original reprimand was on target, because those so obviously violating the distancing at this mass funeral did so with impunity, since at this point no ethnic, religious or social group anywhere in the world can claim ignorance or innocence of not knowing the social distancing restrictions. Such awareness was clearly evidenced in this funeral as well, since the vast majority of the attendees were wearing masks.
Further, rabbinical authorities of every religious faction and group have clearly ruled that the Ministry of Health restrictions have the force of Halacha (Jewish law) and anyone not keeping them is literally endangering the lives of others.
Thus, the letter from the two Satmar rebbes is highly significant, not only because it fittingly and unequivocally places the blame on the perpetrators, but also clearly accepts the mayor’s reprimand and takes full responsibility for the unfortunate actions of their followers. This reflects true leadership, and one can only hope that other rabbinical and Jewish organizational leaders take heed and are more active and assertive in reprimanding their own constituents if and when they violate the corona restrictions, whether on an individual or collective basis.
GERSHON HARRIS
Hatzor Haglilit
Political agendas
I love the same-page juxtaposition of op-eds, Ehud Olmert's and David Weinberg's op-eds.
It's imperative to our future as a nation to view Israel in a positive light, as Weinberg, as well as fellow columnist Ari Harow, do, celebrating Jewish and Zionist values and rejoicing in Israeli strength and innovation with a positive outlook for our future.
Olmert's column, on the other hand, is rife with finding fault in every segment of Israeli society, used to mask his singular obsessive goal of trashing Bibi and anyone who might support him. He uses mistruths to build up Arab-Israelis who openly oppose everything Israel stands for, and who are even against Israel defending itself. He dismisses out-of-hand legitimate questions as to the veracity of how many Russians that emigrated to Israel are truly Jewish. He still has the chutzpa to lecture about character and values, lauding those who fought to protect and empower. This from a man who represents the opposite side of the coin, as he was convicted of taking bribes and obstructing justice while spending his entire political career flip-flopping from one side of policy to another.
Weinberg and Harow treasure Israeli society's embracing of a raucous public debate and an openness to new ideas while maintaining an allegiance to our history and religion, which have brought us here today to become the great country we are. They believe our traditions define us and separate us from the rest of the world as Jews and Zionists who will defend our country against all enemies from within and without.
Now that's refreshing.
ALLAN KANDEL
Los Angeles, CA USA
It is all very well for Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid to say Israel’s wonderful people deserve so much more than the prospective Likud/ Blue and White government. But like it or not, this is the government that the electorate have, through the lack of any clear majority for any one view, chosen at the current time. After three elections of indecision, even Lapid can have no confidence that the deadlock voted by the electorate can be broken.
Rather, would it not have been more appropriate for Lapid to have discontinued his campaign to have Netanyahu’s head on a platter and promoted a unity government with Netanyahu with an agenda to change Israel’s electoral system to reduce the chances of similar deadlocks arising in the future? Given that he did not, his principles have turned him into a powerless opposition with little to no chance of ever ensuring a majority to enable to promote electoral reform on his own.   
What a letdown for some of those who voted for the Blue and White original grouping.
PETER SIMPSON
Jerusalem
Regarding “Joe Biden says alleged sexual assault 'never happened'” (May 1), more than five weeks after the allegations were made, presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, and former vice president Joe Biden has surfaced to deny the charges.
Biden denies alleged 1993 sexual assault. Adding to her earlier charges of inappropriate touching by Biden, Tara Reade now raises the issue of sexual assault by the then-senator. In the ongoing troubling and disturbing accusations of sexual aggression and sexual assault against American leaders, the Democratic leaders have in recent years reset the stage for this conversation. Biden and other leaders in the parties gave women free rein to make charges and to be heard.
Now the candidate wants to reset the conversation merely by stating that "it" never happened. In an instant, the measure for proof of guilt went from "women don't lie," through the test of "beyond reasonable doubt," and on to simple declarations of innocence by the charged party?
Compare this to what happened to the candidate for US Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh in the fall of 2018. Uncorroborated charges were made against him, including multiple gang rapes, in an effort to affect the make-up of the court. Many charges disappeared like the morning fog, leaving only one standing that was used against him. As we know, Kavanaugh vehemently denied the charge and went on to become Associate Justice.
What isn't described now, is the different measures of the two situations. Even if it were true, the Kavanaugh case would have simply been a situation of “rolling around on a bed by two then-unknown teenagers under the influence of alcohol.” In Biden's case, it is the allegation of serious sexual assault by a man of power, a senator, against a woman in his staff.
DAVID SMITH
Ra'anana
Noting people of valor
Regarding “Mindy Lamm, wife of Yeshiva U president emeritus Rabbi Dr Lamm, dies” (April 21), the Jewish World lost a most regal First Lady with the death in New York of Mindella (Mindy) Lamm.
Lamm, the former Mindella Mehler, the wife of Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Yeshiva University’s president emeritus, was a  lady of class and extreme elegance who, besides her dedication and numerous obligations to YU, looked after the needs, not just of her immediate family, but also to the downtrodden, the elderly and just about anyone who required assistance. She was the loving matriarch of a magnificent family, always at the side of her husband of over 65 years, to whom she gave support and guidance throughout on behalf of American and World Jewry.
Prior to her husband’s accepting the mantel of the YU presidency, and then as its chancellor, she was the First Lady of the Jewish Center Congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in NYC, where her husband served as senior rabbi for over 17 years. 
My personal memories of Rebitzen Lamm date back to 1967, when I started to attend Shabbat services at the Jewish Center. She graciously and warmly welcomed me to the kehilla. When she spoke to you, regardless of how many others were in the immediate area, you felt you were the only person in front of her. 
Mindella Lamm will be fondly remembered by the thousands of people who were privileged to have known her. May her memory forever be a source of blessings to all her loved ones and may her entire family be comforted among those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.
IRVING M. GOLDENBERG
Efrat
Regarding Greer Fay Cashman's reminiscences on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen (Grapevine, April 22), the liberation of this camp was not only significant for Israel in later years, but had an immediate significant meaning for countless British Jews.
The British Army chaplain who accompanied the British army on liberating Bergen-Belsen was Leslie Hardman. He initiated the first Friday evening services immediately after the liberation; in a recording to be found in the BBC archives one can hear at the end of the service the straggled voices of inmates singing “Hatikvah,” followed by Hardman declaring in a loud voice "Am Yisrael Chai."
After the war, Hardman became the United Synagogue Minister at Raleigh Close, Hendon, London, where he served until his retirement many decades later. All through those years, many of the inmates of that hell-hole continued their friendship with him by marking together with him marriages, births and deaths.
Hardman lived with these experiences to the end of his life. He lectured tirelessly about the Holocaust to both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences even in the years immediately after the war, when it was not deemed politically correct to do so. He was never silenced – so much so that in the midst of sitting shiva for his wonderful wife and companion, Josie, he got up to deliver a lecture on the Holocaust, knowing that that is what his wife would have wanted.
My parents and all my family were honored and privileged to have been counted among his friends.
May his soul rest in peace.
BARBARA ANN PFEFFER
Rehovot