How is everyone in the current situation? General Chat

One step forward, two steps back. It has just been announced that The Health Ministry is expected to call for all high schools and middle schools to be shut for the rest of the year. [Presumably the school year, which ends at the end of this month, the new school year due to start on 1 September].

According to official figures at least 31 schools and preschools have been shut within the last few days and nearly 10,000 students and staff have gone into quarantine, plus many family members.

And people have been saying that the lockdown should never have happened?

Am I glad that I am not allowed to go out.

I have just realised that it is now over three months since I went more than two metres, if that, from my front door, and that was only to put my bag of rubbish in my wheelie bin on Tuesday and Saturday evenings.

Amit took me to vote on 2 March and when I went across to the macolet - I think it was maybe the next day [Tuesday 3rd] because Strauss were delivering a day early and Tnuva had not turned up even though they were due - Hai was outside and would not let me go in. And that was before we went into lockdown.

Three bluddy months of Ground Hog Day with for me and other shut-ins, with no end in sight for us, and rates of infection creeping up daily.

17th March for us juli. Only went out then because family came over for Gary's birthday. All a bit surreal isn't it?

Surreal is right. And the situation is getting worse daily. The following is from the J-m Post as of 12 noon today - the figures might seem low to you in the UK but do not forget that Israel is a very small country with a fraction of your population, so the figures are very high for here and are increasing rapidly every day.

I am not a pessimist but when I see the pictures of all the thousands of people protesting everywhere, all crowded together, it is impossible to believe that every single one of them are virus-free and that nobody is going to be infected with it. I just want to scream at all of them

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I know that feeling well. I can't believe they are being so reckless in the middle of a pandemic no matter the cause.

This virus spreads with lightning speed. Where are their brains?

My wheelie bin goes out more than I do!

I'm growing to love my wheelie bins. Taking them out is the only time I get to leave the confines of the back garden

My comupuer decided to stop working, so put a new SSD in along with W10 OS. But now my music production software doesn't work anymore!
So bought a new bike to cheer myself up.

Mine has wheels but it is never moved! The binmen just run down, lift up the lid, reach in and take out the one small tied-up bag of rubbish and run back up to the road. Tikki hates them because in her mind they are taking something that is mine, but luckily she hears them coming so warns me and I am usually able to get her in and hook to door partially open but not enough to get out, until they have gone.

They used to come about 6am but now it is around 11am and after she chased after one guy and ended up pulling off one of his trainers, I thought it prudent to keep her out of their way!

People are protesting because they are fed up. A man, George Floyd, was killed for allegedly spending a counterfeit $20, which he may have gotten as change somewhere else. It’s senseless. He was saying he couldn’t breathe and the killer cop just kept his knee on his neck after he’d stopped moving. This goes way beyond excessive force. And the complicity of the other 3 former cops, there actions and inactions... Police brutality against people of color is an ongoing systemic problem in my country, and around the world. People are outraged that this just continues and continues. This latest murder by a police officer is just the one that broke the camels back. Some things are just more important than social distancing. It is unfortunate that more protesters aren’t wearing masks and trying to stay farther apart, but people are mad and want to be heard and this is how they choose to express themselves.

Trump wants to open up the economy. He wants people in bars and restaurants, gyms and hair salons, sporting events. He’s moving the republican national convention (where he will be nominated by his party to run for president) to a different state that will allow him to pack 15-20,000 people, or more, into an arena, just so he can stroke his ego. The city and state where it was originally going to be held wouldn’t allow him to do this.

I’d say protesting is far more important, and the protesters are outside. I think the desire for justice and acknowledgment of the ongoing misuse of power by police officers, and outrage over the continued murders, is more important than having drinks or dinner with your friends, working out, getting a hair cut or watching a baseball, basketball, hockey or football game.

In a perfect world people wouldn’t be protesting
In a perfect world people wouldn’t have to protest
In a perfect world there wouldn’t be a need to protest
In a perfect world George Floyd would still be alive
In a perfect world George Floyd would still be breathing
In a perfect world there wouldn’t be a pandemic

Our world is far from perfect

But when do you draw the line Marc? Protesting injustices is one thing, but when a minority of protesters turn to violence, looting, burning cars, and throwing bicycles at police horses as was done in London yesterday, what good will that do?

That kind of "protesting" will not bring George Floyd back. Nor will it bring back any of the other victims of misuse of power by police officers, whatever the colour of their skin. And hundreds of thousands of people crammed together, face-masks or no face-masks while there is a worldwide pandemic, can possibly lead to far more deaths - all totally unnecessary.

Personally I think that Trump has psychological delusions of grandeur, but then again politics is not my field of expertise so I usually keep my thoughts to myself.

But when a Pittsburgh rabbi fasts in mourning for George Floyd inspired by Yom H'Kippurim, The Day of Atonement, the Holiest day in the Jewish year, followed by dozens of other rabbis from the US, UK, Israel and beyond, calling on others to keep a day of mourning and fasting, that, to me, is beyond all sense. We do not fast when we lose our parents, siblings or children - we mourn but we do not fast. So why call on us to fast for George Floyd?

I am sorry if you Marc, or anyone else, disagrees with me, but as far as I can see it this has gone way beyond protesting against police brutality.

And I am going to hit Post now before I might regret having had my say.

The world certainly is far from perfect. Similar mass demonstrations have been taking place in our major cities too. Yes, this was police brutality, and yes, black lives do matter, but is this the right time and place for mass protests, which are likely to lead to the predicted second wave of Covid 19? True leadership is only noticeable by its absence - but which sane person would want the stress of leadership? Over here we have the additional complication that, behind the scenes, someone is quietly negotiating our exit from the EEC.
What a massive change in public mood, trading conditions, access to healthcare and our social networks in just three months! I'm beginning to feel very old and confused by what is happening to my country. Thank goodness for small town life, and the the simple four-footed souls that share our lives.

While I agree that what happened in America was totally wrong I believe all life matters and to stage these marches when we have a killer virus out there waiting to strike hard is totally wrong. All lives matter and these marches are putting thousands if not millions of lives in jeopardy.

It’s a disgrace that this is the way they choose to honour the man’s memory and set an example for the future, so exactly what has this achieved?
For me this behaviour has ruined the cause and my support, hypocritical protesters making a mockery of their own cause.

[I guess it is safe to come out from behind the couch now - it was getting a bit claustrophobic!]

OK, back to "normality" under lockdown. I telephoned Hai this morning asking if he could please send over some things - soy lite milk, bananas, avocados, cotton wool, kitchen rolls, batteries, and a bottle of washing-up liquid. Yes I could have put them on my order from Shufersal but if Hai stocks what I want then I still buy from him.

Ten minutes later one of the girls brought over what I wanted, with a message from Hai that he was sorry they only had rather over-ripe avocados so he sent over what he had as a present saying maybe I could use them for something - eight ginormous ones!

Amazingly enough, when I halved the two that seemed rather worse for wear they were absolutely perfect. True the flesh was soft but bright green with no brown bruising. So I hurriedly googled for things to do with an excess of very slightly over-ripe avocados, and these will definitely not go to waste.

Yum, avocados are so expensive this year, I'm quite jealous.
I managed to do an @Malka trick this morning. We had just turned the first corner with the dogs when I realised that I was going to meet a neighbour on a narrow section of the gravelled footpath. I stepped to one side, but managed to misjudge the height of the kerb, - probably because I have a slight limp these days. Well to be brief, I pitched forward onto all fours, and have bruised and skinned my hands and knees, not to mention denting my pride! I had to return home for a clean-up, while Chas continued to the wood with the dogs. I'm stiffening up now, but it could have been a lot worse.

Poor you Carole - but at least you did not face plant as I have done far too often. Do you have any arnica cream or arnica montana homeopathic pills? I know many people do not believe in homeopathic medicine but it does actually work, and arnica helps ease muscle pain and stiffness due to injuries, overexertion, and falls. Also reduces bruises and swelling - ideal for the times I have ended up looking like I had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson! Anyhow, I do hope you do not stiffen up too much.

After all my years of study and training and yet I now tend to use more homeopathic products and have cut down prescription meds to the barest minimum. Olga, our previous doctor, was in full agreement with my use of homeopathic products - I do not know what Naomi, our new doctor thinks, although I believe she is Russian, as was Olga, so probably would also agree.

As for the avocados - they are not exorbitantly priced because they are grown here, not imported, although like most fruit the price does vary according to when things are in season. I think you would have loved my big bowl of salad - iceberg lettuce, shredded white cabbage, and the finest shredded raw beetroots, kohlrabi and carrots ever. To which was added quartered cherry tomatoes, some cut up sun-dried tomatoes, half a huge avocado, cubed - with garlic sauce and toasted sesame oil drizzled over the lot!

Oh yes. My kind of food.
And yes again. I am well arnica-gelled.

Have you watched the video of Mr Floyd dying underneath the knee of the former cop?

It is very unfortunate that a few are giving a putting a bad light on the many peaceful protesters. To me the key phrase in your first paragraph is “minority of protesters”. Which is kinda of ironic because the protests are about the mistreatment of minorities. We can’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch...

I personally have chosen to not participate in any protests, because I don’t want to be too close to many other people I do not know, some of whom may not be wearing masks, but I will not judge them for their personal choice, and in fact I support their right to peacefully protest, global pandemic or not. We are all entitled to our own personal opinions.

I will however use my voice, and my keyboard to share my opinions and maybe even try and sway some opinions towards my way of thinking.

IMO Trump has many psychological and character flaws. He’s a narcissist, he’s a bigot, he’s a misogynist, he doesn’t value others opinions, and he completely lacks any empathy at all. He is far more concerned about money than health. I could go on but I’d just be wasting digital space.

As far as the Rabbi from Pittsburgh choosing to mourn George Floyd’s death by fasting, that’s his personal choice, and he found something from his faith as a way to express himself. I see nothing wrong with this, and nothing wrong with him inspiring others to join with him. These are men of faith, this is how they choose to share with the world the injustice they see in this senseless and brutal death. Many holy men, and women, as well as prisoners, and people of conscious, have used fasting as a way of peaceful protest, to bring attention to various injustices and causes.

In Judaism, when we lose a family member, we do not fast. In fact in my experience we eat, a lot, food brought to us by extended family and friends, so that we don’t have to trouble ourselves with making food while in mourning, sitting shivah. I think what the Rabbis may be expressing is that this isn’t just about George Floyd’s death at the hands (or rather knee) of the disgraced former cop, but the many deaths of multiple people of color, year after year. So instead of fasting to ask g-d to forgive them for their sins like we do during Yum Kippur, perhaps they are collectively fasting to ask for g-ds forgiveness for allowing this systemic racism and police brutality to continue unchecked. As you are well aware, the jewish people have also been at the wrong end of this throughout history, not necessarily the police brutality, but of pogroms in Europe, and the reason we celebrate Purim. So it’s not just about George Floyd, it’s much larger than that, perhaps...

I am glad you posted, we don’t all have to agree with each other, but hopefully be respectful of others thoughts and opinions, and be open minded

Thank you Marc. It was, in a way, the same reason I started this thread, not sure whether I should or not. But just as it started with being unable to ignore the elephant in the room, to me the minority of of protesters who have gone too far - and again I use the words "minority of protesters" - have turned into a herd of elephants.

Yes, the Rabbi from Pittsburgh had the right to choose to fast, but to compare it to the reason for fasting on Yom HaKippurim just shows the difference between Reform/Liberal/Conservative and Orthodox Judaism, because there is just no way to compare the killing of a man by a policeman to the reason we fast on Yom HaKippurim, which is to ask HaShem for forgiveness for our own sins. Not for forgiveness for the sins of the rest of the world. Fasting as a way of peaceful protest may be the custom in other religions but it is not the custom in Judaism. It is the same with "taking the knee" - Jews do not kneel. I could explain further but this is not the place.

Black lives matter. All lives matter. But do you honestly believe that if George Floyd had been white and the policeman had been black, this whole balagan would have kicked off as it has?

Because I cannot.