They say that one person in New Rochelle, NY may have infected 50 or more people in just five days. That's how quickly it can spread.
Governor Cuomo talked about this when he announced the Containment Zone.
This will sound prejudice,but this is an Orthodox Jewish area.
This creates a number of "problems"
People may remember last year's Measles Epidemic in the same ethnic neighborhoods.
Cuomo said,that this area was a well defined "cluster", with significantly more cases then any other part of the state,including NYC.
That was the reason for the Containment Zone.
The containment zone does not restrict movement and the Jewish community is very appreciative, because Mr. Garbuz attended a temple located in the zone and 50 others that are infected can be linked to him. Mr. Garbuz is istill hospitalized, his wife seems to be doing well. Governor Cuomo is doing the right thing, he is mounting a response to mitigate the spreading of the virus. The Jewish community knows that. They are actually doubling the governor’s efforts.
New Rochelle is located in Westchester County, where around 17% of the population is Jewish, according to a 2011 study by UJA-Federation of New York. The city is home to several synagogues of various denominations, as well as a half-dozen kosher restaurants. Several notable Jewish Americans come from the city, including “Fiddler on the Roof” composer Jerry Bock, Union of Reform Judaism president Rabbi Rick Jacobs, and “West Wing” actor Joshua Malina.
UJA-Federation is having twice-daily “crisis team” meetings to discuss how best to assist Jews affected by the outbreak and its aftereffects, said chief program officer Rabbi Deborah Joselow.
The organization is offering Shabbat care packages to quarantined families, as well as considering the provision of remote counseling for people dealing with anxiety over continued confinement or fear for loved ones.
Jewish schools in the area - both inside and outside the one-mile containment zone - have already closed and are conducting classes online. Groups like the Jewish Education Project and PJ Library have created resources for stuck-at-home parents to keep their children educated and occupied. And the Hebrew Free Loan Society is offering interest-free loans of up to $5,000 to residents who need financial assistance due to lost wages or extra child care or medical costs.
Young Israel of New Rochelle, which was ordered by the county health commissioner to close its doors, has also been conducting classes via the teleconferencing software Zoom. Young Israel Rabbi Reuven Fink, who himself has contracted coronavirus, wrote last week that there were some upsides to the quarantines and synagogue closures.
“There are some positive elements that can be found in looking at our predicament,” he wrote. “It slows down the pace of our frenetic lives. That can be positive. It can give us more time with our families. Maybe that book that we never got around to reading can be read now. Maybe we always wanted to find time to learn Torah. We now have that opportunity.”
Since the synagogue was closed and so many congregants are under quarantine and thus unable to attend Purim services at a different synagogue, members of the Chabad movement are going house-to-house, chanting the Book of Esther outside people’s doors and windows.
Last Edited: 3/12/2020 10:55:43 PM by allen