We view the normal opening of the school year as a strategic goal.” The previous government was a record holder in the West in the number of days schools were closed. “Lockdowns, unemployment, damage to businesses and harm to mental health all carry their own health cost. “We made a clear strategic choice to keep the economy open,” Horowitz says. Horowitz says in a press statement that any further delay in making the move could have cost many lives. Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz backs the decision to give COVID-19 booster shots to Israelis aged 60 and up despite no similar regulatory approval being issued worldwide Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz speaks during his visit to the Beilinson Medical Center, on July 27, 2021. “That’s a great thing to do looking forward to the holidays, make sure every family member who’s going to be in the room is fully vaccinated,” de Blasio says. Last fall, COVID cases increased around the time of the Jewish New Year, likely arising from the large number of people gathering in homes and synagogues to observe the holidays. Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen are among the headliners of the concert, which is meant to celebrate the city’s rebound from the worst of COVID-19.ĭespite a recent poll showing Jews as the most likely of religious groups to be vaccinated, Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods tend to have vaccine rates significantly below the national US average.ĭe Blasio stresses the importance of being vaccinated before gathering with family for the High Holidays. The mayor touts the city’s star-studded “homecoming” concert on August 21 in Central Park, saying tickets will be made available only to New Yorkers who show proof of having received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. New York City will offer $100 to anyone who gets their first dose at a city-run vaccination site, and all city workers will have to be vaccinated or go through strict weekly testing protocols. Rosh Hashanah begins on the evening of September 6.ĭe Blasio’s comments come as the city begins rolling out carrots and sticks to encourage vaccines in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the city, driven by the Delta variant. “If you get the first one by Monday and then you follow up on time, you will be fully vaccinated by the start of the holiday,” de Blasio says. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a message for the US city’s Jewish community: If you want to be fully vaccinated by Rosh Hashanah, you need to get your first Pfizer shot by Monday. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio encourages Jewish New Yorkers to get a coronavirus vaccine by Monday in time to be fully vaccinated by Rosh Hashana, on July 29, 2021. The University of Maryland surveyed 3,379 American adults and the poll had a margin of error of 1.69%. Iran, however, is not known to have a nuclear weapon and world powers have been engaged in talks with Tehran in recent years to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring such capabilities.Īccording to the poll, 60.5% of respondents - including 70.6% of Republicans and 52.6% of Democrats - say Iran currently possesses nuclear weapons, compared to 51.7% who say Israel currently does. Israel has never officially acknowledged having such capabilities, though it is widely believed to maintain them. In an unrelated question, the poll finds that more Americans believe Iran acquires a nuclear weapon than Israel does. By contrast, 3.7% of Republicans blamed Israel, 59.1% blamed the Palestinians and 31.3% blamed both sides. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)ĭisapproval numbers were higher among Democrats between the ages of 18 and 34, with 49.7% unsatisfied with the US president’s performance.Īmong Democrats, 34.8% blamed Israel for the recent conflict, 8.1% blamed the Palestinians and 52.5% blamed both sides equally. A Palestinian woman approaches a checkpoint as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish teen prays outside the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem, during the annual Tisha B’Av fast day on July 18, 2021.