2021 - The Start of Some Changes in Israel?

Welcome to 2021.  In some places it is far from clear that we have turned a "new leaf" or left 2020 behind.  Given the recent political events in the U.S., the various Covid-19 mutations, the overburdened hospitals in so many places around the world, many people are wondering how to use the restart  button for this year.   Ctrl-alt-del doesn't seem to be working.

Here in Israel, we have begun the new Gregorian year with a mixture of political and health challenges, but also with a substantial measure of optimism.

On the one hand, the spread of Covid-19 has hit record highs, reaching up to 10,000 new cases a day last week and early this week.  Since the case load has been quite high for a while now, this is meant an increasingly high number of  Covid deaths, which tend to spike about 2 to 3 weeks after people are infected.  Numbers have reached 40-50 deaths a day, which is quite high for a country of only 9 million people.  

As a result of the growing numbers, Israel has instituted a third "shut down."  Once again, most workplaces are closed, other than those deemed essential.  Synagogues and other houses of worship are limited to 5 people inside with up to 10 outside.  Restaurants are offering delivery but are not supposed to be allowing "take-out" service.  Some places, like falafel shops, are allowing you to call from inside the drug store next door and ask to have your food delivered there.  This is apparently within the guidelines... Malls are closed, although the grocery stores, liquor stores, drug stores and  stores in a few other categories are still open.  

Government experts estimate that it may take 2-3 weeks to see the results of this lockdown.  This is the first lockdown in which Israel has now begun to insist that passengers leaving the country or arriving must be tested.  Up until now, surprisingly, this was not the case.

So we have roadblocks set up across the  country where police are stopping drivers and asking people where they are off to.  If your reason for travelling is not on the acceptable list, you can be fined 500 shekels (about $200 Cdn).  Permissible reasons for being out include grocery shopping (within a kilometre of your  home), drug store, getting vaccinated, getting tested for Covid-19, helping an elderly parent or grandparent and many others.  This has provided a great deal of fodder for Israeli comedy shows with parody skits of these interactions between police officers and people trying to come up with excuses quickly enough to avoid a fine.

Sometimes, as with so many other things, real life examples are sufficient comedic material themselves.  For example, a young Israeli was stopped earlier this week and told the officer that he was visiting his grandmother.  The officer asked for the name and plugged the name into a database.  Unfortunately, the grandmother had been dead for more than 2 years.  Nice try but that is definitely a fine!

Some people have decided to take their chances and disregard the rules entirely.  Police broke up a house party last week with more than 100 guests.  They were all fined 500 Shekels each and the owner was  fined 5,000.  But I understand that this is the case all around the world.  In fact, I would say that, for the most part, people in Israel are wearing masks when out, keeping distances in lines in supermarkets and  generally conscious of trying to follow the rules, or most of them.  Or some of them.

On the optimistic side, Israel has been a world leader in obtaining vaccines and rolling them out.  Israel has purchased significant quantities of vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna, though far more from Pfizer.  Apparently, Israel offered to pay Pfizer significantly more per vaccine than the retail value, perhaps as much as three times the price.   Together with this agreement, Israel also signed a deal to provide Pfizer with information about the results of the vaccines, supposedly on a no-names basis. The exact terms of the deal have not been publicized.

The bottom line is that Israel began vaccinating its population en masse in late December.  For the most part, it has been quite orderly.  Vaccination stations were set up all around the country with big tents.  Appointments were available by phone, app, or web site.  At first, front line health  workers were vaccinated, followed by all those over 65 or people over 60 who were high risk.   Soon afterwards, the age was lowered to 60 officially (55 unofficially in many places).  

During this time period, Facebook and Whatsapp groups sprung up to help Israelis find vaccination sites.  There are a number of groups like "Vaccinations Between Friends" on  Whatsapp where Israelis who aren't in the current vaccination group can get information about which sites have "extras" on particular days so that they can show up and get in line.  Tens of thousands of Israelis have managed to get vaccinated this way.

The country's medical system quickly ramped up the vaccination rate to 150,000 to 200,000 a day.  According to recent estimates, more than 2 million people in Israel (including yours truly) have received their first dose.  Yesterday marked the start of the rollout of second doses.  At the same time, the qualifying age was lowered to 50, with talk that it will be reduced to 45 by early next week.

Many people who have received the second dose are reporting various symptoms that last for several hours or even  a day or two.  But for the most part, more serious reactions have been quite limited.  It remains to be  seen whether the rollout of the vaccine will dramatically change the pandemic situation here as expected and if so, how quickly.  The Israeli government has indicated that all citizens who wish to be vaccinated will be able to get the vaccine by the end of March (both doses).  Earlier this week, one Cabinet minister clarified that they meant everyone would have the first dose by the end of March and the second dose by late April, 2021.  

Israeli medical experts have reported that the vaccine provides significant protection starting at 14 days after the first dose, reducing the possibility of infection by more than 50%.  Both Pfizer and Moderna have estimated a success rate of more than 95% after the second dose.  I guess we will see shortly if these estimates are accurate.

The Israeli government has indicated that it is rolling out a plan to issue "Green Vaccination Photo ID cards" that look like drivers licences or health care cards - for all Israelis who have received the vaccination. These cards will be provided approximately 7 days after the second dose.  Israelis with these Green cards will be able to fly outside the country, return to Israel from a trip without isolation, go to concerts, sports events, restaurants etc.,.  I'm waiting to see whether other countries will recognize or  honour these cards - assuming that they are actually provided as planned.

So the optimistic news in Israel is that with such an aggressive rollout of the vaccine, Israel may be able to rid itself of the pandemic by May or June, assuming that the vaccine actually works.   If this all goes as  anticipated, it will be very good news for other countries as well and the world may really be able to turn the corner by mid to late 2021.  As long as Pfizer and Moderna can keep up with the demand for vaccines.  

Israeli Politics

I will save most of the Israeli election news for a later blog.  As you may know, we have an election scheduled for March 23, 2021, just days before Pesach (Passover).  Prime Minister Netanyahu is facing new challenges to his right and to his left although there still may be a consolidation of some of these parties between now and election day.   Candidates and political parties  actually have until early February to finalize their slates so it would be worthwhile to weigh in at that point once we see what the political landscape looks like.

Netanyahu's criminal trial is set to continue in early February 2021.  He is still hoping that he can get a 61 seat Knesset majority and pass a retroactive immunity bill to avoid facing these charges.  

Interestingly, or perhaps there are other adverbs, Netanyahu has embarked on a program of visiting Arab Israeli cities and asking Arab Israelis to vote for his Likud party.  Apparently, he is willing to offer some goodies in exchange for support of his immunity bill.  Now this is somewhat surprising since Netanyahu has spent the past several years attacking Arab Israeli politicians and making every effort to exclude them from any coalition.  In fact, he has argued that any government that relies on Arab Israeli support for its majority would be illegitimate.  How ironic would it be if he were to rely on exactly this support to try and get a retroactive immunity bill passed?  In any event - more politics in future blogs.

Lighter Notes

On the entertainment site, as you might have heard, "Shtisel" has returned for a third season.  Israeli TV station Yes Drama (Channel 5) has been showing the episodes on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Israel time and  they are also showing up on youtube  the next day, though without translations.  You might need a VPN to watch them.  We have been enjoying the show.  I think it has been 3  episodes so far - not sure how many there are in the series.  In case you haven't seen it, I believe that the first two seasons are still on Netflix. 

Israel also has a variety of comedy shows that focus on political satire, especially impersonations of current politicians.  "Eretz Nehederet" ("A Wonderful Country") is one of these shows.  Many of its episodes are available on Youtube, some with subtitles.  It can be very funny, though it is hit or miss, much like Saturday Night Live.

Another show that has been increasing in popularity is called Zehu Zeh ("This is it").  The show is made up of a comedy troupe of five septuagenarians - who had a very popular comedy show back in the  70s.  They decided to get back  together and make a comeback which has included short satirical skits, impersonations and musical pieces.  I thought I would include a new release. Just last week they decided to put out an original song written by one of their colleagues and produced by a 30 something music  manager that they hired. 

It is called "The Pizza in Your Heart" - written about the search for the perfect slice of pizza and what happens when you finally find it - or how disappointing it can be to realize that maybe the slice that you dreamt of is not what you were really looking for after all.  It's all very tongue in cheek.  Although the idea might sound a bit cheesy, I think it's quite  fun. (Sorry about that).

Meanwhile, we are getting  some nice rainy  weather over the next few days, so I will have to postpone barbecuing.  I can't complain because it is still close to 20c outside.  I was happy to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs'  season opener last night (even though it was on at about 2 a.m. local time).  It was an overtime win for the boys in blue.  And I'm looking forward to NFL playoff weekend, especially the chance to see the Buffalo Bills try to get their second playoff win in 25 years.  As a Toronto hockey fan, that sounds all too familiar.  

Wishing everyone the best of health, Shabbat Shalom and a much improved 2021.

Final Blog of 2020 - Covid, Elections, Sports and a Few Other Items

As 2020 draws to a close (good riddance), I thought I would squeeze in one more blog - a pot pourri of  selected issues related to Israel, on some of the topics that I have been writing regularly.  There are many things to discuss but I don't want to be too repetitive.  So here goes...

Covid-19

In some ways,  I think it is fair to say that Israel is in the midst of a good news/bad news period in dealing with the pandemic.  On the one hand, the virus has been spreading rapidly, including the "British mutation," the "South African mutation" and now the "Indian mutation."  There have been more than 3,500 new cases a day recently  and 10-15 people have been dying daily, if not more.   This is all, of course, the bad news side of things.  

As a result, the Israeli government instituted a 3 week partial lockdown starting on December 21, 2020.  Unlike the first lockdown, public schools have remained open.  Non-essential retail establishments are closed and restaurants are permitted "delivery only" but no take-out service.  The airport has remained open and Israel has not instituted testing for all arrivals.  The government attempted to institute a mandatory quarantine plan in government-sponsored hotels but that soon fell apart.  It is fairly clear that at least some of the out of control spread of the virus has been the result of travellers arriving back in Israel and failing to follow any proper quarantine rules.  This has been the case since the initial outbreak in March, 2020 and the government has been unwilling to take necessary steps to stop it, largely for political  reasons.

On the good news side of the ledger, the Israeli government has ramped up its vaccination program to the tune of more than 120,000 vaccines a day.  For now, Israelis who are over 60 years of age, front line health care workers and those with extremely serious medical conditions are the only ones being vaccinated.  

Israel, as you may know, has a public  health care system.  It is somewhat like the Canadian system,  though instead of one "OHIP" - there are a few different Health Care organizations - and Israelis can choose which one they wish to join.  They are all under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health, so they are each funded by the government.   There are additional user fees and optional enhanced plans - though these tend to be priced quite reasonably.  

So it is these health care providers - Maccabi, Clalit, Leumit and Meuhedet, that have set up stations across the country and are using smart phone apps, web sites, and their computerized systems to arrange appointments and roll out the vaccines as quickly as possible.  By all accounts, it seems to be working quite efficiently.  The providers have set aside the second vaccination dose for each person that receives the shot and have booked a second date automatically 21 days after the first dose.  

Government estimates are that more than 80% of Israelis in these higher risk groups will have received their second dose by mid-February 2021.  The general population is expected to start receiving the vaccine within the next week or two, with the government currently hoping to have close to 50% of all Israelis fully vaccinated by the end of March, 2021.  It sounds optimistic, but given that the providers are managing to vaccinate more than 120,000 people a day, it seems quite possible.  

It remains to be seen whether the vaccine is as effective as touted, how it will deal with new mutations and how long the inoculation will last.  We also don't know yet whether the vaccine will prevent people from spreading the virus to others.  But there is certainly a feeling in Israel that we are nearing the end, even though there are still some very difficult months ahead.

Politics

As you may know and as I mentioned in my last post, Israel is heading to the polls for the 4th time in the past 2 years on March 23, 2021, just a few days before Pesach (Passover).  

If I were to try to cover all of the different political developments, I think I would need to write several columns a week, if not daily.  New political parties are sprouting up like weeds and it is far too difficult to try and make any predictions at this point.

But here are a  few of the highlights.

One of Likud's most senior members, Gideon Saar has formed a new party called "New Hope" and he has taken several Likud members with him.  Reported polls have estimated between 15 and 20 seats for New  Hope though I think it is far too early to start counting these  votes.  Saar has staked out his ground as a "solid right wing" alternative to the Likud led by  Netanyahu.  As far as I can tell, this seems to mean just about all of the same policies as the Likud without the alleged corruption.  Saar has vowed that he will not form a government with Bibi but we have heard that before from the Blue and White Party.  I'm skeptical.

Saar joins "Yamina" - the "Right," led by Naftali Bennett in a reasonably crowded field of right-wing nationalist parties.  

It is probably fair to include the Blue and White party in that camp as well, since the left and centrist members of that party split away when Blue and White entered into a coalition government with Likud in March 2020.  Yesterday Ganz announced that he will remain on as party leader and that he is  not giving up.  Polls show that the Blue and White party is running at about 5 seats and is flirting with coming in below the minimum electoral threshold.  Most commentators seem to agree that Gantz was thoroughly humiliated by Netanyahu but, for now, Gantz has elected to stay on.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai

In another development yesterday, the mayor of Tel-Aviv, Ron Huldai, also held a press conference and unveiled his new party called "The Israelis."  Huldai's party is intended to offer a bit more of a left-centre approach than Blue and White.  Politically, it would probably fall somewhere between Yesh Atid and Meretz, though it remains to be seen how Huldai's party differentiates itself from those other two left-centre parties.  I have not yet seen any poll predictions as to how many seats The Israelis would get but they might make things interesting.

There are other developments as well, including key politicians leaving different parties and joining some of these new ones but I am not going to get into all of the details.

The long and the short of it is that Bibi is facing several challenges from the right, the centre and left.  Most of these challengers have stated, quite unequivocally, that they will not agree to an "immunity bill" that gets Bibi out of his legal problems.  They have also stated that they will not enter a coalition agreement with Bibi and his Likud party but I think the election results will really determine whether that promise can be upheld.

All of that being said, there is lots of time between now and the cut off date for new parties to enter the election campaign, which does not occur until mid-February I believe.   So the only thing that seems reasonably certain is that there will be many new developments between now and the election.  As of now, it looks likely that Israel will elect a fairly right wing government, with or without Bibi, but a lot can change in a few months.  It does, however, seem like quite a long shot that Bibi will be able to get a "Get out of Jail Free" Card in the form of an immunity law.  In the meantime, his criminal trial is scheduled to continue in February 2021.

Sports

There are a few interesting sports stories that are worth mentioning.

One of the big sports stories in Israel in 2020 is in NBA basketball.  The Washington Wizards drafted Danny Avdija 9th overall in this year's NBA draft.  This was huge news in Israel since 6 foot 9 inch Avdija was born in Israel on Kibbutz Beit Zera.  Very few Israeli basketball players have made the NBA and he is the highest drafted Israeli ever.

Many people have been staying up until the wee hours to watch Washington Wizard games even though cheering for the pitiful Wizards has been a disconcerting proposition to date.  Through four games, all losses, Avdija has averaged 7.5  points a game and 5 rebounds.  Not earth shattering but it is early.  I confess that I jumped on the bandwagon and watched the first game but since I am not a huge basketball fan, I have only done this  once.  If I were to watch middle of the night basketball in Israel, it would probably be my home town Raptors, though I understand they are also off to an equally dismal start.  Generally, I tend to save the basketball watching  for the playoffs, if at all.  

A second big sports story is in the world of soccer, or football, depending on your preference.  As you might have seen, UAE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan bought 50% of the Beitar Jerusalem Football Club.  The deal was announced soon after the peace deal between the UAE and Israel.

This is really quite fascinating.  Beitar is known for having  a very right wing fan base, who have, at times, chanted anti-Arab slogans at football matches.  They sing several vulgar songs at Beitar matches and have also been known to show up at pro-Bibi political rallies.  For years, Beitar had  no Muslim players on its side unlike many of the other teams in the Israeli league.  So it is quite remarkable that of all teams, the Sheikh has decided to purchase and rehabilitate this team, in the spirit of "Muslim-Jewish cooperation" as he puts it.  It will be really interesting to see how the fans react and how this all works out.

Lastly, on the sports side - is the world of ice hockey.  One of my friends sent me a link to an article that referred to a recent UAE-Israeli ice hockey match played  between the UAE Mighty Camels and the Bat Yam Chiefs.  I don't really recall seeing anything about it in the Israeli news but there is always hope that hockey will attract  more fans and  participants over time, especially with the relatively recent opening of a full size arena near Netanya.  And of course, it is nice to see yet another sign that the peace between Israel and the UAE may develop into the warmest peace deal yet between Israel and its Arab neighbours.   I guess we could say that the ice was broken quickly between these new peace partners.

As far as hockey goes, I have been staying up late to watch the World Junior Ice Hockey tournament.  These games have been on somewhere between 1 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. Israel time.  Three games, three big wins for Canada so far.   Canada has not faced stiff opposition yet so I look forward to seeing how they will play against Finland tomorrow night - and then in the  playoff round starting next week.  The World Junior Tournament is one of my favourite sports events to watch since you get to see so many future ice hockey stars trying to impress NHL scouts.  I am quite thankful to have a working VPN and streaming set-up.  It does take a toll on my sleeping patterns though.

Holidays

As I discussed in my last post, Chanuka is not a really big deal here, other than the ubiquitous donuts, and once Chanuka ends, everything is pretty much back to its normal schedule.

I thought  about the time-honoured tradition for American (and some Canadian)  Jews of eating Chinese food on Christmas Eve.  But it is really not a thing in Israel for several reasons.  For one, it is not a holiday here so everyone is simply on a regular schedule and does not have the time to get together that they have in North America, where everything is closed for the holiday.  

Secondly, and more challenging here is the difficulty of finding decent Chinese food. Although Israel has many different types of cuisine - including sushi and "pan-Asian" restaurants all over the country, there are very few decent Chinese restaurants and even fewer that are Kosher.  

That hasn't stopped me from trying to fill the void every now and then.  My hot and  sour  soup is pretty decent and I have made a range of other dishes.  But I think Chinese food is something that  is sorely lacking in Israel.  Perhaps an opportunity for a budding post-virus restauranteur?  Not me, that's for sure.

New Year's Eve here is known as "Silvester," named after Pope Silvester I.  Many Israelis celebrate with parties and festivities, though it is not an official holiday in Israel so everything is open as normal on New Year's Day.  Not sure what people will do this year in the midst of the pandemic but we happen to have some champagne choices on hand in case we want to go crazy...  

Food Developments

I couldn't let the year pass without commenting on something really interesting.  An Israeli company,  Aleph Farms, has been producing cell based meat grown from animal cells in a lab.  The company has been producing steaks and burgers.  No animal slaughter required.  

Another company, "Redefine Meat" has been producing 3D printed steaks which are made using digital models and food formulations but no actual animal products.  The steaks apparently have a very authentic taste. 

There are several other Israeli start ups also working in the meat alternative industry,  which is rapidly growing.  

Aleph Farms Alternative Meat

Many observant Jews are examining whether these products are to be considered Kosher, and if so whether they are meat, dairy or "pareve."  Questions also include what kind of supervision might be  required, and  whether the original cells have transformed into something else in the course of growth and production, such that they are no longer "meat."  Needless to say, these debates are likely to provide Rabbis and Yeshiva students across Israel and the Jewish world with a great deal of food for thought.

There's lots more to say but I will have to save some of it for 2021.  This has probably already been too long but I hope that you have found some of it to be interesting reading.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2021.