Trump calls Netanyahu to hail his next gov’t * Op-Ed: Gantz, at what cost? * Ultra-Orthodox urged to wake up as virus cases soar * NY in epicent er * Lockdown marital tips

[Visit timesofisrael.com for 24/7 updates]( The Daily Edition Saturday, March 28, 2020 [Trump phones Netanyahu to congratulate him that he’ll form, head next government]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Leaders also discuss steps needed to manage coronavirus pandemic; call comes day after Benny Gantz indicates he will enter unity government with PM]( [Gantz says he’s ‘at peace’ with decision, no other choice during virus crisis]( By [TOI staff]( [‘Black flag’ activists protest against Gantz outside homes of his party’s MKs]( By [TOI staff]( Op-ed [David Horovitz]( [Abandoning core vow, doesn’t Gantz risk harming the democracy he said he’d save?]( [The Blue and White leader is laudably espousing unity amid our health and political crises. But at what cost?]( [Gantz said hoping to oust health minister, prevent Edelstein’s return as speaker]( By [TOI staff]( [With 425 new cases, number of patients in Israel rises to 3,460]( By [TOI staff]( [50 of the diagnosed are in serious condition, 73 moderate; majority are staying at home under monitoring; country preparing for potential full closure this week]( [Health Ministry delays test results, amid reports patients given false diagnoses]( By [TOI staff]( [Netanyahu: If cases don’t dip in 2 days, full lockdown will be only option]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Haredi communities urged to ‘wake up’ as infections in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem soar]( By [TOI staff]( [Health Ministry data shows cities, home to large ultra-Orthodox communities, have highest numbers of coronavirus patients and much higher infection rates than national average]( [Eggsistential crisis / Agriculture minister orders egg imports as panicked buyers spark shortage]( By [TOI staff]( [Cabinet approves release of 500 prisoners to house arrest to reduce virus threat]( By [Jacob Magid]( [NY rabbi who survived COVID-19 donates blood plasma to treatment research]( By [Ben Harris]( [Rabbinical school dean Daniel Nevins, who had mild symptoms of disease, volunteers with program examining role of antibodies in potential coronavirus medicine]( [Coronavirus increases anti-Semitic activity in divided New Jersey town]( By [JTA]( [How to get through the virus lockdown with your marriage and family intact]( By [Sue Surkes]( Top Ops [Diana Bletter]( [Coronavirus and my husband’s shoelaces]( [In this crisis, my outlook has shrunk from global to local: More than ever, I’m relieved I moved to Israel, a place I feel cared for and wanted]( [Sally Berkovic]( [A digital geniza: Collecting COVID-19 ephemera]( [Flitting between the fragile present and the long corridor of Jewish memory, this time capsule will let us look back on how we responded to the virus]( [US eyes new outbreaks as infections worldwide top 590,000]( By [Matt Sedensky, Kevin McGill and David Rising]( [Deaths surge in Italy and Spain as fatalities worldwide climb to 26,000; New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit emerge as new hot spots; over 6,000 hospitalized in New York]( [Philadelphia Jewish community center lays off 176 workers due to virus outbreak]( By [Ben Sales]( [Reporter's notebook / In a pandemic, US pro-Israel lobbies withdraw to the home office]( By [Ron Kampeas]( [Congress locks oversight into $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package]( By [MARY CLARE JALONICK and Matthew Daly]( [Legislation creates multiple layers of accountability to ensure funds not misused, in move likely to fray ties between Congress and White House]( [Trump signs $2.2 trillion stimulus package after swift congressional votes]( By [Andrew Taylor, Alan Fram, Laurie Kellman and DARLENE SUPERVILLE]( [Jewish leaders say $2.2 trillion stimulus offers community needed assistance]( By [Eric Cortellessa]( coronavirus crisis [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [For Italian Jews, the ‘smell of death’ is all around]( [As the toll rises, the Jewish community of Italy relies on its own local media and communal institutions as lifelines for social welfare and solidarity]( [Italy sees fatalities spike, is 2nd country to pass Chinese virus case total]( By [David Rising, Jill Lawless and Matt Sedensky]( [Chief rabbi of Strasbourg believes majority of city’s Jewish population infected]( By [TOI staff]( [In Ukraine, Christian group steps in to feed needy Jews confined by COVID-19]( By [Sue Surkes]( [New York plans more hospitals as virus death toll surges]( By [AFP]( [State records 519 fatalities as governor announces 4 temporary medical centers throughout New York City; outbreak in area expected to peak in 3 weeks]( [Closed caskets, empty chairs at funeral home in New York virus epicenter]( By [TED SHAFFREY and Deepti Hajela]( [States impose new restrictions on travelers from New York]( By [Philip Marcelo and Mark Pratt]( More Headlines [Prominent Italian painter unveils a work depicting anti-Semitic blood libel]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [Gazans fire rocket into Israel, breaking lull in violence amid virus outbreak]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Organizers of Gaza border protests cancel Land Day event over virus concerns]( By [TOI staff]( [Microsoft divests from Israeli facial-recognition startup]( By [Matt O'Brien]( [Israeli-American adviser to Andrew Yang challenges Nadler for congressional seat]( By [Ron Kampeas]( [With virus, cherished Mideast traditions come to abrupt halt]( By [SAMYA KULLAB]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( © 2020 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, All Rights Reserved