ToI Community update — Editor’s Note: Free people confined to our homes * Zoom in to talk COVID-19 with David Horovitz * ToI podcasts on an egg-less Passover

[The Times of Israel]( Dear Community members and Daily Edition readers, What to make of these hints of optimism amid the coronavirus uncertainties? Days ago, Israel’s top health expert was warning of thousands of dead. And yet last night, the prime minister told us we might be able to begin the gradual exodus from our homes, fittingly enough, soon after Passover, provided the relatively encouraging statistics on infection and serious illness are maintained. Days ago, Italy and Spain were overwhelmed by death; lately their numbers are giving rise to cautious encouragement. Austria has already set a timetable for a return to normal. But New York is being battered, and Britain’s hitherto seemingly healthy prime minister, Boris Johnson, aged 55, is in intensive care. I’m just writing up an interview I did with a leading Israeli philosopher who, at one point, remarked that this is actually quite the shining moment for humanity, in that much of its leadership worldwide has largely sacrificed economic imperative and “market solutions” to help protect society’s elderly and vulnerable from the ravages of this pandemic. Maybe that is this era’s story of triumph over adversity — we are staving off a virulent killer that primarily targeted the older generation, the generation we are biblically enjoined to respect. Israelis wear face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic as they buy matzot at a supermarket in Jerusalem, March 31, 2020 (Yossi Zamir/Flash90) Tomorrow evening, we in Israel will celebrate a Passover like no other in living memory — as free people [confined]( to our homes — and Jews around the world will tell the story of the biblical exodus in variations of such constraints. Let’s hope the wisdom is with the optimists, and the world’s reeling billions will find, as Netanyahu put it last night, an amended Passover blessing: liberation from isolation. — We’ve been sending these weekly emails to ToI Community members and all Daily Edition readers lately, and we are hugely appreciative that so many of you have been joining the Community as a consequence, and thus helping finance the work of our reporters and editors. If you haven’t yet joined, [please do](! All Times of Israel content remains open to all readers. But if that content matters to you, do please support us — for as little as $6 a month. — Take in Community LIVE on Zoom Given the importance of social distancing, we are switching from Community LIVE to Community Zoom. This week, New Media editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer spoke with David Horovitz about COVID-19, and specifically how well Israel is handling the crisis. Click [here]( or on the image below to watch. Founding Times of Israel editor David Horovitz speaks with new media editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer on Community LIVE back in pre-virus December 2019. (Amanda Borschel-Dan) We are living in uncertain times and riding strong waves in uncharted waters here, and we are doing our best to make the Community a space for learning and for comfort. Every day after Passover, we will try to host a different leading Times of Israel journalist, medical expert, thought leader, artist, or comedian… someone to spend time with us to make the edges a little softer while we learn a little, ask some questions, and share the virtual space of a TOI Community Zoom-up. Please [join our Facebook group]( for the live stream, and if you don’t have FB or miss the Zoom broadcast, we will provide videos in our weekly email. — Community podcast preview — WhyWhyWhy! presents: Eggs On Sunday, The Times of Israel reported that cargo ships carrying eggs had arrived in Israel to fill the gap left by interrupted imports from Italy and Spain. But we also noted that the shipment might still fall short of the high pre-Passover demand. And short it fell. Podcast WhyWhyWhy! on how eggs are shelled gold in Israel today. (iStock images) While a few regions of Israel had eggs aplenty, many others were left scrounging. The great Passover egg hunt was on. After Opinion and Blogs editor Miriam Herschlag took to Facebook seeking ideas for replacing the egg on her seder plate (eliciting suggestions of a chocolate egg, lentils, rice, caviar, a plastic egg, avocado, a photo of an egg, and 80 more ideas), relief arrived from the friend next door. On this, the Eggs episode of WhyWhyWhy!, you can hear a chat with Berhanu Yosef, the friend who came to the rescue. Ed Snitkoff’s Jerusalem eggspedition led him to venture to the heart of Abu Tor, and to discover that egg shortages know no borders. And Jewish World editor Amanda Borschel Dan got to the supermarket and found out that eggs were not the only item in short supply, eventually ending up with far more than she bargained for. You can [hear the WhyWhyWhy! Podcast here]( or on clicking the image above. It is hosted by Miriam Herschlag and Noah Efron, is a collaboration between The Times of Israel and TLV1 Podcasts. New story submissions are welcome. If you have a story to tell that you think might be a fit, contact the hosts at story@tlv1.fm — How to spice up your seder, spiritually and physically, on the ToI podcast This week on The Times of Israel Podcast, host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaks with star chef Adeena Sussman for some hot takes and easy tips on how to feed the kids during this egg-less Passover. [Click here]( or on the image below to listen. Left: Adeena Sussman in her Tel Aviv kitchen; right: the cover of the new ‘Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel: Exodus.’ (Courtesy of Dan Perez/courtesy) Next, to help spice up the Haggadah portion of the festive meal, we speak with David Arnovitz, who is the Editor in Chief of the new Exodus volume of the wonderfully illustrated Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel series. It’s a must for all Jewish book shelves. Arnovitz discusses the tensions of being a Jewish publishing house, which adheres to an Orthodox religious perspective, yet brings to life the past 200 years of academic research. As he explains, the scientific and archaeological research gives the story of the 10 plagues even deeper meaning. — April perks for ToI Community members: - 10% off a pre- or post-Pesach delivery order from [BeerBazaar]( ([English](). Discount Code: TOI-COMMUNITY - 20% off Gur Inbal’s ceramic art at [ArtSource](. Indicate you’re a member of the Times of Israel Community to receive discount. - A 15% discount at [Judaica Webstore:Â](Coupon code: TOI_15 - A $100 voucher for a Hebrew course from[ eTeacher.]( Be well, [David Horovitz] David Horovitz You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to The Times of Israel's Daily Edition. If you would like to stop receiving editorial announcements, please click below to unsubscribe. [Unsubscribe](