Community in trauma as corona wave breaks
In New York, the state hardest hit by the pandemic, 782 people have died and a little more than 53,000 have been infected as of this writing. In fact, the Tristate area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut accounts for more than half of the total coronavirus cases in the United States. On Sunday, to help staunch the spread of the disease, President Trump called on residents to suspend all nonessential travel for 14 days.
In the City, the epicenter of the virus is in Queens (with about 9,000 cases), but Brooklyn (about 7,000 cases) is not far behind. The horrible sight of refrigerator trucks parked alongside hospitals speaks to the unspeakable scenario facing the city. Hatzolah reports a call “every three minutes” and the 911 emergency hotline has broken all-time records. Chevros kaddisha have so many taharos to perform that they are postponing funerals for the following day.
Jewish men of great stature are dying and not receiving a customary burial or shiva attended by waves of well wishers. A gadol such as Rav Yisroel Plutchok zatzal, the rosh yeshiva of Derech Chaim, Boro Park’s largest Litvish-style yeshiva, died on Thursday. His levayah was that night, but the thousands of talmidim he built up over a 36-year career were forced to participate via the Zoom app or telephone. The list of rabbanim and roshei yeshivah on respirators is in the double digits.
Maimonides Medical Center, Boro Park’s hospital, is on a desperate quest to double its bed occupancy from 800 to 1,600. It has raided its oncology and birthing wards, erected massive tents outside its 10th Avenue location, and is renting nearby buildings. There are also reports that it is rationing care and not treating elderly patients.
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