Breaking News: 10 times higher death rate for Unvaccinated vs. Boostered: What the COVID Death Toll From Israel Reveals and Debunking Flat Earth ·and Dog jokes and better to send your beautiful wife shopping at the shuk and Eliat and Underwater coral park 010622 and the song "Speak the language of the Hebrew Man"

View in browser Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement. Love Yehuda Lave Join my blog by sending me an email to YehudaLave@gmail.com Breaking News: 10 times higher death rate for Unvaccinated vs. Boostered: What the COVID Death Toll From Israel Reveals Israelis over 60 who are either unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated against COVID-19 died in significantly higher numbers last month compared to people in their age cohort who are fully vaccinated, according to official figures published by the Israeli Health Ministry. The numbers show that while only approximately 12 percent of Israelis over 60 are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, together they account for 43 percent of COVID deaths in their age group in the previous month. These numbers highlight once again the stark contrast between the vaccinated and unvaccinated as Israel grapples with the fifth wave of a pandemic that has killed more than 9,000 people since March 2020. Throughout the previous waves as well, vaccination status emerged as a key factor in determining one's chances of suffering a severe infection or dying as a result of the virus. Death rates among the over 60s. Prof. Itamar Grotto, a former deputy director general of the Health Ministry, told Haaretz that "the chances of death could be 10 to 20 times more for the unvaccinated if you calculate it." Grotto added that "we're seeing an increase in the number of COVID deaths in Israel since the beginning of January. On January 4, the seven-day average number of COVID deaths per day was four, but on February 2 it's 39 – almost 10 times higher." He explained that "this death toll is partially related to the delta variant, but many cases are related to omicron. This means that although the omicron variant is milder, it is still causing a lot of illness and death due to its rapid spread." Grotto explained that the reason omicron is often milder is "at least partially" related to vaccination among the over 60s. According to ministry figures, on January 31 the death rate per 100,000 people for the over 60s stood at 16.3 for unvaccinated individuals, as opposed to 0.9 for the fully vaccinated. Official figures for the period of January 4 to February 1 showed that the average daily death rate per 100,000 people stood at zero for those under the age of 60. On January 29, ministry figures showed the death rate per 100,000 people under 60 to be 0.1 for the unvaccinated, 0.2 for the partially vaccinated and zero for the fully vaccinated. Over the past month, 679 people died from COVID in Israel. However, the higher death rate does not mean the vaccine is less effective than in previous waves, said Prof. Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israel Association of Public Health Physicians. He noted that differences in variants, vaccination rates and other factors make wave-to-wave comparisons difficult. Serious illness among vaccinated and unvaccinated patients aged 60 and over. "The vaccine is effective against severe illness and death, but it's not 100-percent bulletproof. And unfortunately, we do see that effectiveness against infection for omicron is very weak," he said. He added that there is also a clear variation in death rates between groups with lower and higher socioeconomic status. "Clearly, the infection rates are rocketing," Levine continued. "According to estimates, the infection rate is actually much higher because you can't test everyone. So, it's a widespread epidemic and, as we feared, once there's such a high number of infections, even if the death rate is relatively low you still get many fatalities – and that's clearly one of the issues. "We couldn't do much more to prevent transmission, but we could protect the most vulnerable better – we didn't do well enough," he observed. Part of the difficulty in parsing the current death rate is the unavailability of data regarding those who died solely because of COVID and those who had other causes while infected. There is also a lack of information regarding the split between omicron and delta cases among the deceased. The Three Musketeers at the Kotel Speak up the language of the Hebrewmen Loud and clear, the language of the Hebrewmen It is the language of the prophets Of the sign up on the wall It is old and sacred It will open up your soul"This is the opening paragraph of the wonderful song 'Hebrewman' written and sung by famous Israeli music artist Ehud Banai. This song also holds a special place in my heart as it played a central role in the very first group that I guided back in 2005. It was a Birthright trip, and you can just imagine the atmosphere of blasting this song endlessly on the bus with 40 Ohio State University sleep deprived students, zooming (by bus, not via computer) from one site to the next.There is another reason, though, why I decided to share this song with you today. The year 2022 is the centennial year to the passing of Eliezer Ben Yehudah, who was a driving force behind the revival of the Hebrew language. No, it's not that the Hebrew language ever disappeared. Far from it, the Hebrew language, whose birthplace was in the land of Israel during biblical times, was in constant use throughout the centuries. It was used when teaching religious studies, signing contracts, and more. For example, many middle age era documents from the Cairo Genizah that have been found are in Hebrew. So, what's so special then about Eliezer Ben Yehuda, what did he revive? Well, he started the process of modernizing Hebrew words so that this ancient language could be formatted into everyday use in modern times. Born in Russia and immigrated to the Turkish ruled Land of Israel in 1881 at the age of 23, Eliezer made it his goal in life to modernize the Hebrew language. Within historical context his arrival to the land coincided with the begining of the modern day Zionist movement and the first Aliya (first wave of immigration) of Jews to the land of Israel. It was a perfect match as Eliezer believed that a modernized Hebrew language was necessary for the revival of the Jewish nation in Israel, and these ideology filled Olim Hadashim (new immigrants) arrived in Israel just for that purpose. From here the journey was short to talking and hearing a modernized version of Hebrew on the streets, in schools, in theater, on the radio etc...All in all Eliezer Ben Yehuda created roughly 300 new words (there were many others who created new words too), many times finding sources to these words within the Jewish sources. Just a few examples of some of his new modernized words: Iria (municipality), mishtara (police), ofna (fashion), gleda (ice cream), chavita (omelett), iton (newspaper), reba (jelley), midracha (sidewalk), and the list goes on and on...Here is a link to Ehud Banai singing the Hebrew Man, a song created in 2004.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eonD8jTygTM Eliat and Underwater coral park 010622 At the end of Eliat near the Egyptian border is an underwater coral park that has been there for 30 years. You go down a three-story basement to a building and you are on the floor of the ocean in the coral! No need to dive or snorkel, you are with the colorful ocean fish. The park also has a very nice shark aquarium but there is nothing like being with the fish! A place not to be missed in Israel RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TERRIBLE DOG JOKES OF THE WEEK Where do Jewish dogs go to pray? The Synadogue What do you give an angry Jewish dog? A muzzle-tov! A guy walks into a bar with his golden retriever. He tells the bartender, "I got a Jewish dog named Moishe. He's so smart he actually talks. Can I get a drink on the house if my dog talks for you?'' ''Dogs can't talk, pal," replied the bartender, "but if you can prove to me yours does, I'll give you a drink. If not, well, let's just say you don't wanna find out.'' ''Okay,'' says the guy. He turns to his dog. ''Okay, Moishe. Tell me – what is on top of a house?'' ''Roof!'' The man turns and smiles at the bartender. ''THAT ain't talking! Any dog can bark!'' ''Okay, Moishe. Tell me – how does sandpaper feel?'' ''Ruff!" ''What the heck you tryin' to pull, mister?'' said the bartender. ''Okay, okay," says the man. "One more question. Okay, Moishe, tell me – who is the greatest ball player who ever lived?'' "RRRuth." The bartender had enough and picked up the guy and his dog and threw them onto the sidewalk outside of the bar. Moishe stands up and looks at his owner. "Wow. Maybe I shoulda said DiMaggio?" Benny's dog has died and he goes to see his rabbi. "Rabbi, I wonder whether you could find the time to say a special blessing at my dog's grave?" The rabbi replies, "I'm afraid it isn't possible, Benny. In fact the rules don't really make any allowance for animals." Benny says, "But I'm really upset, rabbi." "So maybe you should go to see the Reform rabbi over the road," says the rabbi. As Benny walks away dejectedly, he turns to the rabbi and says, "What a shame. I was willing to donate £1,000 for such a service." At which point the rabbi shouts, "Come back, come back." Benny turns round and says, "I thought you couldn't help me." "Ah," says the rabbi, "but you didn't tell me your dog was Orthodox." One early winter morning, an old Chassid was walking beside the canal when he saw a dog in the water trying hard to stay afloat. The old Chassid jumped in and after a struggle managed to bring it out alive. A passer by saw this and said, "That was so very brave of you! Are you a vet?" The old Chassid replied, "Of course I'm vet! I'm freezing cold as vell!" Shmuel had a bad car accident involving a large truck. Weeks later, in court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning Shmuel. "Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine,'?" asked the lawyer. Shmuel responded, "Vell, I'll tell you vat happened. I just put my dog Moishele, into the..." "I didn't ask for any details", the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?" Shmuel said, "Vell, I just got Moishele into the car and vas driving down the road...." The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question." By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Shmuel's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his dog Moishele". Shmuel thanked the Judge and proceeded. "Vell, like I vas saying, I just loaded Moishele, my lovely hundteleh (dog), into the car and vas driving him down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I vas thrown into one ditch and Moishele vas thrown into the other. I vas hurting, real bad and didn't want to move. However, I heard Moishele moaning and groaning. I knew he vas in terrible shape just by his groans. Den a Highway Patrolman came along. He could hear Moishele moaning and groaning so he vent over to him. After he looked at him, and saw vat terrible condition Moishele was in, he took out his gun and shoots him between the eyes. Den the Patrolman comes across the road, gun still in hand, looks at me and says, "How you feeling?" "Nu, Judge, vat vould you say? A little old lady get on a plane. She's carrying a bag, a purse and a little dog in a box. She sits down and puts the box on the seat next to her. A stewardess approaches and says, "I'm sorry Madam, but you can't keep the dog here. I'll have to take it and put it in baggage." She agrees. What else can she do? During the flight, the stewardess looks in on the little dog, and Oy Gevult, the dog is dead. She informs the pilot who notifies airport who tells the director who decides that they will get an other dog to replace this one. The little old lady will never know. When the plane lands and she goes to the baggage hall to claim her box, they bring her a box with a new dog, an exact replica of her old dog. "This is not my dog", she exclaims. "Why yes it is," the captain tells her. "See, it has the same markings." "This is not my dog", she insists. "How do you know this isn't your dog?" asks the captain. "My dog is dead I was taking it to Israel to bury it." And Adam said, "Oh Lord, you do not visit me anymore in the garden. I am lonely here and it's getting hard for me to remember how much you love me." And God said, "OK, I will create you a companion who will be a reflection of my love for you and you will then know that I love you at all times. Regardless of how childish, selfish and unlovable you are, your companion will always accept and love you." And God created a new animal for Adam and God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and wagged his tail. And Adam said, "Oh Lord, I can't think of a name for this new animal. All the good names in the animal kingdom have already been assigned." And God said, "OK, because I created this animal, his name will be a reflection of mine and you will call him DOG." And Dog lived with Adam and was a good companion and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail. Later, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Oh Lord, Adam now struts around like a peacock and believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but no one has taught Adam humility." And the Lord said, "OK, I will create another companion for Adam who will see him as he is. And this companion will remind him of his limitations and he will soon know that he is not worthy of adoration." And God created CAT. And Cat would not obey Adam. When Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility. And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Cat did not care one way or the other. Morty visits Dr. Saul, the veterinarian, and says, "My dog has a problem." Dr. Saul says, "So, tell me about the dog and the problem." "It's a Jewish dog. His name is Shloimeh and he can talk," says Morty. "He can talk?" the doubting doctor asks. "Watch this!" Morty points to the dog and commands: " Shloimeh, Fetch!" Shloimeh the dog, begins to walk toward the door, then turns around and says, "So why are you talking to me like that? You always order me around like I'm nothing. And you only call me when you want something. And then you make me sleep on the floor, with my arthritis. You give me this fahkakta food with all the salt and fat, and you tell me it's a special diet. It tastes like dreck! YOU should eat it yourself! And do you ever take me for a decent walk? NO, it's out of the house, a short pish, and right back home. Maybe if I could stretch out a little, the sciatica wouldn't kill me so much! I should roll over and play dead for real for all you care!" Dr. Saul is amazed, "This is remarkable! So, what's the problem?" Morty says, "He has a hearing problem! I said 'Fetch,' not 'kvetch.'" Debunking Flat Earth · Has any flat-Earther ever been convinced that they were wrong, and which fact worked? The big one I'm aware of is the YouTuber formerly known as Ranty Flat Earth. SciManDan has covered him. Ranty was a pretty big name in the YouTube FE movement, until he saw this photo: The short explanation is that the mountain in the background just behind the tower is reported to be 778 meters tall (and 81.47 km away from the photographer) , while the tower is 158 meters tall (and 19.62 km away from the photographer) . Since the only way to explain this is curvature of the Earth, Ranty was convinced that the Earth is in fact spherical. Ranty has since started a new channel called Flerf Prospective, but all of his former allies in the Flerf community have made excuses as to how and why this photo doesn't show a sherical Earth and how Ranty was "bought off" of other such nonsense. Shuk Produce Vendors Offer Better Prices to Beautiful Women By Abigail Klein Leichman Everyone knows that prices are negotiable at Israel's open-air marketplaces. Prices posted in the shuk are merely a starting point for discussion, and competition is high because there are many vendors offering identical stock. But not everyone can successfully bargain down prices. It seems to depend on how you look and whether you're male or female. Advertisement Undercover shoppers in a recent Israeli study found that fresh produce vendors (96 percent of them male) in 23 markets offered larger and more frequent discounts to women than to men. The more attractive the female buyer, the larger and more frequent the discount offered. Male shoppers' attractiveness made no difference at all. Overall, male buyers obtained a discount on 26% of their requests, compared to 40% of female buyers' requests. The mean percentage discount obtained by female buyers was 5.18% compared to 2.45% for male buyers. Economics professors Zeev Shtudiner (Ariel University, Israel) Bradley J. Ruffle (McMaster University, Canada) and Arie Sherman (Ruppin Academic Center, Israel) reported their findings in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics. "We trained 90 buyers [44 males and 46 females] and sent them to produce markets across Israel. After verifying a product's posted price, they asked for a discount on a one-kilogram or one-unit purchase," the authors explain. "Predominantly male vendors employ third-degree price discrimination: women are offered larger and more frequent discounts than men, and the more attractive the female buyer, the larger and more frequent the discount offered. No other buyer characteristic is a significant predictor of the likelihood or size of a discount," they state. Indeed, the buyer's perceived wealth, kindness, intelligence or ethnicity were not found to be significant predictors of their chances to get a discount on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs or spices. The attractiveness and other perceived traits of the buyers were rated by 577 students looking at their photographs. "The near absence of price-information sharing among buyers in these markets permits vendors to price at a markup and to grant individual requests for a discount without fear of inviting an onslaught of additional takers," the authors write. "The finding that the mostly male vendors in our sample willingly lower their posted prices in response to the buyer's gender and, to a lesser extent, their looks attests to this markup and their willingness to employ it at their discretion." This article was first published by Israel21c. See you tomorrow bli neder We need Moshiach now! Love Yehuda Lave Yehuda Lave, Spirtual Advisor and Counselor Jerusalem, Jerusalem  Israel 972-585043210 YehudaLave@gmail.com You received this email because you signed up on our website or made a purchase from us. Unsubscribe