Guest: David Rubin from Jerusalem via phone or Skype
The Chief Rabbinical Council of Israel has just announced that they are shutting down all synagogues in Israel as of 5 PM today (March 25).
While some civil libertarians and religious free speech advocates cry foul, Israel says it must be done to protect its citizens from the Coronavirus.
Here to join us in this discussion is David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh, Israel and the author of “Trump and the Jews”.
Suggested Q&A:
- When we think of Israel, many of us visualize people praying at the Western Wall or entering a synagogue. In fact, your book, Trump and the Jews, has a picture of President Trump praying at the Western Wall. Why would Israel’s rabbis take such an extreme step? It has to be done to fight the spread of the Coronavirus.
- Thirty percent of those testing positive for the coronavirus did so after attending synagogues or yeshivas (bible colleges). How do you explain that? Synagogues are extremely social places and very often are crowded, which makes them prime breeding grounds for the spread of the virus.
- How will devout Jews handle this news, knowing that Jewish law requires at least ten people gathering together in a synagogue for formal worship three times a day? This Corona crisis and the gradual lockdown here has been a gradual process, and some synagogues have already been closed. Some devout Jews may still object, but this is a life and death situation, which in Judaism takes precedent over every other religious precept.
- What long term impact do you think this will have on Judaism? Probably none. We have survived slavery in Egypt and mass slaughter by the Nazis. We, along with the rest of the world, will survive this challenge and when it’s over, I am predicting an economic and spiritual boom that will revival the optimism that the world experienced after World War Two.
- President Trump has been given a 60% approval rating by the American public concerning his leadership through this Coronavirus crisis. You wrote about President Trump’s unorthodox leadership qualities in your book Trump and the Jews. Tell us about your book and where we might get a copy.
Answer: Trump has indeed been a steady hand in this crisis, as has his counterpart, Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel. You can get a copy of my book at Amazon.com Just type in the words: Trump and the Jews.
Bio: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the book, “Trump and the Jews” and five other books. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org
