A FB friend shared this spoof on Keith Sweat’s song “Nobody” talking about the 2020 election of Joe Biden. The video was shared by Jody Hawes Jr. with the hashtag #NobodyRemix.

Temple Beth Israel is hosting their 2020 AGM online

Sunday through Thursday, Temple Beth Israel hosts a 'virtual daily daven' online at 6.15pm.

" We join together with the youngest members of our community for music and engaging interactions designed to help families get ready for Shabbat. Join us at 10.30am every Friday Morning or if you prefer, you can view past episodes via our YouTube channel"

During the year, Cantor David Laloum at Temple Beth Israel hosted a Thursday Lunch and Learn on zoom, for people to learn Amidah together

Throughout the year, Temple Beth Israel hosted a weekly "Coffee and Conversation" on Wednesday afternoons, via zoom, with one of their rabbis.

This post advertises a webinar that took place, providing a link to the recording on youtube, of a 'Leadership in a Crisis' conversation with Ronni Kahn AO and Josh Burns MP, facilitated by Stand Up CEO Gideon Reisner

"In March, Stand Up founded the Jewish response | Coronavirus (VIC) group, a place to connect people who needed help because of COVID-19 to those who could offer it. After just a few days, hundreds of incredible volunteers sprung into action, helping coordinate food deliveries, delivering care packages, assisting other charities and so much more. One highlight was the creation of an informal 'buddy' system, pairing up people who were feeling isolated because of COVID-19 with volunteers who they could just have a chat and shoot the breeze with." This facebook post provides feedback from the program from people who participated in it.

"Yesterday, students at Mount Scopus Memorial College had the first of two opportunities to meet with (over zoom, of course) Hosna Hamouda and hear her story. Hosna was born in Sudan, her family fled when she was just one and arrived in Australia at the age of 5 after being in transit in Egypt. Hosna spoke to students about the challenges of beginning school without any knowledge of English and her experiences growing up in Melbourne coming from a Sudanese background. In the next session, kids learn more about the Sudanese community in Melbourne and will brainstorm ways to make a contribution! #StandUpStandOut"

"Yesterday we zoomed with Year 5 students at King David, exploring the connections between social justice challenges and Rosh Hashana. 🙏 What an inspiring way to bring in 5781! Here's hoping we can run this program again next year, but in real life this time! Shana Tova!"

Stand Up coordinated a community response to Covid in Victoria and NSW, connecting people and working to try to ensure that people had the assistance they needed, and that people were identified who could provide support.

"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed Bronia Koperszmidt as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’. Bronia, who is a former Sholem Aleichem College parent and current SACCEC student, taught the children how to make the traditional Sholem Aleichem College honey cake recipe in Yiddish. This recipe, which Bronia has been using since her children attending the school, is the recipe of Mira Zylberman (the former directress of the Sholem Aleichem Preschool and bobe of Lererin Reyzl Zylberman and Lererin Dvora Zylberman). The students were also taken on a photographic trip down memory lane to see how Bronia’s family connections to the College related back to the students themselves and their own journeys. We hope this will instill in them the understanding that our Sholem Aleichem College families remain a part of our community well-after leaving our college."

"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed vegan chef Michal Dawid Lachur all the way from Warsaw, Poland as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’. Michal taught the Grade 6s about vegetarian chef, Fania Lewando (1887-1941). Lewando ran a vegetarian restaurant in pre-WWII Vilna. The restaurant attracted figures such as Marc Chagall and Itzik Manger. She also had a cookery school, where she taught about vegetarian nutrition. Fania Lewando published the Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook (Vegetarish-Dietisher Kokhbukh) in 1938 in Yiddish. Many years later, it was translated into English and is available online. Michal led our students in a cooking workshop, where they learned to make a rice kugl and a prune tsimes. The students had a great time cooking with Michal and enjoyed learning to make Lewando’s take on these traditional dishes. A sheynem dank to Michal for joining us in the early hours of the morning to work with our students."

The staff at Sholem Aleichem College recorded a video celebrating Rosh Hashone

"This week our students have been busy preparing for Rosh Hashone! Our Grade 4 students enjoyed learning how to braid a khale through an amazing baking session, while our Grade 1 students loved baking delicious honey oat slice!"

This email that I provided goes to show the crazy semester we had at St. Mary's University. The Dean is sympathizing with the student and faculty for how hard everyone worked during the pandemic and how we were still able to come together whether it be through zoom or safe social distancing events. It also states struggles that everyone has been through such as Zoom glitches, dropped internet connections, etc. This shows that the dean is able to see all the hard-work that the students and faculty went through to finish the semester.

This is a photo album of screenshots of Mt Scopus students doing Kabbalat Shabbat at home, over zoom, together

This is a short video of students blowing to shofar, to encourage the community to "‪Get excited because there’s only one week till..... ROSH HA’SHANA!!!"

This is a photo album of screenshots of students celebrating Rosh Hashanah together on zoom

"Our Primary Students have also been learning about Chag #Sukkot From a virtual Sukkah to LEGO demonstrations, this year’s #Sukkot5781 has certainly had a point of difference! #JewishIdentity #Gettingthroughthistogether"

"What does Purim have to do with Yom Kippur? In this week’s ScopusTorah@Home Mrs Adina Bankier-Karp will explain why channeling our inner Esther is key this Yom Kippur. #JewishIdentity #Gettingthroughthistogether"

The oldest screenshot in this collection is from July of 2019, when my initial inquiry into attendance at St. Mary's University began. I was initially disappointed because I am located in Houston, St. Mary's is obviously in San Antonio, and they did not, at the time, offer online degree plans. In August I received an e-mail about the Public History scholarship program, which also announced the university's plan to have remote learning programs for this Master's program. I was ecstatic; I applied, and was accepted just in time for the semester to start. I received an informal acceptance in an e-mail from the program director, Dr. Wieck, and then a more formal one from the Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. These screen shots mean a lot to me, as I was very interested in St. Mary's as the college for my Master's, even though it wasn't ideal location wise, it seemed like one of the more thorough and dedicated programs in Texas. I was disappointed at first when I first was told I there weren't online classes, and didn't think much about that specific program for a bit afterwards. With the craziness of the pandemic sweeping over the country, I decided what the heck, picked up a GRE study book and began the process of studying, to apply to a closer university when I got the e-mail about the scholarship and remote learning classes. Being able to "attend" my preferred school has been a welcome surprise amidst constant weeks and months of bad news, stress, and anxiety. It has been a wild ride, given the short time between my application and admittance, when I wasn't sure I'd be admitted to the program in the first place. However, I'm rather pleased to be going pursuing this dream, and trying to learn from my mistakes daily.

"Rabbi Kennard passed on his Rosh HaShana greetings to staff, students and the whole #ScopusFamily at the conclusion of the virtual Student Leadership Induction Ceremony on Tuesday 15 September, 2020."

"Despite our community’s difficult circumstances Principal Rabbi Kennard is still able to provide an end of term message detailing Mount Scopus Memorial College Highlights for Term 3, 2020."

Hokkaido, a region up north of Japan, has been having increased number of cases. A lot of people are saying this is happening because it is cold there. 新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大が続いている北海道では17日から札幌市の警戒ステージを引き上げ、不要不急の外出自粛などを要請します。 　北海道・鈴木直道知事：「明確な減少傾向にしていくためには、さらに強いお願いをしなければならない」 　札幌市・秋元克広市長：「不要不急の外出の自粛をお願いするなども含めてさらに強い対策を取って行く必要があるのではないか」 　北海道では16日も189人の感染が確認され、このうち札幌市では124人と感染拡大が続いています。鈴木知事と札幌市の秋元市長は札幌市の警戒ステージを「4相当」に引き上げ、感染リスクが回避できない場合、「札幌市内での不要不急の外出自粛」や「札幌市と他地域との往来自粛」を要請する方針で合意しました。道は17日午後、対策会議を開いて正式決定します。 In Hokkaido, where the infection of the new coronavirus continues to spread, they decided to raise the alert stage of Sapporo City from the 17th and request that we refrain from going out unnecessarily. Governor Naomichi Suzuki of Hokkaido: "In order to make a clear downward trend, we must make a stronger policy." Mayor of Sapporo City, Katsuhiro Akimoto: "Furthermore, we will be asking people to refrain from going out unnecessarily. It may be necessary to take strong measures.” In Hokkaido, 189 people were confirmed to be infected on the 16th, of which 124 people continued to spread in Sapporo City. Governor Suzuki and Mayor Akimoto of Sapporo City raised the alert stage of Sapporo City to "equivalent to 4", and if the risk of infection cannot be avoided, they have agreed on agreed on a policy of requesting "self-restraint from traffic" to "refrain from going out unnecessarily in Sapporo City" or "Sapporo City and other areas". The policy for the roads will be officially decided by holding a countermeasure meeting on the afternoon of the 17th. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

アメリカのバイオテクノロジー企業「モデルナ」は開発中の新型コロナウイルスのワクチンについて、「94.5％の効果が得られた」とする臨床試験の暫定的な結果を発表しました。 　モデルナは16日、ワクチン開発の最終段階となる大規模な臨床試験の結果を発表しました。新型コロナウイルスに対して「ワクチンが94.5％の確率で効果を示した」としています。アメリカではファイザー社のワクチンでも「90％以上」の有効性が確認されていて、来月中にも両社のワクチンの緊急使用が始まる可能性が出てきました。ただ、このタイプのワクチンは低温で保存・運搬する必要があるなど課題も残されています。日本政府はモデルナと2500万人分のワクチン供給を受ける契約を結んでいます。 American biotechnology company "Moderna" has announced the preliminary results of a clinical trial that "94.5% of the effect was obtained" for the new coronavirus vaccine under development. On the 16th, Moderna announced the results of a large-scale clinical trial, which is the final stage of vaccine development. "The vaccine has a 94.5% chance of being effective against the new coronavirus," he said. In the United States, Pfizer's vaccine has been confirmed to be "90% or more" effective, and it is possible the emergency use of both companies' vaccines will begin by the end of next month. However, there are still issues with this type of vaccine, such as the need to store and transport it at low temperatures. The Japanese government has a contract with Moderna to receive vaccines for 25 million people. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

Part of attending college, both as an undergrad and graduate student, are campus activities. Some are designed to be fun, or educational, stress relieving, or to create a sense of community amongst the students. Sometimes you just walk into them as you are traveling about campus, or you see a flyer or an announcement e-mail for the event. The pandemic, and the constraints that go along with it have changed how these events happen. While some events happen in person, to comply with social distancing regulations, they are limited to how many people can attend, requiring a registration link. Other events that used to happen in person are now conducted over Zoom or other video conferencing platforms. The things that strikes me most out of these two screenshots is the asterisk next to some of the events, indicating it's a virtual event. It's foreign, and odd and really just serves as a constant reminder of the pandemic that the world is experiencing, because it singles out the event; this isn't in person, you must attend from your home / location of your computer.

I've chosen to submit this interview, because it captures the raw and real experience of an (almost) brand new teacher. Someone who has recently graduated (May, 2019) and barely dipped their toes into the teaching world. She has had to adapt to not only teaching a subject different than the one she studied for in college, but also navigating the trials of teaching in a pandemic world. This 40 minute long interview that show cases the emotions and trials that a teacher has to experience. On top of issues like student engagement, and teaching unfamiliar material she has to ensure that she's accounting for all her students attending, both the ones physically and online, while juggling asynchronous and synchronous classes. One particular poignant quote "It's not that I'm trying to relax and be happy or anything. It's just trying to find downtime to just have energy" really sums up the energy of how the year has gone for this new teacher. This perspective is important, as it shows the reality of how strenuous the pandemic education scene has been for educators, and the problems it's creating for students, as this person discusses. The pitfalls of technology that are harming rather than helping, and causing issues that might reverberate in the futures of the student's academic careers.

My first semester at college has been interesting. It is odd, because to me, my first semester has been fairly normal. I do not know how different college would be because this is my first year here. So many things have become normal routine to me: wearing my mask everywhere, joining zoom for my 8 a.m. classes, getting a COVID test every 3 days, and having a limit on the amount of people in my room. For me, an introvert, the coronavirus has limited the possible interactions I would have had daily and given me and excuse to do work by myself or not go to crowded events/spaces. In a sense, it is really odd, but I have not been impacted almost at all. I have either adapted well or I just don't have a lifestyle that is heavily affected by the rules of the pandemic. My first semester has felt extraordinarily normal in a time that is anything but.

With concert halls unable to open due to COVID-19, many performing arts groups have to find alternate ways to perform and raise money.

Christina Mena, a nurse in San Antonio, shares her experiences of working in a cardiac clinic during the pandemic.

Covid really began changing my life when the news broke that I would not be returning to my college campus. I remained home from my spring break with my family in New England and lots changed, both positive and negative. The most positive change in my life since the pandemic began has been my new family member, a mini Australian shepherd named Penny Lane. Penny is my family’s first dog and has been a big part of how we stayed sane throughout the initial craziness of Covid. Having a puppy to unite my family was a huge help because we were all feeling divided and found ourselves crashing more than usual due to the extended time at home. We were all able to bond over the teamwork required to take care of a pet and the happiness that a happy puppy brings to a household. Penny has helped all of us deal with our specific anxieties as well. In my case, I found myself becoming more reclusive, and finding motivation to do school work was more and more difficult. Experiencing a dog being happy to see me when I walked back home helped my motivation tons and made me want to retreat less into my negative thoughts. Penny had been a silver lining because we would not have gotten her if we weren’t spending so much time at home, and she made adjusting to the new way of Covid life much easier. As time has gone on, I find myself reflecting on the positive aspects of my quarantine experience more than the negative ones, and Pennny has been the most positive change in my life during he plague year.

This is a video from Nov. 7., the day Biden was announced as President-elect. I was walking through Boystown in Chicago with my roommate to pick up dinner for the evening and lots of people were out celebrating. Celebrating in a COVID-friendly way...it may be hard to tell in the video but everyone was spaced out respectfully with masks! An unusual time but an important one to remember.

The rural community of Tuttle, Oklahoma honored their class of 2020 high graduates with a sign made out of a round bale of hay. The round bale was located just off of State Highway 37 next to the Tuttle Grain & Supply. As part of the creativity, the bale had a sign saying: "Class of 2020" with comments such as "Proud of You!" and "Congrats!" as well as "Great Job!" The sign then covered the face of the hay bale in the design of a large face mask. The community was acknowledging the circumstances that altered the 2020 senior year and graduation to be a smaller event.

On November 3, 2020 I took a photo of the voting line that was spread across the Legacy Bank and Library parking lots in Blanchard, Oklahoma. The small community has several voting precincts and this is just one of them. At one point it was mentioned that people were waiting up to three hours to vote at this voting location. The crowd appeared to be somewhat spaced apart and some were wearing masks. The pandemic affected how people stood near each other, which would've been normally much closer.

On July 10, 2020 the local bank had a sign displayed that warned of the coin shortage that was caused by the pandemic. Due to the shortage, local businesses were limited in the amount of coins they could request from the National Bank in Blanchard, Oklahoma. On July 24, 2020 we decided to do our part and cashed in all of our coins. This gave us some extra cash and gave the bank some extra rolls of coins to distribute to the local businesses. Signs at local fast food restaurants still display their signs on the coin shortage and occasionally cannot make exact change. For certain restaurants like Taco Bell, they were encouraging over the summer to donate the remaining change to a charity they would then distribute the money to. This is example of how the pandemic has changed our lives in unpredictable ways.

On August 7, 2020 I received a message from a relative that their health insurance company had mailed them a small envelope with a cloth mask. At the time in Oklahoma, masks were still fairly difficult to find in stores and reusable masks were still available mostly online at considerable costs. The elderly relative said that her and her husband were told to use these if they went to a doctor's appointment or to a hospital. The pamphlet also advised them on the best way to wash and dry the mask for further use. This is something that seems like a small cost to the company, but could benefit everyone if it helped prevent people from getting sick, especially from COVID-19.

On September 15, 2020 I received a post card mailer from the U.S. Postal Service. The message is: "If you plan to vote by mail, plan ahead." The reverse side had my information and a note detailing a list of suggestions to prepare for mailing in a ballot during the 2020 U.S. Election. Personally, I've voted in many elections over the past few decades and voted by mail for a long time before this election as well - I've never received any information like this. You can tell that during the pandemic there was going to be a lot of pressure on voting by mail. Personally, I turned in my ballot at least a month before the actual day in fear that the postal system would be overwhelmed in the days right before the election. This is the first year where voting by mail didn't seem like a convenience, but felt like it was a large part of election history. The pandemic seems to be shifting our daily lives in ways that no one would've expected at the beginning of 2020.

This is a text my aunt sent to my cousins and me after she and my mom devised a new way to do Christmas shopping during the era of COVID19. They decided to forgo their usual Christmas shopping tradition because of the pandemic. Usually, the entire family spends a whole day going shopping together at various stores like Barnes and Noble or Kohls. My family makes a real day of it! However, this year my mother and aunt chose to do their Christmas shopping from home. To maintain as traditional a shopping experience as possible, they decided to ask my cousins, sister, and I to put together a list of items available on Amazon from which they would choose our gifts. This way, no one would have to leave their homes, and what we got for Christmas could still be a bit of a surprise!

I heard this short editorial of sorts during the 5pm hour today with my 4 good daughter on my lap at home. It helped me stop, reflect and take stock of everything.

On October 1, 2020, Ramin Karimloo, who starred in several musicals on West End, held a livestreamed concert on his Youtube channel to help raise money for healthcare workers. The charity he featured was Care Not Profit, a Canadian-based charity lobbying for living wages for people who work in for-profit long-term care facilities, better conditions for residents of those facilities, and better benefits for the workers.

Eva Noblezada, who has starred in Broadway musicals such as Miss Saigon and Hadestown, will be giving a virtual concert and will host a Q&A session afterwards via Zoom. This concert is one that you have to buy tickets for.

The Shows Must Go On! is a Youtube channel that started near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The channel is owned by Universal, and so has rights to many popular musicals, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's. Periodically, they stream performances and keep them up for 48 hours. This production of Macbeth stars Sir Patrick Stewart and will be available for a week when it's aired 11/16/2020. While it's up, the channel will be using it to raise money for The Actor's Fund to help performers struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article describes the recent challenges to obtaining an abortion in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic due to several states attempting to add further restrictions on abortion rights. It is important to understand that while it was already difficult for many to obtain abortions to begin with, the pandemic has added even more challenges for those seeking reproductive healthcare as well as more opportunities for anti-choice lawmakers to restrict abortion care.

After the city council expressed a desire to defund and possibly disband the police altogether, a vast number of officers decided to leave the department on their own, frustrated with the lack of support. Now, Minneapolis is scrambling to find additional officers from other agencies to deal with the rapidly escalating crime surge in their city.

I am actually suffering in this pandemic. Absolutely nothing has meaning anymore.

Oh woe, the struggles of wealth! To own a plushie of love of great size or own a machine of entertainment? Someone give me 1200 dollars as I must discover which is the best. It is for science.

An image shared by the person linked describing an image that is the digital equivalent of putting photos on a tack board and connecting them with strings while saying "Pepe Silvia". Apparently people think "extreme radical democratic liberals" used a bioweapon to kickstart a "communist" revolution or something in some sort of crazy bio-Posadist horror fantasy laced with a bit of the anti-semitic fear of the elites. Truly strange.

In Mexico, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen the revitalization of an ancient, indigenous farming method: chinampas, or floating gardens. As described in Amanda Gokee's article for Atlas Obscura, this indigenous farming method had been in decline for several centuries, but the disruption of Mexico's food supply chain has created an opening for indigenous farmers to sell their produce on the market. According to Gokee, the chinampa system, which dates back to Pre-Columbian times, is one of the most productive agricultural systems in the world. So it is no surprise that it has seen a resurgence thanks to the pandemic. Gokee's article showcases the efforts of one agricultural collective Colectivo Ahuejote, to further develop the use of the chinampa system in the Valley of Mexico.

Today, I sit at my desk and I write a lesson to share with my students. The lesson is about Covid 19. I am asking them to become historians for this very web site and archive their own experiences for future generations. I am sad that my students must do this but so very happy that their perspective will be part of history. So often in history, only the perspectives of a few have been recorded. And there is a danger in that. So the fact that my 8th grade students can be part of history and shape the perspective of future generations is powerful.