THE WAR IS INTENSIFYING

8 Shevat 5781

Jews have always greeted each other with the word "Shalom" - peace.  I wish you peace on the joy of meeting and I wish for you peace on the pain of parting.  "Shalom aleichem" - peace be upon you.  David HaMelech said, "I am peace but when I speak, they are for war." (Tehillim 120.7)  

Eisav loves war and the language of war.  After the shooting wars stopped at the end of WWII, Eisav invented new forms of war:  the War on Poverty, the War on Illiteracy, the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, which eventually brought us back to the shooting wars.  But now, unique among them all, we've come to the Global War on COVID-19.  Eisav loves his wars and he loves the language of war.

But, don't be fooled into thinking this is really a war against a virus.  The virus is just an excuse.  The real war is a war on humanity itself.  Not content just to steal the hearts and minds of the people, they are coming now for the bodies.  And right now, they are coming for the children.  

IDF Home Front Command Teaches Israeli Children to Fight Coronavirus

The Israeli Defense Force has begun a new initiative in its fight for Israel’s survival on the medical home front, continuing its assistance to the nation in the battle with COVID-19 but now focusing especially on the need to educate children about the enemy.

The purple dragon sitting on the cover of the 11-page booklet, translated also into English and other languages, does not seem to be nice or friendly.

Dracorona, says IDF Home Front Command media spokesperson Lt. Col. (res) Tali Versano Eisman, is not a friendly dragon.

“We understand that it’s very important to say that the reality should be explained to children according to their level of understanding, their language and their emotional capacity,” Eisman told JewishPress.com in an interview.

Eisman, 46, spent 120 days on reserve duty last year, and describes her IDF position as being the spokesperson for the Home Front Command on children, “something like a national comforter for children.” In civilian life, Eisman is an academic lecturer in psychology, has a Masters Degree in political leadership, and is an administrator at a resilience center. 

...Explaining to children how to deal with the Coronavirus involves using all forms of modalities, Eisman says. “The stories are written for children ages 5 to 10.”

There is also a video of Kofiko, the beloved animated Israeli children’s monkey character, together with Eisman herself, talking about having to get a new COVID-19 vaccination shot. Kofiko expresses the fears and concerns of the children while Eisman provides the answers and explanations, helping to debunk and defuse any misconceptions the children might have.

A card game has been created and is being distributed through the classrooms by teachers to children ages 11 and 12.

And a Coronavirus Dictionary has also been produced (and translated) for distribution among children ages 10 to 12, through the schools.

...What about the older grades?

“We want the teenagers to be more active in their communities,” Eisman says. “In the older grades, we encourage them to volunteer, and to get vaccines.”

In addition, a special slogan with a song is being promoted through a special program in the schools that says in Hebrew: “Ani achra’ee Ma-Ma-Sh.”

It has a special meaning: “I am in charge, MAMASH”, has another meaning. The word “mamash” — which means “really” in Hebrew, in this case is an acronym for:

Ma — Masicha — mask

Ma — Mirchak — (social) distance

Sh — Shtifah — (Shtifat yadayim) — washing hands.

The IDF hopes the children will memorize this slogan, and then learn to live with it, at least for now.

'Israel won't achieve coronavirus herd immunity until children are vaccinated'

As coronavirus cases keep surging despite the full lockdown, a senior health official said Wednesday there has been a noticeable surge in infections among children, adding that vaccinating them is a priority in order to achieve herd immunity. 

...Prof. Cyrille Cohen, head of the immunotherapy research lab at Bar Ilan University and member of the clinical trial advisory board: ..."We still do not have data on whether the vaccine prevents transmission," he explained. "Therefore, if the vaccine does not prevent transmission, then the protection an 18-year-old would get from it is relative since they are generally less prone to developing complications," he said. "But, if the vaccine does prevent transmission, then it is critical [to vaccinate younger people] in order to achieve herd immunity.

...According to Health Ministry data, as of Tuesday, 4,313 students have been confirmed to be infected [NOTE: positive test, not sick] with coronavirus, with the majority of them (3,517) from the ultra-Orthodox sector.

Of course!  How could it be otherwise?!

They have come for the children in the language of war.  How can we not mount a defense?  How do we meet this challenge?