H EADLINES
ISRAELBRIEFS Woman to Lead an Israeli Orthodox
Synagogue for First Time
SHIRAT HATAMAR, a congregation in the West
Bank settlement of Efrat, elected Rabbanit Shira
Marili Mirvis, 40, as spiritual leader on April 26,
marking the fi rst time a woman will hold that role in
an Israeli Orthodox synagogue, JTA reported.

“I truly hold in my heart all of the women, across
all of the generations, who are greater than me, and
smarter than me, and fear heaven and are students
of Torah that didn’t receive the recognition and love
that I have received,” she said. “I have a congregation
that is a group of people — men, women and children
— that come together to serve God in happiness,
simplicity and prayer.”
Mirvis’ election is considered historic. Unlike the
more liberal Conservative and Reform movements,
Orthodox seminaries have traditionally ordained
only men as rabbis.

Mirvis was elected with the support of 83% of the
synagogue’s membership.

nation’s two most-common snakes, Th e Jerusalem
Post reported.

Israeli company Kamada produces the antidotes
and sells them to the nation’s Health Ministry. Th e
company specializing in developing medicines to
treat people receiving organ transplants or suff ering
from rare diseases.

May is considered peak snake season in Israel. Th e
Health Ministry estimates that 58% of snake bites
occur in central Israel, while 33% are in southern
Israel and 9% in northern Israel.

Isolation Required for Israelis Returning From
Countries with High COVID-19 Rates
Israelis returning from countries with high levels of
COVID-19 infection will be required to isolate, even
if they’re already vaccinated or recovered, according
to a Health Ministry director Director-General
Chezy Levy signed on April 29, Th e Jerusalem Post
reported. Th e measure, which took eff ect May 3, was
prompted aft er 41 cases of the Indian variant —
including in four already-vaccinated people — were
Israel Prepares for Snake Season
In advance of snake season, Israel’s health system detected.

Th e high-risk countries include India, South
has bought antidotes that counter the venom of the
Africa, Turkey, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Mexico and
Brazil. Levy said outbound travel of Israelis to those
countries would be halted. Travelers spending less
than 12 hours in airport transit in those countries
will be exempt.

Most of those infected entered from India, the Post
reported. Israeli Cash Use Jumps 17.5% in 2020
Th e amount of cash in circulation in the Israeli
economy jumped by 17.5%, or about $5.7 billion, in
2020, compared to a 1.5% increase in 2019, Globes
reported. Th e Bank of Israel said the rise in cash use indicated
that the public needed to feel more fi nancially secure
in an uncertain era, noting that the biggest jump in
cash use came at the pandemic’s start. Globes said
it’s possible that businesses took cash to lower their
revenues so they could receive government grants for
COVID-19 compensation, and that people ostensibly
on unpaid leave were performing work for cash.

Th e increases have continued in 2021, with about
$1.9 billion more in circulation in the year’s fi rst two
months. ●
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
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