Scientific, psychological, spiritual advice during pandemic

Prof. Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, briefs Jewish Community Foundation on line about the coronavirus.  (Screen grab)

Other items in this column include:
*San Diego County Covid 19 news
*San Diego Jewish Community Online
*San Diego County Judaica

*Recommended reading

By Donald H. Harrison

Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO — Via such Internet communication systems as Zoom and Facebook, San Diegans have been receiving scientific, psychological, and spiritual information during this coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego sponsored a 40-minute online briefing by Prof. Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D,  of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in which some of the points that she covered were:

–The Covid-19 outbreak is traced back to New Year’s Eve in Wuhan, China.  It is a zoonotic virus — transmitted by animals to humans — which spread quickly because it is a new virus, for which humans have not yet developed any immunity.  The animals in question might have been bats or some form of sea food sold at markets there.  It definitely was animal-caused, not human-caused, she said.

–At the moment the only way to prevent the spread of the disease is social distancing.  The droplets from an infected person–spread by coughing, sneezing, or in some cases, just talking — are out of range if you keep at least six feet away.  Another way it is transmitted is when it lingers on hard surfaces and the people who touch that surface then touch the orifices of their faces, which are moist enough to allow the virus to thrive.  The virus can be killed by soap and bleach as well as by ultraviolet light.

— Based on the tests that have been conducted, the coronavirus is lethal for between 1 and 3 percent of the population.  In the future when more tests are done, the percentage may be found to be much lower because there may be many people who have had the virus and were asymptomatic.  She urged people not to be alarmed by the jump in the number of cases, but instead to focus on the low fatality rate.

–Most viruses flourish in winter and subside in summer.  It’s not known yet whether coronavirus will do the same, but one suspects it will.

–Vaccines are being worked on and may be available in a year’s time, which would help if coronavirus returns.

–Preliminary studies and statistics indicate that men are more susceptible to coronavirus than women, and of the population that contracts coronavirus, a higher percentage of men than women will die from it.

— New York City probably has a higher rate of infection than other American cities because people there ride the crowded subways, whereas in California people commute by car.

Shayna Gotheld Kaufmann, PhD, discusses reducing anxiety and fear during a pandemic. (Screen grab)

Earlier in the week, Shayna Gothard Kaufmann, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist told the Tifereth Israel Synagogue Sisterhood that fear is almost as toxic as the coronavirus. She urged listeners to take some of the following steps to alleviate fear and anxiety. (1) Taking purposeful deep breaths, holding them in for four seconds, then slowly letting them out. While maintaining social distancing, find places to walk such as in the back yard of a house.  (2) Walking to elevate heart rates and to allow the sun to provide  the body Vitamin D.

Kaufmann also suggested that people who are staying at home to resist the temptation of staying in their pajamas all day.  She said people will feel better if they get dressed, and comb their hair.  She also urged people to limit the amount of television news coverage they watch about the coronavirus.  She said if people monitor their bodies while they listen to these reports, they will be able to detect the tension.  “Limit self-induced stress,” she recommended.

Staying in contact with friends and relatives via the phone or the Internet is also a good way to cope with the pandemic, she said.  “We can’t hibernate from everyone.”

Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah of Chabad at San Diego State discusses helpful spiritual practices. (Screen grab)

Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah of Chabad at San Diego State University brought Facebook watchers along with him on a run near a lake.  “There is a concept in Chassidus that we say every morning … You are supposed to say thank you to Hashem for bringing you back on earth, healthy and fit, and also at night you are supposed to say the shema,” he said.

“You are supposed to be at all times reminding yourself that everything you do, there is a purpose behind it.  When you say the shema at night, you are supposed to be an accountant; you are supposed to evaluate every single action that you did that day and judge yourself … You always judge yourself, but you don’t judge others.  You are harsh and tough on yourself and you are a little bit more lenient with others. The idea is if you are to improve you must be critical of yourself, but to improve others you must be loving and accepting.”

 

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San Diego County Covid 19 news
*Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) provided this rundown on the major points in the bipartisan relief bill passed unanimously by the Senate:

–Health Care Facilities: large investment in hospitals, health systems and state and local governments to give them the resources they desperately need during this emergency.

–Workers: large increase in Unemployment Insurance benefits to help laid-off or furloughed workers, including an additional $600 per week in benefits for four months for jobless workers. Additionally, it will extend Unemployment Insurance benefits to those who are self-employed or independent contractors.

–Small Businesses: expansion of fast relief for small businesses; rent, mortgage and utility costs will be eligible for SBA loan forgiveness.

–Students: billions in emergency education funding and elimination of income tax on student loan repayment assistance by an employer. |

–Cash Payment: $1,200 for individuals who make up to $75,000; $2,400 for married couples who make up to $150,000. Those who make between $75,000 and $99,000 ($150,000 and $198,000 for couples) will be eligible to receive a smaller payment. In addition, families will be eligible to receive $500 per child. This one-time payment will be based on adjusted gross income on 2019 tax returns, or 2018 if not yet filed.

–Accountability and Oversight: provisions to prevent secret bailouts and adds special oversight requirements to monitor how loans to big businesses are spent.

*San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez said sweeping legislation adopted by the City Council and Mayor Kevin Faulconer includes (1) a moratorium on evictions of residents and small businesses that cannot pay their rents or leases (2) a prohibition on evicting tenants in San Diego Housing Commission-controlled apartments; (3)A pledge to work with banks and lenders to halt foreclosures on properties whose owners can’t pay their mortgages, and (4) A $6 million relief fund to support local businesses.  Gomez is a candidate for Congress in the 53rd Congressional District.

*Assemblyman Todd Gloria has issued a plea to San Diegans to “hold the line” and continue to remain at home and keep their distance from other people.  “As Californans we are used to charting our own course and leading the country and the world, and we definitely aren’t used to staying at home,” he said. “I get it. It’s not my natural response, either. But I know it is the right one based on the best science available.”  Gloria is a candidate for mayor of San Diego.

*Cindy Marten, superintendent of San Diego City Schools, says plans are being worked out to permit students to complete their academic year through distance learning.  As not all students have access to computers, she said, other methodologies also will be utilized.  She indicated that the plan will go into effect, at least partially, on April 6 following the traditional spring break, Times of San Diego reported.

*Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Padilla, who chairs the state coastal commission, is reported by his daughter Ashleigh to still be on a ventilator in an intensive care unit, but is making slow, steady progress. ““My dad is a fighter, and he’s fighting through this — with the help of amazing doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who are caring for him. We’re hopeful that he’s reached a turning point and will be home soon.”

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San Diego Jewish Community Online

*San Diego Outreach Synagogue will hold Erev Shabat services online at 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 27, as well as Havdalah and a Jewish songfest a 8  p.m., Saturday, March 28, both via this Facebook link.

*Rabbi Joshua Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue will teach via Zoom a “Journey through the Hagaddah” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 1.

*The Hive at Leichtag Commons will sponsor “an earth-based seder” using Rabbi Ellen Bernstein’s Hagaddah, The Promise of the Land, at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 2.  Register via this link.

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San Diego County Judaica 

Lana Schaffer and Victor Kinus painting of Jerusalem
Michael and Paula Mantell with challah right out of the oven.
Rabbi Yael Ridberg – Jerusalem steps

Our online display of San Diego Judaica continues today with a painting by Russian Jewish artist Victor Kinus, who pictures a stylized Jerusalem bathed in a shaft of heavenly light. Lana Schaffer is its proud owner.  Rabbi Yael Ridberg of Congregation Dor Hadash has this painted-over image of a passageway in Jerusalem that was photographed by her late grandfather Abraham Simon. “I’ve had it hanging in every home I’ve lived in for the last 20 years,” the Reconstructionist rabbi says. Michael & Paula Mantell chose some edible Judaica for their subject, a challah just out of the oven that Paula baked for Shabbat.  Michael commented that just looking at it, he was not sure that he would be able to wait for Shabbat to eat it.

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Recommended reading
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Jewish Insider has a sympathetic profile of Ammar Campa-Najjar, the Democratic candidate in the 50th Congressional District, whose Palestinian grandfather was accused of being a terrorist behind the massacre of Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics.  Campa-Najjar’s mother is a Mexican Catholic.  He has condemned his grandfather, favors a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, and has a Jewish girlfriend.

*The San Diego Union-Tribune has a story charting San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry‘s remarkable comeback from election day third-place finisher to the second place finisher and runoff candidate in the San Diego mayor’s race.

*Beth Sirull, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, tells in a San Diego Union-Tribune op-ed the important role philanthropy is playing during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com