Fear and schadenfreude: Israeli Twitter reacts to news of Trump - and top Rabbi - contracting coronavirus
It's a pretty wild morning here in Israel: Popular President Trump has tested positive, and so has 92-year-old Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky - one of the leading rabbis of the non-hassidic haredi world
As opposed to most countries outside of the U.S., Donald Trump is a very popular president here in Israel. Which is why itโs interesting to follow reactions to the news of him testing positive for covid-19.
However, what makes it even more interesting is the fact that leading orthodox rabbi, Chaim Kanievsky, has also tested positive for the virus, at the age of 92. The reason this is such an interesting development, is because haredim now make up around 40% of people diagnosed with coronavirus each day in Israel. Reminder: weโre hitting numbers of 9,000 positive a day. Itโs out of control.
And, these two high profile cases carry quite a bit of symbolism: both leaders, Trump and Kanievsky, can be seen as guilty for the spread of the virus in their respective communities (Trump by spreading fake news, Kanievsky by not doing enough to close synagogues and so on), and both are crucial allies of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
So, letโs get started. As usual, Iโll be updating this post throughout the day, and if you see any interesting tweets, please throw them my way.
Iโm pretty sure Netanyahu was one of the first leaders to wish him well, but I might be wrong (feel free to correct me).
Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/UcxQpsxBLE
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) October 2, 2020
Israeli Transport Minister and leading Netanyahu fawner, Miri Regev, wrote in Hebrew (so Trump could understand?):
โTo President Trump and his wife Melania - good health and quick recovery! The People of Israel pray in the Holy Land for your recovery!โ
ืื ืฉืื ืืจืืืค ืืจืขืืืชื ืืื ืื - ืืจืืืืช ืืืื ืืจืคืืื ืฉืืื ืืืืจื. ืขื ืืฉืจืื ืืชืคืื ืืืจืฅ ืืงืืืฉ ืืืืืืชืื! ๐บ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฑ
— ืืืจื ืจืื (@regev_miri) October 2, 2020
Ariel Kahana, the Senior Diplomatic correspondent of Sheldon Adelson-owned newspaper Israel Hayom, wrote:
โHe who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he will bless and quickly heal Donald, son of Fred Trump, and his wife Melania, who contracted the corona virus, for all the good deeds he did for Jews and their State, who brought peace upon Israel, and gave sovereignty to the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria, and recognized the Golan Heights and moved the embassy to Jerusalem.โ
ืื ืฉืืจื ืืืืชืื ื ืืืจืื ืืฆืืง ืืืขืงื, ืืื ืืืจื ืืืจืคื ืืืืจื ืืช ืืื ืื ื'ืื ืื ืคืจื ืืจืืืค, ืืืช ืจืขืืืชื ืืืื ืื, ืฉื ืืืงื ืื ืืืฃ ืืงืืจืื ื, ืืขืืืจ ืื ืืืขืฉืื ืืืืืื ืฉืขืฉื ืืืขื ืืืืืืื ืืืืื ืชื, ืฉืืืื ืฉืืื ืฉืืื ืืืฉืจืื, ืืืขื ืืง ืจืืืื ืืช ืืขื ืืืืืื ืืื"ืฉ, ืืืืืจ ืืจืืช ืืืืื ืืืขืืืจ ืืช ืืฉืืจืืจืืช ืืืจืืฉืืื.
— Ariel Kahana ืืจืืื ืืื ื (@arik3000) October 2, 2020
Stand-up comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi tweeted Trump a well known Arabic phrase (used a lot in Israel by Jews, as well), which translates to: โEvery dog has its day.โ
A local prayer for you: kol kalb biji yomo
— Noam Shuster Eliassi (@ShusterNoam) October 2, 2020
I love comedian and writer Ruth Elbaz. She cracks me up almost every tweet. This is one of them:
โSo, I understand the coronavirus grabbed Trump by the pussy?โ
ืื ืื ื ืืืื ื ืฉืืงืืจืื ื ืชืคืกื ืืช ืืจืืืค ืืคืืกื?
— Ruth Elbaz - ืจืืช ืืืื (@ruth_elbaz) October 2, 2020
Yโall know I love the snark and wit of Haaretz political correspondent, Chaim Levinson, here taking aim at those on the Right who are saying the protests against Netanyahu have been super-spreaders of the virus:
โBy the way, Trump was infected at the Balfour protests.
Share this, so they donโt hide the truth.โ
ืืื ืืจืืืค ื ืืืง ืืืคืื ืืช ืืืืคืืจ
— Chaim Levinson (@chaimlevinson) October 2, 2020
ืฉืชืคื ืฉืื ืืกืชืืจื ืืช ืืืืช
Ronit Tzach is a very influential progressive voice on both Facebook and Twitter, here taking a jab at the Netanyahuโs and their shortened quarantine after returning from the signing of the Abraham Accords in D.C.:
โSo, Trump and Melania have corona. What about that whole event at the White House, with no masks or social distancing, where other infected people have been discovered? Remind me why the indicted one, the convicted criminal (his wife - AK), and the keyboard of mouth filth that they spawned were not forced to quarantine as required? Are they hiding something from us?โ
ืื ืืจืืืค ืืืื ืื ืขื ืงืืจืื ื. ืื ืขื ืื ืืืืจืืข ืืืื ืืืืช ืืืื, ืืื ืืกืืืช ืืจืืืืง ืืืจืชื, ืฉืืชืืื ืื ืืืืื ืืืืืชืื ื ืืกืคืื? ืชืืืืจื ืืื ืื ืืฉื, ืืขืืจืืื ืืช ืืืืจืฉืขืช ืืืงืืืช ืื'ืืจื ืฉืืฉืจืืฆื ืื ืืืืื ืืืืืื ืืื ืืื ืืชืงืืคื ืื ืืจืฉืช? ืืื ืืกืชืืจืื ืืืืชื ื ืืฉืื?
— Ronit Tzach (@gamanipo) October 2, 2020
ืืชืืื ื: ืืคืืฆืื ืืืืืช
ืฆืืืื: MCT pic.twitter.com/X9teetagA8
Oh, and remember the story of Netanyahu doing his laundry at the White House? One of the funniest guys on Hebrew Twitter, Ido Kenan, writes:
โChaos at the Balfour residence: Following Trumpโs infection with corona, Netanyahu demands sending all the laundry for another cycle in a green country.โ
ืืืืื ืืืืคืืจ: ืืขืงืืืช ืืืืืงืืช ืืจืืืค ืืงืืจืื ื, ื ืชื ืืื ืืืจืฉ ืืฉืืื ืืช ืื ืืืืืกื ืืกืืืื ื ืืกืฃ ืืืืื ื ืืจืืงื
— ืขืืืืง (@idokius) October 2, 2020
One of the wittiest, yet anonymous, Hebrew Tweeters out there, Nefolet, says:
โBut who infected Melania?โ
ืืื ืืื ืืื ืื ื ืืืงื?
— Nefolet (@Nefolet) October 2, 2020
Business journalist at the daily โCalcalistโ, Roee Bergman, tweeted on the โdouble infectionโ story:
โFirst Trump and now Kanievsky? I guess this is the day when all the stars align exactly in the right place on the virusโ horoscopeโ
ืงืืื ืืจืืืค ืืขืืฉืื ืงื ืืืืกืงื? ืื ื ืื ืื ืฉืืืื ืื ืืืื ืฉืื ืื ืืืืืืื ื ืืฆืืื ืืืืืง ืืืงืื ืื ืืื ืืืืจืกืงืืค ืฉื ืื ืืืฃ
— Roee Bergman (@roeebe) October 2, 2020
Hereโs Twitter user Omer Gerzon, making some fun of how Netanyahu usually claims that anyone who goes against him must be a Leftist (as if thatโs a bad thingโฆ) with a sarcastic TV news stripe:
โFirst response of Netanyahu to the news of Kanievsky and Trumpโs infection:
Stripe: โNetanyahu: The coronavirus is part of the Leftโโ
ืชืืืื ืจืืฉืื ื ืฉื ืืฉื"ื ื ืชื ืืื ืืืืืืงืืชื ืฉื ืืืจ"ื ืงื ืืืืกืงื ืืืื "ื ืืจืืืค: pic.twitter.com/qTE0lH9Myj
— Omer Gerzon (@OmerGerzon) October 2, 2020
As I said above, Iโll keep adding as the day goes on.