Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah – The Jewish Voice

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By: Rabbi Shraga Simmons

Imagine you throw a huge party and invite everyone you know. But this is no regular party: Its one solid week of food, music and fun. Eventually things wind down and people begin to leave. As the host, you quietly go over to a few of your best friends and whisper: Stick around after everyone else leaves thats when Im breaking out the good stuff.

Each year God has a weeklong celebration called Sukkot. In ancient times in Jerusalem, the service in the Holy Temple during the week of Sukkot featured a total of 70 bull offerings. This, the Talmud explains, corresponds to each of the 70 nations of the world. The Temple was not just for Jews. When King Solomon built the Temple, he specifically asked God to heed the prayer of non-Jews who comes to the Temple (1-Kings 8:41-43). And the prophet Isaiah refers to the Temple as a House for all nations (Isaiah 56:7).

The Temple was the universal center of spirituality, a concentrated point where God-consciousness filtered down into the world. In fact, the Talmud says that if the Romans would have realized how much benefit they themselves were getting from the Temple, they never would have destroyed it!

And then, at the end of Sukkot, God added a special day. Its called Shmini Atzeret, literally the Eighth Day of Assembly. On that day, only one bull was offered representing the Jewish people. It is a day of great intimacy with our Creator, as He asks His Jewish children to remain with him for extra personal time together. (Talmud Sukkot 55b)

Shmini Atzeret is a full public holiday, as described in Leviticus 23:36. Even though it immediately follows the seven-day Sukkot festival and is often considered part of Sukkot, it is, in fact, a separate holiday. This means that the Shehechiyanu blessing is recited, and the obligation to sit in the Sukkah does not apply.

TAPESTRY OF SEVENS

Nachmanides (12th century Spain) explains a beautiful kabbalistic concept: Seven is the number of the natural world. There are seven days in the week, seven notes on the musical scale and seven directions (left, right, up, down, forward, back and center). Seven represented by the seven days of Sukkot is the world of nature. Eight represented by Shmini Atzeret is that which is beyond nature.

The Jewish people, says the Talmud, are beyond nature. We have survived every imaginable persecution, exile, hardship and expulsion. And still, we have achieved and thrived far beyond our numbers. As Mark Twain wrote: All things remain mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?

The secret, as we know, is the special gift that God gave to the Jewish people: The Torah. As Rabbi Emanuel Feldman writes:

Torah is the mysterious bridge which connects the Jew and God, across which they interact and communicate, and by means of which God fulfills His covenant with His people to sustain them and protect them.

Therefore it is no coincidence that on Shmini Atzeret we also celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle. This event is lovingly referred to as Simchat Torah, literally Rejoicing of the Torah. (Outside of Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated the day after Shmini Atzeret.)

Why are we accustomed to both finish and re-start the reading of the Torah on the same day? The Sages explain: To show that the Torah is beloved to us like a new object and not like an old command which a person no longer treasures. Since it is brand new to us, we all run to greet it. We sing and dance for hours around the bima (the platform where the Torah is read), carry the Torah Scroll, and express our joy at having the opportunity to come so close to God.

On Shmini Atzeret, as we complete this holiday season, we offer a special prayer to God for rain. Rain represents the blessings of growth and abundance. Through all the hard work of Elul, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, we have come a long way. Our task now is to carry that energy throughout the year.

(Aish.com)

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Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah - The Jewish Voice

So someone you hate is sick. What Jewish tradition says about praying for them. – Forward

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So, you found out someone whom you detest is sick. Maybe its a political opponent. Maybe it is someone who you think is downright evil. Maybe theyre sick with COVID-19 or maybe its the flu. Or maybe it was just some bad sushi. Regardless of who is sick or what theyre sick with, if its someone who you detest, youll be faced with a choice: Should you pray for their recovery? Or can you sit this one out and, given your severe distaste for the person, let the illness run its course?

There is a rich tradition in Judaism of praying for those who are ill. Tending to those who are sick is one of the few commandments which we are rewarded for both in this world and in the next world. A part of the responsibility of caring for those who are sick, the Talmud explains, is praying for their recovery. Ever say gesundheit or labriyut or God bless you after a sneeze? That counts too.

But does the obligation to tend to the sick apply to those you hate? Rabbi Moshe Issereles (1530-1572), known by his acronym Ramah, cites two opinions in his classic codification of Ashkenazic Jewish law. Some say that you can tend a sick enemy, he writes. This, however, doesnt appear cogent to me, the Ramah goes on, for the simple reason that a person visiting an enemy while that enemy is sick could give the appearance of gloating, and this would only bring more pain. The Ramah recommends abstaining from such a visit.

But not everyone agrees with this ruling. One commentary on the Ramah, Rabbi Shabtei HaKohen, known as the Shach, makes an important distinction: You may attend an enemys funeral, since no one would suspect such a person of gloating, since this is how all lives end.

Its a haunting consideration, even if in practice weve seen people sink to lower levels of human decency and graciousness than the Shach could imagine. Underlying this distinction is a hopeful acknowledgment that the great equalizer death itself would prevent someone from having (or being perceived to have) some sense of glee at anothers death. Still, the Shach concludes, it all depends on the level of hatred.

Indeed, as our contemporary discourse has reminded us, hate will find a way.

But what about someone who isnt just an enemy but truly evil? Certainly, a neighborly disagreement, even a serious communal rift, may tatter those ever so flimsy social ties that bind us, but what about someone who is worthy of severing those very connections? Surely there is a level of evil that merits such spiritual retaliation.

Cant we ever pray for evildoers to die?

One Talmudic story tells of a Rabbi being persecuted by a heretic. The rabbi, intent on cursing the heretic and ending his misery, stayed up all night waiting for the precise moment a prayer for the heretics death would be assured to be effective: the moment each day when God is angry. The moment came, the Rabbi fell asleep. Its not proper conduct, to discharge such dastardly prayer. His mercy is over all of his creations, (Psalms 145:9), the Talmud concludes.

Of course, someone actively murdering people, like Hitler, for instance, can be stopped at any means. In a 2017 essay, Yuval Harari, a professor at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, recounts a 1942 plot by Jerusalem Kabbalists to assassinate Hitler through prayer. But the focus of the prayers seemed to be less about retribution and more concerned with stopping the organized execution of the Jewish people. Theres a difference: We dont ask God to punish evildoers, but we can pray to God to stop evil.

In a fascinating series of responsa, a witness of Hitlers evil, Rabbi Menashe Klein, contended with the idea of cursing or praying for our enemies to die. Rabbi Klein (1924-2011) was a Hasidic leader known as the Ungvarer Rebbe who survived Auschwitz along with his lifelong friend Elie Wiesel. Generally, the responsa of Rabbi Klein, titled Mishneh Halachos, are not known for being moderate. His rulings were sometimes seen as overly strict, even in the Orthodox community. Some derisively called his work, Meshaneh Halachos the Changer of Jewish Law. But his collected writing about cursing and praying for those you hate are quite emphatic in their radical empathy.

Learning to expand your sense of love and empathy for others, especially those who rightfully deserve retribution, does not come easily. A lot, a lot, a lot of energy I have expended in this characteristic, writes Rabbi Klein.

Rabbi Klein lived through unspeakable horrors. But maybe that is what gave him the strength to be so adamant about choosing empathy over hate.

Prayer is a reflection of our deepest sense of values and ideals. And after living in a world with so much hate and pain, Rabbi Klein insisted that our prayers should only be used to cultivate more spirituality and love in this world.

Prayer is how we fashion who we are as individuals and as a society. And this world needs more prayer.

Lets pray together for healing.

David Bashevkin is the director of education for NCSY, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union, and the author of Sinagogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought. You can find his narishkeit on Twitter @dbashideas.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

So someone you hate is sick. What Jewish tradition says about praying for them.

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So someone you hate is sick. What Jewish tradition says about praying for them. - Forward

The Jewish philosopher Spinoza was one of the great Enlightenment thinkers. So why was he ‘cancelled’? – ABC News

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We often think of cancel culture as a contemporary phenomenon, driven by social media and rife in our hyper-connected world.

But really, punishing people for their ideas and opinions has been going on for as long as people have been thinking.

Take the philosopher Baruch Spinoza. In the mid-17th century, Spinoza was charged with heresy and cast out from his Amsterdam Jewish community.

Since then, he's gone on to be canonised as one of the great Enlightenment thinkers and even embraced as a hero of Judaism.

But un-cancelling a cancelled philosopher is harder than you might expect, and three centuries later, there are still plenty of people who would prefer to see Spinoza hang onto his outcast status.

Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in 1632 and raised in the city's Talmud Torah congregation.

He had a traditional Jewish upbringing and education, attending the local yeshiva until the age of 17, when he went to work in his father's importing business.

Yeshiva: Jewish educational institution, focussing on the study of religious textsCherem (hrem): the total exclusion of a person from the Jewish community Zionism: ideology and nationalist movement that supports an independent Jewish state

But Spinoza remained a scholar, and over the next few years, he began to lay the intellectual foundations for what would become one of the most celebrated bodies of work in European philosophy.

At the time, however, Spinoza's ideas weren't being celebrated within his own community.

While Spinoza's exact heresies weren't documented, rumours began to swirl of his unorthodox views, and he started clashing with the local religious authorities.

It's said that at one point, a fanatic shouting "Heretic!" attacked Spinoza with a knife on the steps of the local synagogue.

Things finally came to a head on July 27, 1656, when the congregation issued a writ of cherem or excommunication against the 23-year-old philosopher.

Spinoza is vaguely accused of "evil opinions", "abominable heresies" and "monstrous deeds", but what religious wrongs did he actually commit?

His later philosophical work particularly the Ethics, published posthumously in 1677 could offer some answers.

In it, Spinoza articulates a conception of God that would have been highly offensive to any observant Jew at the time.

Spinoza's God lacks all the attributes of the God of the Torah, having no will or emotions, no psychological traits or moral character. His God makes no plans or judgments, issues no commandments, and possesses no wisdom or goodness.

Spinoza's God is neither transcendent nor supernatural, being more or less reducible to Nature. Indeed, Spinoza's preferred term for this entity is "God or Nature".

It's all a far cry from the God of Abraham and Moses, who led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and hardly surprising that Spinoza's ideas landed him in such hot water with the religious authorities of his day.

What's more surprising is that Spinoza has, over the centuries, gone on to become a highly regarded figure in contemporary Judaism, if still a controversial one.

David Rutledge interviews Spinoza scholar Stephen Nadler on The Philosopher's Zone.

But not all modern Jews have adopted his ideas or extracted a definitive theology from them.

Certainly, from an Orthodox Jewish perspective, Spinoza remains as problematic today as he did in the 17th century.

But even anti-Spinozans will admit that many of the big questions that lie at the foundations of modern Judaism What does it mean to be a Jew? What must Jews believe? Is it possible to have a secular Jewish identity? are either direct responses to Spinoza, or spring from the history of his interpretation.

Spinoza has even been hailed as a proto-Zionist.

The documentary evidence for this is slim largely based on his assertion in his text Tractatus Theologico-Politicus that the Jewish people would "one day ... establish once more their independent state", provided they could summon the requisite "manliness" to do so.

The passage is more of a loose speculation than a prescient endorsement of a Jewish state, but 19th-century European Zionists took it to mean that Spinoza had envisaged a Judaism based on nationalism.

Elsewhere in his work they found a champion of the kind of Jewish identity that they saw in themselves and their project: reason-based, democratic, and at pains to separate rabbinic authority from political governance.

And this notion of Spinoza as a secular saint of Zionism carried through to the birth of the modern state of Israel in 1948.

Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, called Spinoza "the first Zionist of the last 300 years", embracing him as not just a philosopher who happened to be born a Jew, but a profoundly and definitively Jewish philosopher.

So taken was Ben-Gurion with Spinoza that in 1953, he published a laudatory article about the philosopher that kicked off a raging debate about the justice of his excommunication three centuries earlier.

Calls rang out within the Israeli parliament and the international Jewish press to have the original cherem rescinded, and opinions were sought from chief rabbis worldwide.

The debate remained inconclusive, largely because neither David Ben-Gurion nor most of the world's Jewish leaders had the authority to reverse the original decision.

According to Steven Nadler, a long-standing Spinoza scholar and philosophy professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the only people authorised to lift the cherem against Spinoza is the community that issued it in the first place the Talmud Torah congregation of Amsterdam.

As it happens, the Amsterdam congregation still exists.

In December 2015, they held a symposium to debate the proposition that the ban should be lifted.

Scholars from four continents were invited to the symposium, to act as an advisory committee. One of the scholars was Professor Nadler.

"They didn't want us to express an opinion as to whether the cherem was good or bad," he recalls.

"They wanted to know: what were Spinoza's philosophical views, what were the historical circumstances of the ban, what might be the advantages of lifting the cherem, and what might be the disadvantages?"

The debate was held before an audience of over 500 people and, at its conclusion, the current rabbi of the congregation handed down his opinion: that Spinoza should remain where he was, officially cancelled, and (to quote the 1656 decision) "expelled from the people of Israel".

Despite the ruling, Professor Nadler says most members of the community would have liked to see the cherem lifted.

"It would have been a great PR move," he says.

"[To annnounce,] 'Look, we're not the intolerant community of the 17th century, Spinoza is one of us and we're proud to own him.'"

But the rabbi thought differently.

Professor Nadler says the religious leader asked: "Who am I to overrule my 17th-century predecessors? Am I that much wiser than them?"

The rabbi also held that Spinoza's religious views, considered beyond the pale in 1656, had not really been made any less problematic by the passage of time.

Once a renegade, always a renegade particularly when the renegade in question remained proud and unrepentant in his heresy.

"Spinoza knew the rules of the game," says Professor Nadler.

"The rabbis warned him, and his response was 'Hey, you know what? I'm leaving anyway.'

"So you can't call the cherem a terrible miscarriage of justice."

So Baruch Spinoza, rebel philosopher and abominable heretic, remains officially cancelled for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately for philosophers and secular Jews, but also for Orthodox Jews who welcome a provocative challenge to their theology his works remain.

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A Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism? Get Real – The Times of Israel

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Creating a global inter-parliamentary task force to combat digital antisemitism a few weeks before a presidential election isnt credible, and thats putting it mildly. And besides, what can any task force do against hatred that comes from the kernel of human nature? It would be more successful fighting against gravity than against antisemitism.

On September 29, Jewish Insider published a story titled Members of Congress launch international task force to combat online antisemitism. According to the story, the task force is to focus on raising awareness about online antisemitism and establishing a consistent message in legislatures across the world to hold social media platforms accountable. It is a hopeless task, and right before the elections, it is nothing more than lip-service.

You cant eliminate antisemitism just as you cannot eliminate pain until you heal the sore that causes it. In the case of antisemitism, the sore is the fact that Jews arent uniting among themselves and leading the world after them to unity and solidarity.

That sore was not born in America, nor in Nazi Germany, or even in Christian Europe. It dates back to the beginning of the Jewish people, when the fugitives from Egypt pledged to unite as one man with one heart, established their nationhood, and were immediately tasked with being a light unto nations, meaning with sharing their unity by way of example.

For nearly two millennia afterwards, our ancestors struggled with their internal conflicts and frictions. They were exiled and returned, fought each other and reunited, until they finally lost the battle against internal hatred and were banished from their land.

But the mission they had been given back at Mt. Sinai was never abrogated. Two thousand years ago, The Book of Zohar wrote about how the Jews should bring about world peace by setting an example: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together. These are the friends as they sit together, and are not separated from one another. At first, they seem like people at war, wishing to kill one another then they return to being in brotherly love. And as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part from one another and by your merit, there will be peace in the world.

Whenever and wherever there is division, the Jews are blamed for it because people feel (even if they cant verbalize it) that had the Jews done their job, they wouldnt be fighting one another. Even our own Talmud admits that No calamity comes to the world but because of Israel (Yevamot 63a), so what can we expect from other nations?

If we want to eliminate antisemitism, we should do our task, unite above all our (countless) divisions, and be a role model to humanity. Then the force that drives antisemitism will turn the hatred around as the nations will see that they are finally getting from the Jews what they always felt the Jews should have given them: an example of unity and solidarity.

Michael Laitman is a PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah. MSc in Medical Bio-Cybernetics. Founder and president of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute. Author of over 40 books on spiritual, social and global transformation. His new book, The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism, is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Choice-Anti-Semitism-Historical-anti-Semitism/dp/1671872207/

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A Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism? Get Real - The Times of Israel

Welcome to the Future, Third Time Around | Lander College of Arts & Sciences – Touro College News

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Despite a raging pandemic, colleges and universities took advantage of mature technologies to transition online, preserving the safety of students and faculty while maintaining true to our educational goals.

Understandably, many participants in this bold enterprise lamented what was lost, even temporarily, myself included. The digital divide, Zoom fatigue, and the annoying experience of teaching and learning while masked were common complaints. But let there be no doubt: we are at the cusp of a bold new era in education, particularly tertiary education.

But weve been here before. Twice, at least.

The first time educators encountered this phenomenon was in the ancient world, when the technology of recording the spoken word became widespread. Clay tablets incised with wedge-shaped script, friable inked papyrus, and of course scrolls from animal skins preserved instruction for generations, the first global experiment in distance learning.

Socrates subjected the educational value of writing to withering criticism, saying that writingis very like painting. The creatures in a painting stand like living beings, but if one asks them a question, they preserve a solemn silence. And so it is with written words; you might think they spoke as if they had intelligence, but if you question them, wishing to know about their sayings, they always say only one and the same thing. Writing lacks synchronous interactivity with an instructor, and is therefore critically impoverished. That said, Socrates argument is undermined by the fact that we receive his words only because his student Plato (ahem) wrote them down.

And with synchronous Zoom classes, Socrates argument is rendered moot.

Related concerns were raised by the Sages regarding the commitment of the Oral Torah in textual form, and the Talmud was only rendered in its current form after strenuous debate.

So despite the objection of the early Greek philosophers, western civilization marched ahead with writing anyway, considering this technology an invaluable add-on to in-person instruction, not its replacement.

The next major challenge came some 2100 years later, with the advent of cheap printing technologies. Long accustomed to beautiful Arabic calligraphy, the Islamic world largely rejected the poor quality mass-produced equivalent, inadvertently missing an opportunity to participate actively in the scientific revolution that would give Christian Europe a distinct advantage entering the modern era. But not all Europeans were pleasedHieronimus Squarciafico, himself an employee of an early Venetian print shop, panned the new technology in 1477, writing already abundance of books makes men less studious; it destroys memory and enfeebles the mind by relieving it of too much work. Better, argued Squarciafico, to learn more deeply with expensive handwritten texts than read lots of cheap printed books.

But the printers won that debate. Five centuries later, it is increasingly rare for instructors to assign bound physical books, let alone manuscripts on vellum or parchment. No one will doubt the diminished aesthetic value of a mass-produced book when compared to a hand-written work, painstakingly completed by a human scribe. The value of increased access, however, widely overwhelmed the sacrifice of artistic beauty of individually produced written works. And just as Socrates objection to writing was recorded in text, so too was Squarciaficos lament preserved in a printed book.

And with synchronous Zoom classes, the increasing range of personal customizationsvirtual backgrounds, gallery vs. speaker views, filters and so onsuggest that even the aesthetic features of remote learning may be overcome to meet individual tastes.

Historians are notoriously unreliable when speaking about the futurewe tend to do our jobs best when we are looking backwards, not forwards. But that rear-view perspective suggests that if 2020 is anything like 400 BCE, or like 1500 CE, the Zoom revolution in higher education will certainly not eliminate live, in-person education: we will take these new digital tools to expand, not diminish, our pedagogic power.

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Welcome to the Future, Third Time Around | Lander College of Arts & Sciences - Touro College News

On Simchat Torah, a Jew Never Dances Alone – The Absurdity of a Quarantined Simchat Torah – Chabad.org

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And now we arrive at the point where Jewish practice attains the apex of a rich and beautiful theater of the absurd. This Simchat Torah, a Jew will take a book off the shelf, kiss it, dance with it, jump, twirl and holler with it. Alone.

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), whose presence will be missed this Simchat Torah, once pointed this out. This is a Jew! he declared. One who kisses a book when he puts it down after reading from it.

Yes, so poignant. But how about dancing with a book? Is that typical human behavior? Scrolls are books, arent they? And this year, no synagogue, no scroll, no circles of Jews whirling and twirling together, dancing with the Torah. Nopejust you and your lonesome, in the privacy of your own home, dancing with whatever book of Torah you might pick up off the shelf.

Seriously, before committing this absurdity, lets think this through. Whats behind this notion of dancing with a book?

Having lived a Jewish life of books, I totally get it. The home of my childhood was not quite religious, but certainly drenched with Jewish values. My dad would visit the public library once in two weeks and snatch books off the shelf like a lion tearing at his prey. The entire back seat of the car was literally filled with them. Within a day, they would be strewn throughout the house.

My mother would complain, Cant you put them back in place?

To which he would respond, That is their place. This is a Jewish home, and a Jewish home has to have a book everywhere.

Of course, only on tables and other respectable surfaces. If a book was seen on the floor, my father would chide us, Books are people! Treat them with respect!

Yes, books are people. Real book lovers dont say, Im reading Grapes of Wrath. No, its Im reading Steinbeck.

Much as a Jew studying Mishneh Torah will tell you hes learning Rambam. RambamRabbi Moshe ben Maimonthats a person. You get into his magnum opus, the Mishneh Torah, ask the right questions, scratch your head, read all the little men lined up around the page, argue your arguments, pound your fist on the table, and scratch your head some moreand youre not just studying what he wrote. Youre learning him, the person, very deep into the person.

I once asked my uncle, a successful actor, Tell me, Uncle: Who are you really? The person I am meeting now, or the person acting on set?

He thought for a moment, and then answered, Actually, it sounds crazy, but I feel most myself when I am acting as someone else. And after another pause, he added, Especially someone very different from myself.

Yes! The artist is most found in the act of his art. So too, in the book, we have the author far more, far deeper, raw and undiluted, than we have him in person.

And so too with the Author of the Torah we hold in our handsyes, we hold Him in our hands when we hold that Torah Scroll. Or book.

Including a Talmud, a Midrash, or any work of any dedicated student who struggled night and day with the words and teachings of this divine wisdom we call Torah. Because that struggle itself is divineso that inside that struggle, too, is the original Author Himself.

And its such a different experience thenwhen it's the author you hear inside. Like when I heard Liona Boyd the second time around.

I was a teenager. The Classical Guitar Society had just started up in my hometown of Vancouver. We brought out Liona Boyd for a concert and a workshop. So I heard her play. Not bad. Not my style, but good technique.

Then she gave a workshop. After the workshop, I got to chat with her. Like, here I was, half the age of the next youngest in the room, and Liona Boyd is sitting and talking things out with me as though I were her peer, really listening, really being a real person, really ignoring everyone else.

Then Liona gave another concertand that second concert I heard from her was the first time I heard her play. Now I heard Lionanot her music, not her guitar. I was listening to a good friend I had just made. I was discovering something deeper about her than I could have known from any conversation between us.

Neat discovery, Freeman. But here were not talking about a chat with a sweet lady. This is about a deep meaningful interaction situated at the vortex of the universe.

When you do a mitzvah, youre a servant of the Supreme Being doing His bidding, fulfilling the mission assigned to your soul in this world. When you learn Torah, youre Gds child, sitting with Him at one small table, discussing with Him His thoughts.

Child and parent, thats so much tighter than any conversation with any friend. No outsider can ever understand whats really going on between them. The parents best student may know more, but the child can empathize with a parent in a way no outsider ever could.

So that in this conversation, it becomes impossible to distinguish between the words of the parent and the words of the child. The parent speaks words only the child could understand, and the child speaks words the parent hadnt realized he wanted to say. This is a conversation in which Dad says, My child, youve got me there again!

Because inside they are really one, just that one is the child, the other the parent.

Its a communion in some ways deeper than prayer. Prayer is about you, about sharing with Gd whats in your heart, where youre at right now. Learning Torah is about Himdiscovering Him within His thoughts about this world, within the meaning of all those mitzvahs He gave you, working all that through with Him.

So thats where you discover theres something beyond ideas over here. Someone inside.

Sometimes, after racking your brains to disentangle a debate in the Talmud, or clawing desperately into the meaning of a story, or deciphering the encoded message of a mysterious passage of Zohar, or clarifying the application of a Halachah in your particular situationsometimes you just have to sit back and say, Oh wowthat is sooo beautiful! Oh wow! I gotta tell this to somebody! Anybody!

And sometimes you feel like Abraham when he got wind of the Sodom and Gomorrah elimination decree. Like you cant help but say, Please, Dad, I really hope you dont mind me asking, butwhy? Why? How could You want such a thing?

Abraham asked. Moses asked. Rabbi Akiva asked. The Baal Shem Tov asked. The Rebbe asked. Sometimes they found an answer. Sometimes they worked out a deal. Sometimes they had to walk away and say, So I dont understand. There are many things I dont understand. Whats the big deal that a mortal meat-patty with eyeballs cant understand the Creator of Heaven and Earth?

And you too must ask. Because, if you dont ask, in what way is this Torah? If you cant ask, in what way are you Gds child?

Now you have begun to dance with Gds Torahas we Jews have done for 3, 333 years this year since we started learning it with Moses. Sometimes we pull together, sometimes we distanceand then we return again. And it is in that back and forth, pull and push, close and far, that we discover there is something here beyond our understanding, beyond any understandingeven if understanding comes from there. Inside here is Gd.

And now that we know Him from His book, now we can find the Infinite everywhere, in all things.

Is it absurd to dance with a book? Is it absurd to dance with the Maker of Heaven and Earth?

Yes, certainly. So close the door and nobody will see. Dance alone with Gd.

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On Simchat Torah, a Jew Never Dances Alone - The Absurdity of a Quarantined Simchat Torah - Chabad.org

NYC schools in COVID-19 hot spots will close starting Tuesday: Gov. Cuomo – New York Post

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Schools in Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks will again be closed for in-person classes starting Tuesday though businesses will remain open for now, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The governor additionally announced that the state was rolling into the city to take the reins on enforcement using city personnel for coronavirus infractions in those areas, and put religious institutions on notice about large gatherings in houses of worship.

Cuomo dropped the bomb during a Midtown Manhattan press briefing one day after Mayor Bill de Blasio sought his blessing to shut down nine ZIP codes in the boroughs wholesale, closing not just schools but non-essential businesses and dining at restaurants.

The governor, however, said only schools would be closing for now.

These clusters have to be attacked, he said. New York City has clusters.

I would not send my child to a school in a hot-spot cluster, Cuomo continued with respect to the school closures. I am not going to recommend or allow any New York City family to send their child to a school that I wouldnt send my child.

Both public and private schools within nine ZIP codes experiencing outbreaks will be closed to in-person classes starting Tuesday. The governor did not give a reopening date.

Cuomo said that he made the decision following a good, collaborative conference call with de Blasio, city Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council President Corey Johnson and Michael Mulgrew, president of the powerful United Federation of Teachers union.

Cuomo partially approved de Blasios plan less than a week after rapping the city for not doing enough to tamp down on the burgeoning outbreaks, a point he again stressed Monday without specifically naming the target of his remarks.

Enforcement is kind. You know why? Because enforcement saves lives, Cuomo said. Any rule is only as good as the enforcement.

Too many local governments are not doing enforcement, he continued. Warnings are not enforcement.

He announced that a joint task force between the state Department of Health and State Police would soon roll into the hot spots to take the lead on enforcement, staffed by local authorities.

Local governments will need to assign people to that task force who are supervised by that task force, deputized by that task force to give out state summonses, Cuomo said.

To illustrate how targeted enforcement could work, Cuomo offered the example of a church required to restrict its capacity to 50 percent.

When 50 percent enter the church, [theres] a person there who says to the pastor, You agreed to follow the rules, thats 50 percent. Thats it or we close it down, he said. It does not work without enforcement.

In the five boroughs, the sheriffs department had been taking the lead, augmented by the NYPD, city Department of Health and other municipal agencies.

But Cuomo derided City Hall for recently touting just 26 violations and 883 warnings issued among 2,000 inspections in the hot spots as a success story

Cuomo also noted that de Blasios plan left untouched religious institutions, even though many of the areas experiencing flare-ups are home to sizable Orthodox Jewish populations, with which the citys outreach efforts have struggled to connect.

Cuomo said he would meet Tuesday with leaders of the community both from the city and in Rockland and Orange counties, which also seeing outbreaks.

He said that he would again attempt to get them to see the light on abiding by pandemic precautions, but was prepared to shutter synagogues if ignored.

Were not going to make the same mistake twice, he said.

But some local leaders did not see Mondays announcement as an olive branch.

Closing down our schools is the most devastating thing you can do to our community, said Rabbi Bernard Freilich, a longtime community leader in Borough Park.

We tried this in March and April and it did not work. With Jewish studies in particular, it has to be done as a group, in person. Children cannot learn the Talmud alone.

Parents also said they were blindsided by the school closures.

It makes me sick to my stomach, because its a hardship on the parents, said Robyn Thompson, a mom to two kids, 11 and 8, at St. Edmunds Elementary School in Homecrest, Brooklyn. Theres no way a third-grader, a second-grader, a first-grader can do online school by his or herself. You have to sit there all day long, and Im not a teacher. It means I also cant work.

De Blasio had also requested that non-essential businesses within the affected ZIP codes be shuttered by state order, a step Cuomo stopped short of taking.

The governor explained Monday that he didnt feel ZIP codes were sufficient guidelines for outlining outbreaks, as they might punish stretches abiding by the rules while missing trouble spots just outside the ZIP code limits.

He said that closures of non-essential businesses are still in play, once a more surgical method of identifying problem areas is found.

The nine ZIP codes targeted for their 3-percent coronavirus positivity rate over the past seven days are:

Additional reporting by Sam Raskin and Reuven Fenton

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NYC schools in COVID-19 hot spots will close starting Tuesday: Gov. Cuomo - New York Post

Jewish Community Mourns the Passing of Rabbi RBO Bat-Or – Jewish Journal

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Local Los Angeles Rabbi RBO Bat-Or, passed away on Oct. 1 after a five-year battle with cancer.

The Journal spoke with RBO just over a year ago and you can read about per life and work in that interview here.

JQ International issued the following statement shortly after RBOs passing:

Condolences: May Per Memory Be A Blessing

Rabbi RBO Bat-Or, a beloved parent, grandparent, friend, colleague, educator, LGBTQ+ activist, therapist and founder and director emeritus of the JQ Helpline & Inclusion Services, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 1 after a brave five-year battle with cancer.

Rabbi RBO leaves a legacy any of us would be lucky to achieve one marked by a deep drive to make the world a more just and equitable place. RBO will be remembered for fierce advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ+ people and unparalleled gentleness and kindness. A devoted educator and a rabbi ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinics, RBO spearheaded the launch of the JQ Helpline in 2014, which continues to be a literal life saver for thousands of community members in need.

Over the course of per life, Rabbi RBO helped transform countless communities through LGBTQ+ inclusion education. (As a non-binary gender fluid human, Rabbi RBO used the gender pronouns per and pers.) Last year, the Jewish Journal did a feature story entitled RBO The Rabbi who Eschews Conventional Gender Pronouns.

The Talmud teaches that if you save a single life, it is as if you have saved the entire world. By that measure, Rabbi RBO saved our world over and over and over again. We grieve for a true luminary of our time, a role model and friend.

Rabbi RBO is survived by son Michael, daughter-in-law Jennifer and grandchildren Sam, Owen, and Ava. Memorial arrangements are pending and we will post plans on our website once they are finalized. Messages to Rabbi RBOs family can be sent to [emailprotected].

May per memory be a blessing.

RBO will be buried in Connecticut on Oct. 8. Zoom memorial and shivah arrangements will be held after the Simchat Torah holiday, which ends on the evening of Oct. 11

JQ is here for you at this moment of grief and always. If you need support, please reach out to our Helpline at 855-JQI-HLPS or [emailprotected].

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Jewish Community Mourns the Passing of Rabbi RBO Bat-Or - Jewish Journal

Secukinumab Effective in Real-Life Patients With Moderate-Severe Psoriasis – Dermatology Advisor

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Secukinumab may be a safe and effective treatment for patients with psoriatic disease, comorbidities, and treatment failure, according to results of a retrospective study published in Dermatologic Therapy. The fully human IgG1/k monoclonal antibody has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of psoriasis in phase 3 trials, but has not yet been tested in the general population.

To determine the clinical effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in a real-life cohort of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis vulgaris, data from 120 patients (35.8% women) were analyzed. The mean age of participants was 49.813.5 years and 65% of participants were diagnosed with additional forms of psoriasis. The extent and severity of psoriasis was measured using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI).

After 3 months of secukinumab therapy, the mean PASI of the entire population was significantly lower than baseline (P <.001) and was maintained at 12 month follow-up (P <.001). Total clearance (PASI 0) was achieved after 12 months in 46% of those with psoriatic onychopathy (1 of the more difficult forms of psoriasis to treat), 75% of patients with moderate to severe scalp psoriasis, 57% of patients with psoriasis of the genital area, and 38% of patients with palmoplantar psoriasis. In all, 28 adverse effects were recorded in the first year of treatment, resulting in 8 patients discontinuing treatment. After 12 months, patients who had been unresponsive to 2 or more lines of biologic agents had a lower rate of treatment persistence (71%) than those who were bio-naive (93%) or had a history of inefficacy to only 1 biologic agent (88%)(P =.009 for trend).

Limitations to this study include its small cohort and retrospective design. Future research with a larger cohort and that investigates the impact of body mass index on therapeutic effectiveness are warranted.

The results of this study indicated to the researchers that secukinumab is effective and safe in the treatment of psoriasis in patients with a range of comorbidities and in areas that are difficult to treat. These results were significant despite a mean persistence to treatment of 85% after 12 months.

Disclosure: Medical writing assistance for this publication was provided by Novartis. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors disclosures.

Reference

Carpentieri A, Mascia P, Fornaro M, et al. Effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in patients with moderate-severe psoriasis: A multicenter real-life study. [published online July 18, 2020]. Dermatol Ther. doi:10.1111/dth.14044

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Secukinumab Effective in Real-Life Patients With Moderate-Severe Psoriasis - Dermatology Advisor

More Long-Term Randomized Trials Are Needed to Support Balneophototherapy for Chronic Psoriasis – Dermatology Advisor

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A recent Cochrane review suggests very few studies offer sufficient evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of exposure to artificial ultraviolet (UV) B while soaking in an indoor salt bath, an approach termed balneophototherapy, for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. Abridged findings from this review were published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

An international team of researchers reviewed 8 randomized controlled trials consisting of 1976 participants with psoriasis. In 6 trials, different treatments were applied to different participants, whereas 2 other trials examined different treatments applied to the same participant but to different body parts.

Across all studies, the mean age for participants ranged between 41 to 50 years, and the median Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score ranged from 15 to 18 across 5 studies. Only 1 trial examined salt baths plus UVB vs other treatments without UVB (ie, psoralen bath plus UVA). Trials spanned from 2 to 13 months in duration.

Several limitations affected the researchers confidence in the evidence of these trials. These limitations included risk for bias, such as in terms of inadequate blinding and high probability of publication bias. The researchers noted that commercial spa or salt companies sponsored 3 studies, health insurance companies sponsored 1 study, a dermatologist association sponsored 1 study, and 3 studies had no reported funding sources.

In addition, reporting of the reviewers specified outcomes including Dermatology Life Quality Index, pruritus severity using a visual analogue scale from 0 (no itching) to 100 (severe itching), time to relapse, and secondary malignancies were either limited or nonexistent.

According to the researchers who conducted this Cochrane review, further randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate PASI 75 and even PASI 90 or 100, in addition to treatment-related adverse events requiring withdrawal, to gain a deeper understanding of the efficacy and safety of balneophototherapy. To consider any potential harm by UVB exposure, they wrote, future study protocols should include long-term observations.

Dislcosure: Please see the original reference for a full list of authors disclosures.

Reference

Peinemann F, Harari M, Peternel S, et al. Indoor salt water baths followed by artificial ultraviolet B light for chronic plaque psoriasis: abridged Cochrane review. Published online July 6, 2020. Br J Dermatol. doi:10.1111/bjd.19385

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More Long-Term Randomized Trials Are Needed to Support Balneophototherapy for Chronic Psoriasis - Dermatology Advisor

Interleukin-17A biomarker as a predictor for detection of early axial spondyloarthritis changes in patients with psoriasis – DocWire News

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Aim:Although the pathogenic mechanisms of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are not completely clarified, evidence suggests that interleukin 17A (IL-17A)-mediated immune responses play a pivotal role in the disease. This is best underscored by the important clinical effectiveness of IL-17A inhibitors in psoriasis treatment. We aim to investigate the predictive value of IL-17A in detecting the early axial spondyloarthropic (SpA) changes in psoriatic patients.

Methods:The study enrolled 100 patients with psoriasis, classified into group 1, included 62 patients with only psoriatic skin lesions (Ps), and group 2 included 38 patients with PsA, and 100 age and gender matched healthy volunteers. All participants were subjected to general and local clinical examination, laboratory assessment including IL-17A in the serum by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and axial joint radiological assessment.

Results:Our study included 60 males (60%) and 40 females (40%).The positive radiological findings of early axial SpA changes were found among 30.6% of the Ps group and among 84.2% of the PsA group. There were significant differences between patients with positive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of early axial SpA and patients with negative MRI findings in both groups regarding IL-17A levels. There was a significant association between IL-17A level and early axial SpA changes in psoriatic patients with a clear cutoff point (222.5).

Conclusion:Our study can imply that IL-17A is a valuable, useful and low-cost biomarker in detecting early axial SpA changes in asymptomatic and nonradiographic axial SpA (nr-axial SpA) psoriatic patients that helps early management and prevent progressive axial involvement and disabilities.

Keywords:IL-17A; axial SpA; psoriasis; spondyloarthritic changes.

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Interleukin-17A biomarker as a predictor for detection of early axial spondyloarthritis changes in patients with psoriasis - DocWire News

Secukinumab efficacy in reducing the severity and the psychosocial impact of moderatetosevere psoriasis as assessed by the Simplified Psoriasis Index:…

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Whether the Simplified Psoriasis Index (SPI), a recently created multidomain instrument for evaluating psoriasis, has utility was ascertained in a study examining response to secukinumab. Patients suffering from moderatetosevere plaque psoriasis were administered secukinumab 300mg subcutaneously once weekly from baseline to W4, then every 4weeks until W48, in an openlabel, multicentre study including 17 French centres. As per findings, reduction of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores following treatment with secukinumab was shown to be closely correlated with proSPIs (SPI psoriasis severity), supporting the latter's appropriateness for evaluating response to therapy. Despite a slightly weaker correlation between PASI and saSPIs (selfassessed severity), patients were shown to be capable of finishing a valid evaluation of their psoriasis independently, and therefore potentially remotely. With the added advantage of psychosocial impact assessment (SPIp), SPI affords a valid instrument allowing patients to evaluate their own psoriasis, remotely if required.

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Secukinumab efficacy in reducing the severity and the psychosocial impact of moderatetosevere psoriasis as assessed by the Simplified Psoriasis Index:...

Impact of Multidomain Disease Presentations on Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis in the Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry. -…

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To compare disease characteristics, quality of life (QOL), and work productivity of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who had multidomain vs single-domain presentations.Adults with PsA enrolled in the Corrona PsA/SpA Registry (March 2013-August 2018) were included. Six PsA disease domains were evaluated: enthesitis, dactylitis, peripheral arthritis (PA), nail psoriasis, axial disease, and skin disease. Patients were classified as having multidomain ( 2 domains) or single-domain disease presentations; biologic initiators were characterized separately. Linear regression models evaluated the association of multidomain presentations with disease characteristics, QOL, and work productivity vs single-domain presentations.Of 2617 patients with PsA, 1698 (64.9%) had multidomain presentations, 617 (23.6%) had single-domain presentations, and 302 (11.5%) had no active disease features. Of 354 biologic initiators, 289 (81.6%) had multidomain presentations, 45 (12.7%) had single-domain presentations, and 20 (5.6%) had no active disease features. Overall, the most common singledomain and multidomain presentations, respectively, were skin disease (12.7%) and PA + skin disease (11.7%). Multidomain presenters were more likely to have fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, and prior biologic use than single-domain presenters. Multidomain presentations were associated with significantly worse patient and physician global assessments of disease activity, pain, and fatigue; Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index and EQ-5D scores; and work productivity at enrollment.In this US real-world cohort, most patients had multidomain disease presentations, which was associated with worse disease activity, QOL, and work productivity measures. This study highlights the heterogeneity of PsA and the importance of assessing all PsA domains for optimizing disease management.

PubMed

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Impact of Multidomain Disease Presentations on Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis in the Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry. -...

Psoriasis Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Global Forecast to 2026 (Based on 2020 COVID-19 Impacts…

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The global Psoriasis market focuses on encompassing major statistical evidence for the Psoriasis industry as it offers our readers a value addition on guiding them in encountering the obstacles surrounding the market. A comprehensive addition of several factors such as global distribution, manufacturers, market size, and market factors that affect the global contributions are reported in the study. In addition the Psoriasis study also shifts its attention with an in-depth competitive landscape, defined growth opportunities, market share coupled with product type and applications, key companies responsible for the production, and utilized strategies are also marked.

This intelligence and 2026 forecasts Psoriasis industry report further exhibits a pattern of analyzing previous data sources gathered from reliable sources and sets a precedented growth trajectory for the Psoriasis market. The report also focuses on a comprehensive market revenue streams along with growth patterns, analytics focused on market trends, and the overall volume of the market.

Moreover, the Psoriasis report describes the market division based on various parameters and attributes that are based on geographical distribution, product types, applications, etc. The market segmentation clarifies further regional distribution for the Psoriasis market, business trends, potential revenue sources, and upcoming market opportunities.

Download PDF Sample of Psoriasis Market report @ https://hongchunresearch.com/request-a-sample/40648

Key players in the global Psoriasis market covered in Chapter 4:Celgene CorporationTakeda Pharmaceutical Company LimitedPfizer Inc.Stiefel Laboratories Inc.Amgen Inc.Biogen IdecNovartis AGEli Lilly and CompanyJohnson and Johnson (Janssen Biotech Inc.)AbbVie Inc.

In Chapter 11 and 13.3, on the basis of types, the Psoriasis market from 2015 to 2026 is primarily split into:SystemicPhototherapyTopical TreatmentOthers

In Chapter 12 and 13.4, on the basis of applications, the Psoriasis market from 2015 to 2026 covers:InjectableTropicalOral

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historic and forecast (2015-2026) of the following regions are covered in Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13:North America (Covered in Chapter 6 and 13)United StatesCanadaMexicoEurope (Covered in Chapter 7 and 13)GermanyUKFranceItalySpainRussiaOthersAsia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 8 and 13)ChinaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndiaSoutheast AsiaOthersMiddle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 9 and 13)Saudi ArabiaUAEEgyptNigeriaSouth AfricaOthersSouth America (Covered in Chapter 10 and 13)BrazilArgentinaColumbiaChileOthers

The Psoriasis market study further highlights the segmentation of the Psoriasis industry on a global distribution. The report focuses on regions of North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World in terms of developing business trends, preferred market channels, investment feasibility, long term investments, and environmental analysis. The Psoriasis report also calls attention to investigate product capacity, product price, profit streams, supply to demand ratio, production and market growth rate, and a projected growth forecast.

In addition, the Psoriasis market study also covers several factors such as market status, key market trends, growth forecast, and growth opportunities. Furthermore, we analyze the challenges faced by the Psoriasis market in terms of global and regional basis. The study also encompasses a number of opportunities and emerging trends which are considered by considering their impact on the global scale in acquiring a majority of the market share.

The study encompasses a variety of analytical resources such as SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces analysis coupled with primary and secondary research methodologies. It covers all the bases surrounding the Psoriasis industry as it explores the competitive nature of the market complete with a regional analysis.

Brief about Psoriasis Market Report with [emailprotected]https://hongchunresearch.com/report/psoriasis-market-40648

Some Point of Table of Content:

Chapter One: Report Overview

Chapter Two: Global Market Growth Trends

Chapter Three: Value Chain of Psoriasis Market

Chapter Four: Players Profiles

Chapter Five: Global Psoriasis Market Analysis by Regions

Chapter Six: North America Psoriasis Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Seven: Europe Psoriasis Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Eight: Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Africa Psoriasis Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Ten: South America Psoriasis Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Eleven: Global Psoriasis Market Segment by Types

Chapter Twelve: Global Psoriasis Market Segment by Applications 12.1 Global Psoriasis Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020) 12.1.1 Global Psoriasis Sales and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020) 12.1.2 Global Psoriasis Revenue and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020) 12.2 Injectable Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020) 12.3 Tropical Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020) 12.4 Oral Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020)

Chapter Thirteen: Psoriasis Market Forecast by Regions (2020-2026) continued

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List of tablesList of Tables and Figures Table Global Psoriasis Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2020-2026) Figure Global Psoriasis Market Share by Type in 2019 & 2026 Figure Systemic Features Figure Phototherapy Features Figure Topical Treatment Features Figure Others Features Table Global Psoriasis Market Size Growth by Application (2020-2026) Figure Global Psoriasis Market Share by Application in 2019 & 2026 Figure Injectable Description Figure Tropical Description Figure Oral Description Figure Global COVID-19 Status Overview Table Influence of COVID-19 Outbreak on Psoriasis Industry Development Table SWOT Analysis Figure Porters Five Forces Analysis Figure Global Psoriasis Market Size and Growth Rate 2015-2026 Table Industry News Table Industry Policies Figure Value Chain Status of Psoriasis Figure Production Process of Psoriasis Figure Manufacturing Cost Structure of Psoriasis Figure Major Company Analysis (by Business Distribution Base, by Product Type) Table Downstream Major Customer Analysis (by Region) Table Celgene Corporation Profile Table Celgene Corporation Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Profile Table Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Pfizer Inc. Profile Table Pfizer Inc. Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Stiefel Laboratories Inc. Profile Table Stiefel Laboratories Inc. Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Amgen Inc. Profile Table Amgen Inc. Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Biogen Idec Profile Table Biogen Idec Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Novartis AG Profile Table Novartis AG Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Eli Lilly and Company Profile Table Eli Lilly and Company Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table Johnson and Johnson (Janssen Biotech Inc.) Profile Table Johnson and Johnson (Janssen Biotech Inc.) Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Table AbbVie Inc. Profile Table AbbVie Inc. Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020 Figure Global Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Global Psoriasis Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020) Table Global Psoriasis Sales by Regions (2015-2020) Table Global Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Regions (2015-2020) Table Global Psoriasis Revenue ($) by Regions (2015-2020) Table Global Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Regions (2015-2020) Table Global Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2015 Table Global Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2019 Figure North America Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Europe Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Middle East and Africa Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure South America Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure North America Psoriasis Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020) Table North America Psoriasis Sales by Countries (2015-2020) Table North America Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020) Figure North America Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015 Figure North America Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019 Table North America Psoriasis Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020) Table North America Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020) Figure North America Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015 Figure North America Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019 Figure United States Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Canada Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Mexico Psoriasis Sales and Growth (2015-2020) Figure Europe Psoriasis Revenue ($) Growth (2015-2020) Table Europe Psoriasis Sales by Countries (2015-2020) Table Europe Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020) Figure Europe Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015 Figure Europe Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019 Table Europe Psoriasis Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020) Table Europe Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020) Figure Europe Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015 Figure Europe Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019 Figure Germany Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure UK Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure France Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Italy Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Spain Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Russia Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020) Table Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Sales by Countries (2015-2020) Table Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020) Figure Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015 Figure Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019 Table Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020) Table Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020) Figure Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015 Figure Asia-Pacific Psoriasis Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019 Figure China Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Japan Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure South Korea Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Australia Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure India Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Southeast Asia Psoriasis Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020) Figure Middle East and Africa Psoriasis Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020) continued

About HongChun Research: HongChun Research main aim is to assist our clients in order to give a detailed perspective on the current market trends and build long-lasting connections with our clientele. Our studies are designed to provide solid quantitative facts combined with strategic industrial insights that are acquired from proprietary sources and an in-house model.

Contact Details: Jennifer GrayManager Global Sales+ 852 8170 0792[emailprotected]

NOTE: Our report does take into account the impact of coronavirus pandemic and dedicates qualitative as well as quantitative sections of information within the report that emphasizes the impact of COVID-19.

As this pandemic is ongoing and leading to dynamic shifts in stocks and businesses worldwide, we take into account the current condition and forecast the market data taking into consideration the micro and macroeconomic factors that will be affected by the pandemic.

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Psoriasis Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Global Forecast to 2026 (Based on 2020 COVID-19 Impacts...

Is it Common for People with Celiac Disease to Have a Rash? – Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Diet Support – Celiac.com

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Celiac.com 10/06/2020 - One question we get often is about celiac disease and rashes. Specifically, is it common for people with celiac disease to have a rash?

Skin rash alone is not a specific symptom of celiac disease. However, people with celiac disease can have higher rates of certain skin conditions that can cause rashes. Rashes are also not commonly in the top ten complaints of people with celiac disease.

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a common extraintestinal manifestation of celiac disease, marked by itchy papules and vesicles on the elbows, knees, and buttocks. Dermatitis herpetiformis is a common in people with celiac disease, and is one immediate suspect for anyone with celiac disease who develops a rash.

About 1 out of 8, or about 12 percent of people with celiac disease will also have Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH). In fact, DH is now regarded as external manifestation of celiac disease in the skin.

It is also possible for people to have DH and not have celiac disease, but everyone with DH should be screened for celiac disease. The good news is that most people with DH see significant improvement on a gluten-free diet. Moreover, patients with refractory DH see major gut improvement on a gluten-free diet.

Some patients with celiac disease have complained of hives, but hives are not common in celiac patients. There have also been studies to show that six out of sixty patients (10%) with Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS) suffered from contact dermatitis and nickel allergy, double the 5% rate seen in the control group.

Other conditions that can cause skin rashes in celiacs (and non-celiacs) include eczema and psoriasis.

As with DH, a gluten-free diet is becoming a more commontreatment for eczema. People who are gluten intolerant also tend to have more advanced psoriasis. Like eczema, many people with psoriasis improve when patients follow a gluten-free diet.

People with celiac disease have a slightly higher risk of developing shingles (herpes zoster), which could also be triggered by a COVID-19 infection.

Again, a rash all by itself is not a signof celiac disease. However, if you have a rash associated with one of the above conditions AND you have celiac symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, then you might want to consult a doctor about celiac disease.

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Is it Common for People with Celiac Disease to Have a Rash? - Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Diet Support - Celiac.com

Health Union Virtual Event to Share Patient Perspectives from COVID-19, How It Will Shape Health Landscape – PRNewswire

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PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Health Union will lead a live virtual event - the company's first - on Oct. 15 that aims to capture the impact of COVID-19 on people with chronic health conditions and glean insights into how biopharma companies can address changing needs (registration here).

Titled "The COVID-19 Effect: How Pharma Can Adapt to the Evolving Patient Experience," the free event will feature real-time conversations with patient advocates from across Health Union's chronic condition-specific online health communities. Each of the five conversations will focus on how the patient advocates are navigating health-related topics that have taken center stage throughout the coronavirus pandemic, such as telehealth, social distancing and isolation.

These personal conversations between patient advocates and a Health Union team member will be partnered with the company's patient-reported survey data to give attendees an understanding of how these topics will continue to shape the health landscape. Each of these sessions will include advice and "food for thought" on how pharma companies can better address patients' unmet needs related to these topics. Each conversation will be followed by a brief question-and-answer session; attendees can submit questions within the chat function following the session.

The schedule for the virtual event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET, is as follows:

"The coronavirus pandemic has impacted everybody in some shape or form, but people living with chronic health conditions have been affected in unique ways that might not be obvious to many," said Tim Armand, co-founder and president of Health Union. "By illuminating these stories during this virtual event - via conversations with our amazing, thoughtful patient advocates - Health Union hopes to inform people who can make a true impact, such as biopharma companies, how they can make a difference."

Interested participants can attend any or all of the sessions throughout the one-day event, and can access the event homepage via web browser or the Cadence app. Register, for free, at eventcadence.com/e/health-union-COVID-effect.

More Information About the Sessions

"MS & Social Distancing: Devin's Resilience" (10-10:30 a.m. ET) will dive into the ups and downs of MultipleSclerosis.net patient advocate Devin Garlit's 20-year journey with multiple sclerosis, including what's changed or stayed the same throughout the pandemic. The conversation will be led by Health Union's Emily Downward, senior director, consumer strategy and storytelling, and Courtney Robertson, executive research director.

During "Psoriasis Used to Isolate Reena, Now it Connects Her" (11-11:30 a.m. ET), PlaquePsoriasis.com patient advocate Reena Ruparelia will discuss her unique experience living with psoriasis, focusing on her relationship with healthcare professionals (HCP) and the positive impact of online connections. The session will be led by Health Union's Lauren Lawhon, chief operating officer, and Katie MacTurk, senior research director.

"Telehealth Perspectives: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (noon-12:45 p.m. ET) will feature a roundtable on telehealth experiences, focusing on challenges, opportunities and impact on the HCP-patient relationship. Participants will include ParkinsonsDisease.net advocates Angela Robb and Karl Robb and InflammatoryBowelDisease.net advocate Amanda Osowski. Health Union's Rebecca Braglio, executive director for community development, will lead the conversation.

Migraine.compatient advocate Kerrie Smyres will share what she wishes she knew at the start of her migraine journey, detail her shift to self-care and experiences with telehealth during "Healthcare + Self-Care: Kerrie's Migraine Journey" (1-1:30 p.m. ET). The session will be led by Downward and Robertson.

During "Listen & Learn From People with Lung Cancer, Like Lisa" (2-2:30 p.m. ET), LungCancer.net advocate Lisa Moran will discuss her personal experience living with late-stage lung cancer, focusing on changing treatment during the pandemic and how she copes with isolation and tips for pharma. The conversation will be led by Lawhon and MacTurk.

About Health Union, LLC

Since 2010, Health Union has encouraged social interactions that evolve into valuable online health conversations, helping people with chronic conditions find the information, connection, and validation they seek. The company creates condition-specific online communities publishing original, daily content and continuously cultivating social conversation to support, educate and connect millions of people with challenging, chronic health concerns. Today, the Health Union family of brands includes 29 online health communities, including LungCancer.net, ParkinsonsDisease.net, MultipleSclerosis.net and Migraine.com.

SOURCE Health Union

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Health Union Virtual Event to Share Patient Perspectives from COVID-19, How It Will Shape Health Landscape - PRNewswire

Here are some CBD products to add to your skin care routine – LancasterOnline

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CBD (cannabidiol) is everywhere these days. From topical salves, lotions, oils, to a variety of foods and drinks. While we typically hear about all of the wonderful ways CBD works for pain relief and anxiety, it has also made its way into the skincare industry. So how can something like CBD be beneficial for our skin?

Our body produces a type of cannabinoid, known as endocannabinoids, which support the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system regulates the immune system functions, inflammatory response, and so much more. When our ECS is deficient, CBD oil can penetrate the skin and help support that system by imitating endocannabinoids. In other words, CBD helps restore a homeostatic balance to an out-of-whack ECS. Pain, inflammation, and an imbalance in skin cells, sebum glands, and the immune system are some of the root causes of many skin issues so adding CBD to your skincare regimen makes total sense. Here are just a few issues CBD oil can help with.

CBD oil contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which helps stimulate the production of collagen and prevents excessive water loss. Increased collagen production and hydration help to prevent the signs of aging caused by free radicals, such as reddened skin tone, dullness, fine lines, and wrinkles, for more youthful skin.

Psoriasis, an autoimmune disease, causes the body to attack healthy skin cells and speed up their life cycle. Cells multiply quickly, leading to scaly red spots. Psoriasis can be painful and hard to control for those who suffer with the disease. CBD helps relieve pain and inflammation while decreasing the rapid skin cell multiplication by working with our bodys natural endocannabinoid system to restore balance to pain, inflammation, and immune responses.

CBD oil acts as a balancer in instances of acne and dry skin with its antibacterial properties and sebum oil regulation. It regulates over-producing acne-causing sebum oil production, which helps to keep the skin free of excess bacteria that leads to clogged pores. In dry skin, it regulates the sebaceous glands to encourage oil production. This makes CBD oil a great choice for sensitive skin, as well as combination skin types. CBDs anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties alleviate inflammation from irritated skin and help speed up healing time as well.

Eczema causes patches of skin to turn red, crack, and become itchy and inflamed. Since CBD has a strong relation to the bodys natural endocannabinoid system, which directly relates to the allergic inflammation believed to be the leading cause of eczema, this makes CBD oil an excellent option to alleviate pain and inflammation. CBD also helps to relieve the dry skin caused by eczema.

Hempfield Botanicals has you covered with these high-quality CBD products that could have you seeing major improvement within two weeks:

Fortify Face Oil defies the effects of aging and nourishes dry skin with a vitamin-C rich CBD oil blend. Made with soothing borage seed oil, hydrating hemp seed oil, and other specially selected oils, Fortify fights free radicals and rejuvenates skin. Fortify is also an LNE & SPAs Best Product Winner of 2020.

Soothe Face Oil calms sensitive and acne-prone skin with its anti-inflammatory CBD oil blend. Made with healing borage seed oil, nourishing hemp seed oil, and other specially selected oils, Soothe hydrates temperamental skin without clogging pores. Soothe is a 2020 Beauty Awards Winner for Organic Spa Magazine.

When shopping for CBD skincare products, there are many low-quality ones out there, so make sure you do your research. Hempfield Botanicals is a Certified B Corporation, meeting higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and

accountability. Their formulations contain organically-grown whole-plant hemp CBD extracts sourced from sustainable farms in Pennsylvania. Every batch is triple tested for potency, quality, and purity to ensure consistent,effective products every time. If quality and effectiveness is what you are looking for, Hempfield Botanicals should be your go-to brand.

For more information aboutHempfield Botanicals,please visithttps://hempfieldbotanicals.com/

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Here are some CBD products to add to your skin care routine - LancasterOnline

FDA Approves Golimumab for Active Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Extension of PsA Indication – Pharmacy Times

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FDA Approves Golimumab for Active Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Extension of PsA Indication

Golimumab is a fully human anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha monoclonal antibody designed to target soluble and transmembrane bioactive forms of human TNF-alpha. When overproduced in the body, TNF-alpha is a protein that can cause chronic inflammation.

"This latest FDA approval of Simponi Aria for pediatric use in active pJIA and active PsA not only brings a new option to young patients living with these diseases but also adds to the growing body of evidence for this treatment," said Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, global head of Janssen Research and Development at Johnson & Johnson, in a press release. "For more than 20 years, we at Janssen have been committed to researching anti-TNF biologic agents for immune-mediated diseases and are encouraged to expand treatment options for these patients."

Characterized by symptoms of arthritis that persist for 6 weeks or more before the age of 16 years, JIA is a group of disorders that affects 300,000 children in the United States. The form of JIA that is most common is polyarticular, which is characterized by inflammation in more than 4 joints, resembling adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Among pediatric patients, PsA is one of the rarest subtypes of JIA. PsA results in symptoms that are similar in both children and adults, which include joint inflammation and skin lesions that are commonly associated with psoriasis.

"For far too long, children with pJIA or PsA have had limited treatment options," said Seth D. Ginsberg, co-founder and president of the Global Healthy Living Foundation and CreakyJoints, in a press release. "This approval represents an important step forward for these children and their families."

The approval for golimumab was based on results from the GO-VIVA phase 3 clinical trial. The open-label study included children aged 2 to 17 years with JIA with active polyarthritis who had active arthritis in 5 or more joints. All patients included in the trial had also received a treatment with methotrexate for at least 2 months prior to treatment with golimumab.

The researchers found that the pharmacokinetic exposure of golimumab in the GO-VIVA clinical trial was consistent with the results of 2 other phase 3 clinical trials assessing golimumab in adult patients with moderately to severely active RA and active PsA.

The results also demonstrated that the efficacy of golimumab was consistent with the responses of adult patients with RA. Additionally, the adverse effects were consistent with the previously established safety profile of golimumab in adult patients with RA and PsA.

"Due to the limited availability of pediatric patients for inclusion in clinical trials, it can be challenging to build clinical studies for this young patient population," said Daniel J. Lovell, the Joseph E. Levinson professor of pediatric rheumatology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital MedicalCenter, in a press release. "Given these challenges, I am pleased to see Janssen advance the approval of a new treatment option for pediatric patients with pJIA and PsAan important milestone in the treatment of these complex, heterogeneous diseases."

REFERENCESIMPONI ARIA (golimumab) Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Active Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Extension of Its Active Psoriatic Arthritis Indication in Patients 2 Years of Age and Older. Horsham, PA: Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies; September 30, 2020. prnewswire.com/news-releases/simponi-aria-golimumab-approved-by-the-us-food-and-drug-administration-for-active-polyarticular-juvenile-idiopathic-arthritis-and-extension-of-its-active-psoriatic-arthritis-indication-in-patients-2-years-of-age-and-older-301141976.html?tc=eml_cleartime. Accessed October 1, 2020.

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Hospices Increasingly Supplement Bereavement Care with Phone Apps – Hospice News

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Hospices are embracing digital memory sharing platforms that are emerging worldwide to help support patients and their families through the dying process. These evolving technologies have made it possible for families and friends to memorialize loved ones through videos, audio recordings and various other media forms.

Hospices are required by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer bereavement care to patients families for 13 months after their loved one expires. Hospice social workers, chaplains and volunteers are often roles tying patient families to these services and related services such as memorials, funerals and death doulas. Many hospices extend their grief care beyond their patient populations and offer that same support into the community at large with bereavement camps, support groups and memorial services for those experiencing the loss of a loved one.

A rising number of providers are turning to smartphone and tablet apps to enhance their bereavement services.

[The After Cloud application] came from a place of grief that we turned into positiveness, said Darren Evans, founder of After Cloud, an app that recently launched in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. It essentially gives people the ability to capture moments in any form and its designed specifically with end-of-life and palliative care in mind. People can capture real-time moments and publish them at a future date to families if they wish.

After Cloud joined the digital memory sharing space among platforms with similar capabilities of uploading photos and documents, creating videos, recording audio messages and speech-to-text features for dictating letters. Intended to capture and share moments with loved ones, the technology could be beneficial for hospice providers looking to expand complimentary bereavement services for families of deceased patients and communities at large.

Weve had tons of conversations with hospice social workers about our memorial websites and the biggest thing about them is that they really end up being a win all around because it makes things easier on the family, said Alison Johnston, co-founder and CEO of Ever Loved, a funeral planning site that creates memorial websites for individuals approaching the end of life and their families. Much like a digital cemetery a memorial websites is a place where you can come back and visit a person and you can connect with other people that care about them as well. Somebody can continue to live online and it represents who this person was, shares the impact they had with other people and helps others grieve and connect with one another.

The digital memory sharing platforms also pose an opportunity to expand advance care planning discussions with a number of apps featuring capabilities to upload and share documents virtually with loved ones. Advance care directives, living wills, life insurance policies and funeral planning information are some examples of the documentation types.

For their patients, its that youve made this part of their life as physically and emotionally at ease for them and their loved ones. We create a co-branded webpage, give them a code for patients, provide digital information leaflets and just make the platform easily accessible on smartphones, tablets and computers, said Ian Dibb, founder and CEO of the U.K.-based Once Ive Gone application. They know their loved ones will hear them and have access to all the important documentation and plans needed when youre gone. The platform is meant to be about people interacting with it to get all their affairs in order and also create a digital legacy.

Hospices have increasingly leveraged technology to ramp up grief support, with younger generations impacting the technical scope of end-of-life care. As more tech savvy generations care for aging parents and eventually come to need end-of-life care themselves, the trend toward digital memory sharing and grief support is expected to continue.

Over the last five to 10 years our audience has become so much more tech savvy and is looking to do more things digitally because its one of the ways that we can help ensure that somebodys memory lives on forever, and that people can continue to feel connected to family members and friends after they pass, Johnston told Hospice News.

Similar to hospice, a goal for digital platform providers is to break down misperceptions around death and the dying process and bring end of life to the forefront of global conversations.

Were all about normalizing the conversation of death and grief, said chief technology officer of After Cloud, Antony Hawkes. The core of the application is the concept of building up your memories in a moment through things like photos and videos that are saved in a kind of memory box shared with loved ones later through permission sharing. Their loved ones are accessing this content remotely as a pipeline to pull these loved ones together and allow them to share, comment and discuss the content. Bringing people together and reducing that stigma around death is such an interesting challenge.

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Hospices Increasingly Supplement Bereavement Care with Phone Apps - Hospice News

Federal Broadband Funding To Bring High-Speed Internet To 10000 Vermont Addresses – Vermont Public Radio

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Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about coronavirus, new broadband access and more for Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Want VPR's daily news in podcast form? Get up to speed in under 20 minutes withThe Frequency every weekday morning. How about an email newsletter?Add our daily email briefingto your morning routine.

The latest coronavirus data:

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1. Six new cases of COVID-19

The Vermont Department of Health reported six new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. Two of the new cases are in Chittenden County, two are in Bennington County, and there is one each in Windsor and Windham Counties.

To date, the health department has identified more than 1,800 cases of the disease in Vermont. In Addison County, 27 recent cases are linked to an outbreak at an orchard in Shoreham, which state health officials say is contained.

To the north, COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Quebec Province, with 900 new cases reported today.

Tuesday marked the highest single-day increase ever in the province, with more than 1,300 new cases reported.

Provincial health officals are urging Quebecers to limit contact with grandparents, as a growing number of cases are in people over age 65.

Health officials say parents who rely on older relatives for childcare should make alternative arrangements and refrain from family get-togethers.

While most new cases are Montrealers between the agesof 18 and 34, people over 65 make up 12-to-15% of new daily cases.

- Anna Van Dine and Karen Anderson

More from VPR: Testing, Guidance, An Outbreak In Addison County: Checking In With Health Commissioner Mark Levine

2. Remote learning presents challenges for students in special education

While some schools in Vermont have transitioned back to in-person learning, there are still many students and teachers working remotely.

Remote learning can be a challenge, especially for some students in special education. Vermont Family Network's Co-Director of Family Support Karen Price told Vermont Edition she's seen many families leave public schools to accommodate their child's needs.

We have received a number of calls where families are looking at other avenues, home schooling is suddenly one as well as alternative educational placement, hoping that will provide an environment that will be more suitable, Price said

Price said related services, such as physical and occupational therapy, have also been very challenging for families enrolled in remote learning.

Listen to the full interview.

- Emily Aiken

3. Developer aims to create senior living at former College of St. Joseph campus

A Florida developer wants to create 175 senior apartments at the former College of St Joseph in Rutland. The college closed last year.

Heartland Communities of Americaoperates faith-based senior care communities with independent living and assisted care.

Managing partner Stuart Mills says theyve entered into a sales agreement for 98 acres of the campus, and plan to invest about $50 million in the project.

"Certainly there's construction jobs that are numerous on a on a project of this size and scale. But the more important part is the long-term job creation will probably employ 80 to 90 full-time people from the area, Mills said.

The project has not begun the Act 250 process.

Listen to the full story.

- Nina Keck

4. COVID relief funds to bring high-speed internet to 10,000 Vt. addresses

The state has completed the final round of federally funded grants aimed at bringing high speed Internet to unserved areas by the end of the year. In total about 10,000 addresses will be reached.

The federal COVID relief money came to Vermont with big caveats. The funds had to go for projects related to the pandemic and the money had to be spent by the end of the year.

State Telecommunications Director Clay Purvis said the tight timeline meant that big projects such as fiber optic service planned by new community startups couldn't qualify. But he says the $12 million dollars in federal funds meet an important need.

We're going to get really good broadband to places in Vermont that I think probably would have been the last places to receive broadband if they were to get them at all, Purvis said.

For example, Purvis says a $970,000 grant to the tiny Topsham Telephone Company will reach 350 addresses.

You know that project's a big deal, because that's a really hard area to serve, Purvis said.

About 70,000 addresses in Vermont don't have access to what the federal government defines as broadband service.

- John Dillon

5. Smart Artist Vermont offers free digital skill building for artists

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closings of theaters and other venues, it's been a challenge for performance artists to present their work. Many are turning to the Internet.

With that in mind, Thursday evening, Smart Artist Vermont is offering two back-to-back workshops on how to present online.

Topics range from production basics like lighting and sound, to the pros and cons of uploading or live-streaming content.

James Lockridge is executive director of Big Heavy World, one of the project collaborators.

Smart Artist as an organization is guided by people who are responsible to the theater community, the dance community, the music community, and director and programmer of a performing arts space. So it's as inclusive as can be. And everybody's welcome, Lockridge said.

The workshops are free.

- Betty Smith

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vprnet.

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Federal Broadband Funding To Bring High-Speed Internet To 10000 Vermont Addresses - Vermont Public Radio