n>Purim, perhaps the most social and certainly the most alcohol-infused Jewish holiday, came on March 9 this year, in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. For the already social, Hasidic community of Crown Heights, a holiday of passing food and drink from house to house created a crisis. This was at a point in the path of the virus when top officials from the White House to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio were still downplaying the threat—and before de Blasio had decided to single out the city’s Jewish community for special punishment. Compared to the social distancing and other measures practiced in Crown Heights only a few weeks later, public health protocols during Purim were lax and the number of cases started growing soon after. Read Full Article »