Day 76. A pandemic. A brutal police murder. Riots across America. A President who legitimizes hate. Have we learned nothing? What happened to “alone but together”?

Day 73. This week two noteworthy pandemic related milestones were reached. The first a grim one: in a short three month period the United States lost 100,000 people to the Corona virus. The second a positive, but concerning one: major portions of the Washington DC metropolitan area, specifically DC and Northern Virginia, have announced that they are ready to transition to a Phase 1 level reopening.

To put the first milestone in perspective, during the entire Viet Nam War which lasted several years, approximately 56,000 Americans lost their lives in battle. During the 1960’s, daily reports of American servicemen dying in battle led to an anti war protest movement which gained such prominence and influence that it ultimately forced an end to the war. So many Americans were so outraged at the enormous loss of life that they demanded that their government change its policy and bring an end to the dying.

In three short months the Corona virus has killed more Americans than died in the Viet War. And the death toll continues to rise.

Which leads me to the second milestone, the reopening of the Washington DC area. The transition to a Phase 1 reopening does not represent the end of the threat of Covid-19. Quite to the contrary, the virus is still very much a very serious threat to our health. What has changed is that the infection rate has been flattened such that health care facilities are now deemed to have adequate resources to treat those requiring hospitalization and critical care. In other words, the battle against the Corona Virus is still raging – no one has declared a cease fire.

Which means that to defeat the virus and stop the dying, America needs a Covid-19 “anti war” movement to rally against needless death. Such a movement requires a unity of purpose and action to combat the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of a deadly second wave.

What is perplexing, however, is that unlike the anti-war movement of the 1960’s which united against war and needless dying, today’s protest movements, the attitudes of many of our political leaders and pundits, and the lackadaisical behavior of many common citizens like you and me are the exact opposite – advocacy and behaviors that will lead to a second wave and that will sustain the death rate.

Americans will not be safe, the dying will not stop, the pandemic will not come to an early end until and unless we unite in mind and action, exercise personal responsibility, and protect each other from infection.

We need another “anti war” movement committed to ending needless death.

Day 72. In response to my post of yesterday a good friend sent me the following email on the importance of keeping the pandemic and its impact on our lives in perspective. I am most grateful for his thoughts and share them with you.

He wrote:

“I’m not downplaying the seriousness of the virus or the world we live in today but I also think it helps to think about what our parents and grandparents dealt with through their lives.  Maybe it was a bit different because there was no 24 hour news feed, maybe it was a bit different because they didn’t grow up feeling so entitled or maybe it was a bit different because they were just stronger than we are today…………………..

Anyway, thought you might like some perspective on what you would have faced in your life if you had been born in 1900.  Stay safe and be well!!”

A reality check –
Historic Perspective

It’s a mess out there now. Hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just simple panic and hysteria. For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900.

On your 14th birthday, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people perish in that war. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.

On your 29th birthday, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts in Europe. But no time to catch your breath. On your 41st birthday, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war.

Smallpox was epidemic until you were in your 40’s, as it killed 300 million people during your lifetime. At 50, the Korean War starts. 5 million perish. From your birth, until you are 55 you dealt with the fear of Polio epidemics every summer. You experienced friends and family contracting polio, becoming paralyzed and/or dying.

At 55 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict. During the Cold War, 1945 – 1990, you lived each day with the fear of nuclear annihilation. On your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, almost ended. When you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends.

Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How did they endure all of that? Perspective is an amazing art. Refined and enlightening as time goes on. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Your parents and/or grandparents were called to endure all of the above – you are called to stay at home and sit on the couch.

Day 71.

Human nature is such that at some point “stay at home” orders will become unsustainable.

We will come to regard the period of sheltering in place as having been the more “simple” period of response to the Corona virus threat.

The post “shelter in place” period will present significant individual and societal challenges until a vaccine or cure is discovered.

Because the virus will remain a constant danger but individual and societal response to it will be varied the death toll will continue to climb to unimaginable numbers.

A huge number of Americans, 100,000, have lost their lives to Covid-19 in a few short months. The enormous death toll number alone is not impactful enough to influence the personal behavior of large numbers of the public.

The notion that the economy will “snap back” in short order is foolish. Businesses will continue to struggle with the impacts of the pandemic for months to come.

The pandemic will cause radical change to schools, summer camps, child care etc. The results will be significant. The level of education will suffer for the length of the pandemic. The impact to child care will in turn reduce the ability of businesses to ‘”return to normal” which will in turn contribute to a longer , deeper economic downturn.

Where, when and how we pray will be effected for the life of the pandemic

We can hope for a vaccine in the near future but must plan for living with the Corona virus over a sustained period of time.

Ignoring the virus will not make it go away.

Day 69. A photographic Memorial Day Salute to all those who protect and defend us.

© Judah Lifschitz 2020

Day 66. I have always been impressed by marathon runners. The marathon runner has physical strength, ability and stamina. But to go the distance, the physical attributes of the runner are not enough. To get to across the finish line the marathon runner must maintain a consistent mental focus and control. A change from positive to negative, from an “I can do this” to an “I am not going to make it” attitude is fatal. It is this ability to maintain under pressure a positive attitude, to have mental and emotional endurance – which I admire most in the marathon runner.

Mental and emotional endurance is important not only for runners. Life is full of circumstances that require one to keep a positive mental focus in the face of an ongoing challenge.

I recall that first day 66 days ago when I awoke at 4:15 am, made a cup of coffee, and excitedly began my first remote workday. I was full of positive energy, determined to lead and support my co-workers, reduce their apprehension, calm their fears, be a source of reassurance that “we were all in this together”, and let our clients know that our transformation into a virtual law firm would be seamless.

Those first days turned into a week. The weeks turned into a month and I was settling into my new routine. The day continued to start early but now, instead of checking the news and getting out of the house early enough to attend services at my synagogue and beat the rush hour traffic, i now started each day with a “Good Morning SLS!!!” email to my law firm, drafting a blog post ,and either getting on my Peleton or walking a few miles in my neighborhood or through Brookside Gardens. With each day I was getting used to and even enjoying my new routine.

But its all about mental endurance; staying focused during the entire race – not just at the beginning, not just in the middle. The marathon runner has to maintain focus for every mile from beginning to end. Any lapse will mean failure.

After 65 days of this pandemic, its stresses and restrictions, and as we move into the next phase of this crisis with its many unknowns and risks, it is becoming more difficult to maintain, day to day, the calm, positive focus required to prevail. I am getting tired of my new routine (wishing I could get back to my old one….not!) and stressing about the challenges and unknowns, professional and in general, which loom in the future.

I have to remind myself – this is a marathon. Stay focused.

Day 65. Next Tuesday night May 26 at 8 pm an extraordinary charity, Sulam, which educates children with invisible and visible disabilities, will be holding its first ever Virtual Gala . Sulam is trying to raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would have normally raised at its annual June Gala which was cancelled due to the Corona virus pandemic.

The challenge (and threat) to Sulam and all charities brought on by the pandemic is very real and enormous. The pandemic has caused a dramatic increase in the demand for Sulam’s services while making traditional fundraising efforts largely impossible to conduct.In an effort To try and raise the very much needed funds Sulam, like other charities, are left with experimenting with “virtual fundraising”.

Sulam’s predicament is being faced by charities all across the globe as they continue to deliver their much needed services to those in need in the face of a suddenly created enormous financial challenge.

As the following excerpt from an article Wall Street Journal reveals, thankfully, even in these very difficulty times, there are those who find a way, whether small or large, to support charities like Sulam.

What Is Different This Time’: Readers Respond on Charities’ Struggles During Coronavirus

An article on how the pandemic is forcing nonprofits to cancel fundraisers and hitting donations prompted readers to relate their own thoughts

By Brandon Sanchez May 19, 2020 1:28 pm ET

Betsy Morris’s article about nonprofits struggling during the coronavirus pandemic struck a chord with readers, particularly those with ties to the nonprofit world. Many organizations have canceled fundraisers and face the prospect of government contracts drying up. Meanwhile, demand for services is outpacing revenue, especially at food banks. Here is a sampling of responses.

Your article resonated as I have served on a variety of nonprofit boards of directors for the past 25 years in addition to my time in the Army and as a tech entrepreneur.

In that time I have watched the nonprofit world deal with three recessions. When I graduated from West Point in 1994, over $100 billion was donated to charity that year in the U.S. Last year $450 billion was donated, so for 25 years it has been on a steady increase with three very small dips during the three recessions.

What is different this time, though, is that during each of those three recessions organizations could still hold their galas, their races and their face-to-face meetings; they just knew they were going to raise a little less money. As you pointed out in your article, today those organizations have lost access to most forms of traditional fundraising.

Shawn Olds Falls Church, Va.

I cannot understand why people do not simply send in the cost of the “luncheon,” or whatever other fundraiser. If the mission of the enterprise really motivates your support, why do so many people require they be entertained or featured on some society page? Charitable contributions should not come with strings attached.

Bob Schafer Lincolnshire, Ill.

Sulam needs your support! Please join Sulam on Tuesday May 26 for an inspirational virtual event. Registration is free. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Thank you in advance for your participation and support. it means the world to Sulam’s educators and staff and most importantly of all to Sulam’s kids.

Please click on this link https://www.sulam.org/togetherwerise to register for the event. 

Day 64. As I read the first section of yesterday’s Washington Post I was struck by how the coronavirus article headlines depicted an utter state of confusion in our country’s response to the pandemic. Consider these headlines:

“‘This Feels Great’ A preview from Georgia about how America might reemerge from the pandemic: Eating, drinking, touching, and throwing caution to the wind.”

“A boost in tests, but lack of takers”

“Trump seems poised to let others lead on reopening”

“Summer heat may help fight pandemic but won’t halt it”

“Majority going to work fear exposing their households”

“Even as New Orleans reopens, tourists and residents are hesitant to return”

“No longer waiting for help, volunteers bring masks to vulnerable groups“

“A growing list keeps track of transit workers who’ve died”

“Navarro faults CDC over tests, renews criticism of China“

“As states ramp up testing capacity, some lack demand”

“The results are in – Mr. Trump’s miracle drug is useless“

“Ms. Bowser’s wise pessimism about the coronavirus“

“Trump is gambling our health for his reelection”

An op-ed by Robert Samuelson summed up our confused state of affairs and its dangers. He wrote:

The job of a leader in a crisis – and the coronavirus pandemic is a genuine crisis, not just an outburst of alarmism- is to forge a consensus that enables society to deal with the crisis. this is hard. It requires the leader to explain things that are usually difficult to explain. And explanation is not enough. people must be persuaded to do or accept things they oppose or don’t support…..

A true leader would have used the bully pulpit to mobilize public opinion to accept changes that we don’t like but that can’t be avoided. Instead Trump practices denial. He suggests the crisis isn’t as bad as it seems…

Is this the best we can do? The debate we should be having – how best to adapt to new realities – is splintered…,.What is left is a crowd of pundits, politicians, doctors and scientists….

We are a long way from a coherent policy that treats both the economy and the coronavirus. How much of a gamble are we taking if we open up too much of the economy too soon? What are the costs for waiting too long? Have we passed a point of no return when we can’t control the virus and it can control us? What are the prospects for a workable vaccine?

By our masterful evasion of the obvious, will we end up with the worst of both worlds: a feeble economy and a resurgent virus?

Excerpted from an op-ed by Robert Samuleson entitled, “The Cost of the Presidential Leadership Vacuum”,
The Washington Post , May 18, 2020

We need to do better. Lives and jobs depend on it.