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Last Friday, morning began in northeastern Italy with an early spring sunrise. No one seemed to foresee what the future would bring. A few hours later, panic ensued – the virus had appeared in several places, and a few days later, the number of infected is now reaching 250.
Most people handle the disease and recover from it, and even those who live in other places of Italy are trying to go on as usual. But our sages have taught us that when a plague is released, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the sinners. When the plague begins to pick people off at the very outskirts of the camp, no one is keeping an eye on the details; all they are interested in is the Coronavirus. They are terrified of it. Without noticing, we have crowned (Corona from "crown") the responsible for the disease.
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Modern man has learned to believe in the power of science – scientific theories explained everything for him. And now Coronavirus shows up and upsets everything. Thus far, we don't know how to eradicate it. It is invisible and more lethal than the viruses we know. The mystery and lack of knowledge about it increase the fear and panic. So do the rumors.
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In the past few days, I've been thinking of the 1979 film "The Eighth Passenger." In the role of the virus, an alien hatches from the eggs of an ancient life form on one of the planets in the film's universe. Terrifyingly, it disappears on a spaceship, followed by one crew member after another.
The fear of coronavirus rests on psycho-historical foundations deep in the European psyche. In the 14th century, the Black Plague struck the continent, and in six years wiped out about one third of its residents. Some researchers call it a plague, while others say it was a virus. Then, too, the plague arrived from the Far East. It upset the existing order and brought social and cultural changes, from the Renaissance to Luther's Protestant Reformation.
In Italy, the Black Plague prompted Giovanni Boccaccio's "Decameron," in which 10 young men and women flee the plague-struck Florence for a villa outside the city, and spend 10 days telling 100 stories daring not only in terms of their eroticism, but also their criticism of the Church of their time. Only thanks to the disturbance created by the plague was the Florentine writer able to break the limits on freedom of expression.
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Nevertheless, life is knocking on the embassy's door. In Rome, life goes on almost as usual; almost. But to the north, in Milan, things are different – one public event after another is being cancelled. People are avoiding public gatherings, soccer games are being postponed, the theaters are empty, and ahead of Shabbat, the question arises of whether public prayer is a health hazard or those who are fulfilling commandments will avoid harm.
Last Shabbat, the rabbi halted in the middle of the weekly Torah portion, just as we were reading the words, "I will take sickness from among you" (Exodus 23:25), and we prayed together for the recovery of the ill all over the world, especially in China. We still didn't know about the outbreak of the disease in Italy.
On Sunday, I spoke with Attilio Fontana, president of Lombardy, a district rich in industry. Milan is its capital. I asked him how we could help. He replied he was happy that Israel was a friend to Lombardy, and he knew that Israel was home to the best minds in the world and hoped that they were busy finding a cure. I told him I would pass his words along.
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The virus might weaken and fade away – if only! – but it might gain strength, and the situation in Rome will change in an instant. We in the embassy must prepare for all possible scenarios, and on Monday we drilled an emergency situation – who would remain in the embassy, who would stay at home, and who would return to Israel. Some of the envoys here have families and children. We learned from events in China that our Embassy representatives are the last to leave. Israel has vital interests in the world, and it is crucial that we attend to them, even in times of crisis.
As of now, we must take care to avoid needless panic. The truth is our best friend. We must not accept any report as the gospel truth; we should verify it against a number of sources, and follow updated from the government ministries. Eventually, the Coronavirus will be dethroned, and the just, healing sun will shine its rays and purify the good land.
