Like millions of other Americans, my life has been disrupted by precautions taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

On Saturday morning I typically attend services at my synagogue in Bergen County, N.J., or in another synagogue if I am away. But this weekend I prayed at home – the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County took the unprecedented step of closing all synagogues until further notice to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Services in synagogues, churches, mosques and other houses of worship have been canceled in many communities, along with countless gatherings for athletic events, shows, conferences and other events.

ACROSS FAITHS, RELIGIOUS RULES BENT AS VIRUS ALTERS WORSHIP

Schools are closed. Like other young people in many parts of the nation, all six of my children are home – their elementary schools, high school and colleges have been canceled for the time being.

And of course, many people are working remotely if their jobs can be done from home, while many others are unable to go to work.

T

he closing of my synagogue hit me particularly hard because Shabbat this weekend marked the 17th yahrzeit (anniversary) of my mother’s death. I have never missed saying the mourner’s Kaddish prayer for her in a synagogue, but this year due to these extraordinary circumstances – and to protect the health and safety of my family and my community – I was unable to do so.

Over the past two weeks, the news about the coronavirus has gotten worse by the day. Worldwide infections have risen and tragically, the number of deaths has increased significantly. Stock markets are down sharply leaving people worried about their retirement accounts, stress levels are high, and uncertainty and fear permeate our very existence.

I admit that I am guilty of what I have counseled my children not to do. I am consuming the news all day, every day. While I am working I have the news playing in the background. I am constantly looking at my phone for news alerts. I don’t recommend it, but I can’t stop.

What strikes me as terribly unfortunate is that a very significant portion of the news programming is less about news and more about political attacks, criticism and in some cases animosity.

It is time to stop the outrage, including from some politicians, and focus on helping our nation unify and get through this worldwide crisis together. It is time to support one another, strengthen one another, help one another (even if only remotely) and elevate ourselves and our society. Our children are watching us and how we get through this. We need to be aware of that.

Few of us alive today were around during World War II, but most of us have heard stories from older relatives or read about the great unity that swept across the country in those dark days. Our enemy then was evil and murderous fascist regimes. Our enemy today is a microscopic virus that knows no ideology and strikes whenever the opportunity presents itself.

To face each enemy, the best strategy in the past and now is to come together as one nation to fight a common foe.

I worked at the White House for nearly three years and worked for President Trump for nearly 23 years. I have full confidence in him and the team he has surrounded himself with, including Vice President Mike Pence and the task force they have assembled to help our nation deal with this crisis.

I know my former colleagues at the White House and throughout the U.S. government are smart, hardworking, dedicated and mission-driven.

It is easy for some to sit behind a desk at a television studio and endlessly criticize the actions of the Trump administration. The criticism is often politically based, unrealistic, agenda-driven or speculative.

Much of this criticism it is not helping our society get through these very significant challenges. Some of these commentators and their guests have a very narrow slice of the information needed to be able to implement the suggestions they are recommending.

The critics often have no idea of what is going on behind the scenes, and of the many complex layers of information that are needed to analyze every possible action to see what is realistic and what can be implemented.

There are large groups of people within the U.S. government – in coordination with local and state government and the private sector – who are analyzing the various options, possibilities and policies to help us get through this crisis.

Federal officials are trying to instill confidence and calm, while at the same time adapting to developments in real time. There are no perfect answers. The U.S. government and state and local governments will need to adapt constantly to deal with new information, and absorb information from the experience of other countries around the world.

It is easy to criticize. We’ve all seen people in the stands at a football game or watching a game on TV criticize the players for not executing plays perfectly, expecting them to perform almost superhuman feats. It is far harder to be on the field, getting tackled, suffering injuries, facing setbacks and pushing yourself to exhaustion.

It’s the same in government – outsiders looking in and with the benefit of hindsight are quick to say what should have and could have been done better. But the critics haven’t been faced with the challenge of dealing with enormous national crises as the crises rapidly unfold.

It is time for all of us to pull together, to fight this crisis together, to support one another, and to unify. Let’s stop criticizing and instead educate. Let’s stop castigating and instead offer suggestions on how to help.

Let’s be reflective and introspective on how we can help our country get through this. Let’s stop blaming and figure out how we can support one another, especially the vulnerable among us.

It is time to recognize that there are no quick fixes, definite paths or definite answers to defeat the coronavirus. Decisions will have to be changed as new information and developments occur.

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On Shabbat during the reading of the weekly Torah portion in synagogues around the world we recite the Prayer for the Sick. In this prayer, we ask God to speedily heal and strengthen those who are ill.

I could not recite this prayer in my synagogue on Saturday, but I did so in my private prayer at home and my family members did so as well. I have a list of names sitting on my dining room table of over 33 people whose names were provided to me who are suffering from coronavirus. We prayed for these individuals, and those individuals whose names we don’t know, at our Shabbat dinner Friday night.

I hope and pray that God speedily strengthens and heals all those in the United States and around the world who are suffering from this dreadful virus, and gives strength to their loved ones to support them to get through this crisis.

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Let’s unite and fight this together, and we will emerge stronger together.

God bless the United States of America.

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