Historian Yuval Noah Harari donates £790k to WHO after US suspension of funding
Israeli-born author of hit book 'Sapiens' pledged money to the World Health Organisation as it leads the fight against Covid-19
Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari has pledged 790,000 ($1 m) to the World Health Organization, or WHO, to mitigate the suspension of U.S. funding.
“Unfortunately, the US president has chosen this moment to halt funding to the WHO,” Harari and Itzik Yahav, his husband, wrote in a statement bearing the letterhead of Sapienship, the nonprofit they established in 2019. “Luckily, there are more than 7 billion other humans on this earth, and we can do better.
“Our biggest enemy is not coronavirus, but the inner demons of humankind: hatred and greed.”
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump suspended funding to WHO, reportedly for at least 60 days, saying the organisation “failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable.” The United States has an outstanding balance of £79m ($99) million in fees and contributions to WHO.
Some Trump critics said he was deflecting blame for the damage that COVID-19, which has killed more than 35,000 people in the U.S., is causing to the country’s society and economy.
Other world leaders have accused WHO of bowing to China, where authorities initially concealed the outbreak that grew into the pandemic.
“Early on, if the WHO had not insisted to the world that China had no pneumonia epidemic, then everybody would’ve taken precautions,” Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro said last month.
In mid-January, Chinese officials said there was no evidence the virus could be transmitted between humans on a broad scale. WHO endorsed the claims.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
