NEW YORK (VINnews) — Congregation Kahal Tolaas Yaakov in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, whose leader Rabbi Chaim Mertz passed away from COVID-19 two weeks ago, was served with a cease-and-desist order by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Friday due to the congregation’s continued violations of the state’s executive order regarding gatherings and religious service.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The congregation was in the spotlight recently after the NYPD broke up a huge funeral gathering for Rabbi Mertz which violated social distancing restrictions. In the wake of the funeral, Mayor De Blasio caused an uproar after he singled out the Jewish community in a tweet where he termed the gathering and other such gatherings “absolutely unacceptable.” De Blasio later apologized for targeting the Jewish community and the congregation released a statement expressing “regret” for the controversy.
However after the congregation held a memorial service a week after the funeral for Mertz in which over 100 people participated, the city decided to take action against them and served them a cease-and-desist order to stop them from continuing their illegal activity.
Olivia Lapeyrolerie, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said in a statement to the Jewish Insider that “while we know how important faith is during this time of crisis, this behavior is unacceptable, dangerous and reckless. If this house of worship continues to defy the City and State’s executive order, the building will be shut down.”
SHUT DOWN CITY HALL – it’s a DISASTER building doing only no good for New Yorkers
The mayer better watch it, he is biting the hand that feeds them, we won’t throw money at the Mayer anymore everything he asks us for all the millions we have been sending him
The curve is down and everyone got it already. You guys all said two weeks and now it’s over a month . Stop this craziness. Israel reopened so can we. You can’t lock people on caves forever. We need grassroots efforts to end this madness.
(I have a very easy solution to end Israel’s sucide bomings too. Just social distance forever. Arabs won’t be enticed to bomb a store with one person in it. That’s obviously ludicrous. End the madness )
I hope nobody gets sick or even dies as a result of this behavior.
Agree. This is terrible. And then we wonder why the goyim hate us.
Do you really think this will stop these knuckleheads?
Hi from Israel. Don’t learn from Israel’s example. Israel reopened because the few who think like you are instantly called out as crackpots.
Guys have to get this thru their head . Humans can’t be locked up for long periods . It’s impossible and wrong .
Lakewood trying to open shuls this week for 13 year old until 50, excluding underlying health issues and obesity
Israel opened up last week and their new cases are dropping by the day. BH
What about those that are on the border of obesity but after kiddish gain enough weight to go over the scale. Will they be allowed out the door.
The mayor is a whacko.
He fined President Trump ten thousand dollars for keeping the public hallway in Trump tower closed. Trump should not give him a dime. How could we of elected two idiots in NY. The governor and the mayor. Two looney DemocRATs
learn to spell before posting
Simple Solution pad lock to building
Shut off electric and water
A lot of people outside of Williamsburg are not aware who this great Rabbi Mertz was the son of. His father was a giant. Now I understand why G-d made his funeral a massive issue. It’s interesting how every Jewish group defended his funeral against Deblassio. Never before has there been such unity. From extreme left wing to right wing all piled up against the mayor. The Rabbis father is buried in Dean New Jersey and people with kids off the derech go to his grave to beseech his help. There is a system what to do. There is a famous segulah of taking a brick and putting it in the oven with childs name when you bake challahs. After a second week you take brick to tzaddiks grave. The old satmar rebbe ztl recommended bringing the bricks to rabbi mertz gravesite in Dean NJ. I have seen tons of bricks at his grave
It the city only knew of all the other Legal things they ( or is it WE ) do.
Oiy vahAvoiy.
Rebbe Mertz was such a quiet and noble tzaddik, i doubt he would have wanted so much attention 🙁
You elect liberal democRATs and you get what you voted for.
Even if the Mayor says we can open shuls wouldnt we be STUPID and RECKLESS to do so? Didnt anyone learn halacha? Even a small chance of pikuach nefesh overrides minyans.