BROOKLYN, NY (JTA) – In the latest dustup between New York authorities and Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn, police broke up a gathering of at least several dozen men at a Hasidic synagogue on Wednesday morning.
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Videos circulating on the messaging app WhatsApp showed police officers holding the doors of a synagogue on South 8th Street in Williamsburg as dozens of men exited the building.
It is unclear if the men had gathered for services or for yeshiva studies, but several of the men carried tefillin, a ritual object used during morning prayers. Both kinds of gatherings are barred under an executive order aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
The gathering comes as New Yorkers grow increasingly weary of social distancing after two months under a stay-at-home order, and as other parts of the state begin to reopen. Within the haredi Orthodox community in Brooklyn, several breaches of social distancing, including a large Hasidic funeral that drew thousands into the streets, have led to tensions with city authorities.
This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio called out Jewish violators of distancing rules for a second time in a tweet that his political adversaries, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, are criticizing as unfairly targeting Jews at a time when many New Yorkers are breaking the rules. The mayor also vowed Tuesday to shut down underground schools that he said tipsters had been warning city officials about.
Several parents told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency this week that yeshivas have reopened with altered schedules and sometimes in different locations, apparently to evade notice. On Monday, police shut down one yeshiva after officers found more than 60 students in the school, many of whom were without masks and not practicing social distancing.
Last night i heard that a Shul in my neighborhood was open “with social distancing”. I went for Maariv and despite the signs on the door asking people to comply with the rules, the place was packed, kids, elderly, no distancing. There were at least 75 people just in the main Bais Medrash and I was the only one wearing a mask. Not going back there anytime soon…
I am not so certain that the police are allowed by law to close a Shull.
There are many Shulls in Boro Park and Willaimsburg that were open the entire time of the coronavirus and as many times the police came to these Shulls and saw social distance they just went away.
In any case its time for all Shulls and schools to open up fully.
The Yidden acted in a proper and respectful manner.
Who are the spies, who keep alerting the cops to these religious institutions, to raid? I don’t think that it is goyim who are blowing the whistle?
Between this incident as well as the yeshiva from earlier this week, I have become certain that Satmar is actually Hungarian for “imbecile.”
Why do people choose to be stuborn even when there is pikuach nefesh involved?
And please dont compare driving a car and a mageifa its 2 different types of risks.
and this is why I have no sympathy for the disproportionate impact in the Chasidic community. Ignorance of science has consequences. Now go ahead and call me a self hater again. The truth hurts
The virus is over in Boro park.
I guess ppl are really going crazy from this stay at home orders. I never saw so many positive comments about satMar on VIN
I am amazed that vosizneias was in such a rush to post when shuls are closed down (without recognizing that they were allowed to reopen with social distancing) HOwever, is the only ostensibly frum website that as of 1:17pm 5/20/2020 has not yet posted that Cuomo announced over an hour ago that starting Thursday “religious gatherings of 10 or less” will be allowed.
America is a so called free country. We supposedly have a constitution to protect our rights. Two months ago fine this was a sudden thing we didn’t know how to handle it. Now there are no new patients that are critical, stop the nonsense protect our freedom. Seems that the Governor and mayor dont have what to do and are enjoying the daily briefings. This is over get back to reality.
Every govt has the right to close down any area or venue in an EPIDEMIC. THE Constitution is not a suicide pact. If you are so dumb to go to a packed shul does the Govt have the right to deny you medical care? 250,000 by July
@stating the obvious,
And opening shuls and yeshivah will help those sick people?
THIS COVID 19 IS OVER NOW IT IS CUOMO VIRUS PLAYING POLITICS WITH TRUMP VERUS
At the end of the day we live in the land of law whether we like it or not and what these Jews don’t understand that as Jews collectively we’re all in the same boat and by you not caring and deciding to drill a hole on your side of the boat and say the heck with everyone you can Understand where I’m going with this
Let everyone do their thing. At this point there are many many different opinions on pretty much everything that has to do w covid19. Everyone mind their own business and live and let live.
Baltimore is just allowing strict outdoor minyanim now, while Lakewood is way past that, while Chicago is in middle of them…POINT BEING that there are many different approaches and opinions and everyone should follow their rav/posek. There is absolutely no makom to start putting down or being moser on other yidden. All the best
Live and let live? A nice cliche for imbeciles who go to crowded shuls and spread the epidemic to their families and endanger health workers! SELFISH TRAIFE.
Can’t we all just get along?
Never again
But you chasidisha fools will just keeping for the liberals b. C. They promise you some free herring
Corona Talk 2020 sweeps the nation . We should have a special Zoom program every day we’re we can all argue out our points and opinions .
The democrats are the IMBeciles