BROOKLYN (VINnews/Sandy Eller) – With both the mayor and the governor taking a tough stance on weddings that exceed the 50 person limit on indoor gatherings, City Councilman Kalman Yeger has responded in kind, calling on catering halls to lock their doors to keep law enforcement out.
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Speaking on the Talkline radio program Saturday night, Yeger spared no words as he described how the city’s sheriff’s department has sent out uniformed officers in cars with lights and sirens and has stopped motorists on bridges, asking them where they are coming from and where they are headed.
“They are just so happy to send heavily armed militia forces into our neighborhoods because they are afraid of the size of our wedding parties,” said Yeger.
With the city facing a $9 billion deficit, Yeger wondered aloud if perhaps government resources could be better allocated elsewhere.
“I’m telling anybody who asks me, if you see them approaching a wedding hall, lock the doors,” advised Yeger. “Don’t let them in.”
The New York Post (https://bit.ly/32JipYa) pinpointed three weddings that took place in Borough Park on August 24th, estimating that each one had as many as 200 guests. The wedding manager at one hall said that the affair complied with state law because guests were divided into groups of 50, with security workers on hand to enforce social distancing.
Two days later, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said that it planned to issue two violations to an unnamed catering hall in Borough Park, with fines totaling $2,000 for violations on gathering limits and serving food without a license.
“The state-mandated gathering limits are clear,” said mayoral spokesperson Mitch Schwartz. “If some businesses have the wrong idea, we’ll take action, first by educating and urging compliance, and then by issuing summonses if necessary. We’re not going to let COVID-19 surge again.”
Larger weddings have proven to be problematic outside of Borough Park as well. At least 123 cases of COVID in Maine were linked to an August 7th wedding in Maine, which also limits indoor gatherings to 50 people. Managers at the Big Moose Inn’s catering hall incorrectly believed that state law allowed them to split the wedding’s 65 guests into two separate rooms and a statement later released by the venue admitted that mingling between the groups did occur.
COVID outbreaks at a nearby county jail and a nursing home were both linked to the wedding, as was one fatality.
Kalman has always been a fighter! Keep up the good work Kalman.]
Yager for mayor 2021! We need more Rudy no nonsense like guys like you.
Can the hospital’s and doctors do the same thing “lock the door and don’t let “THEM” in ?
Feels funny to listen to govt official to tell us to break the laws and try to hide it.
Maybe I’m crazy but the way I was brought up is to listen to the rules and regulations even if I don’t agree with them. P
Limit the size of weddings if it is pikiach nefesh. It’s a no brainer,just like eating on Yom Kippur,if it is pikuach nefesh. You don’t like that the message is coming from govt officials then let the rabbanim make that decree. If the Rabbanim don’t make the decree then,yeah, lock the doors like idiots, to further incur the wrath of the govt. getting people arrested,ruining a simcha, and put many at risk of infection.
al these wedding halls should have a sign on the entrance that there’s a PROTEST going on inside and the mayor, governor, sherrif,etc will leave them alone because BLACK HATS MATTER
While I am appalled by the failure of some of us to obey rules and wear masks, I am infuriated by the Mayor’s constantly singling out Jews and insulting them. Never would this Mayor scold the ‘Black ” community or any other. He repeatedly attacks Jews with impunity.
Be aware, I have asked the NYS Attorney General to look into the racial and bias issues involved, she refused. It seems she does not represent Jews!
This is just silly. Stay safe and avoid large gatherings.
Chillul Hashem. You have to follow the law of the land. There were 16 people infected by a wedding in Boro Park just recently. How many deaths does it have to take for people in Boro Park to decide to follow rules, I ask you? Did we forget about all the precious souls – at least 500 peop dled from the virus? And people are STILL getting infected?
Covidiot. How many people is he putting at risk? I’m not voting for him
You have a protest with thousands packed together on the streets DeBozo will march with them, a wedding and DeBozo will shut it down, only BLM protesters have any rights in DeBozos NYC.
Yeger is being irresponsible. Cases of COVID are rising again. Encouraging people to break the law is wrong.
Yeger is a big talker. But what has he accomplished in office?
Talk is cheap.
Why not just make sure to invite at least 10 of one’s black friends to each wedding. Then, if police show, just record and post online.
Have a recall, replace him.
It is not the first time he has made very inflammatory, irresponsible comments.
Don’t people realize they are endangering their lives and lives of others? Very selfish act of having weddings with 200 people!! Down the line, lives are at stake. Does nobody care?
The police can break the doors down in the right circumstances.
Hey New Yorkers, you got what you deserved, after all you voted him into office.
Haha!
Unfortunately we Republicans have to suffer along with you all. Just keep NY democratic and it will more of the same.
Go yager go! We need more like you to standup for us.
Yaeger is wrong to incite people to go against NYPD.
Although, very uncomfortable, people should listen and limit the size of the simcha.
Be happy you can make it in a hall, instead of the backyard.
Yaeger can talk to NYPD on his own, if he feels they are not acting right but don’t put them down.
We have enough of that from the haters.
It is possible that by giving this advice he is braking the law and can. Be prosecuted
Whether Yeger is c right or wrong on the issue, making a public statement like this is definitely stupid and out of bounds. It’s like waving a red cape in front of a charging bull. Not only Will Diblasio keep targeting weddings, he will now also target the shuls on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur! And don’t forget about the Yeshivas.
The weddings do not bring any more of the virus!! We have had over the summer all the day camps, chedorim, camps, yeshivas all running without social distancing and masks! BH there has not been a surge of the virus again! The FEW cases we have, are the people who DID NOT go out of their houses to shul, to simchas, to the stores etc…. Get out! mingle with everyone and build your immunity! And most of all ask Hashem to keep you healthy and well! A gut gebencht yur!
Kish In tuches!
He’s no leader, what you hear from his mouth is the philosophy his constituents – and this only reinforces antisemitism (in my opinion)
Do not turn science into politics. We should follow the advice of immunologists who believe physical contact spreads the virus. As 1000 of our parents and grandparents died less than six months ago, some people continued to refuse to close down simchas and should. Check with the resting labs and hatzallah. There is a major uptick. If BLM rallies violate the law and endanger their participants, why should we use that movement as a basis to putmembers of klal yisrael at risk. May the refuah come quickly.
The CDC reported this week that only 6% of deaths that have been reported as COVID-19 were only from COVID-19. 94% of the count had other serious illnesses. This whole thing is hysteria and it’s time to oppose it. It’s a chillul Hashem to go along with this madness.
It seems the more Tora observant one is, the more he feels that these precautions are unnecessary. If you don’t fear God, you fear the government.
Stop selling us on chilul hashem and pikuach nefesh. You have no clue what it means. The nazis used the rule of law to wipe out 6 million of us.
The protests have shown that it’s ok to choose which laws you want to follow. We are simply doing the same, and the mayor’s actions are anti semitic.
Kalman’s electorate appreciate his stance, and will support his reelection.
Do you think the police might have a way of opening a locked door?