New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is being criticized for his tweeted threat to have Jewish citizens of the city arrested for attending large gatherings.
The gatherers attended the funeral to mourn the death of Rabbi Chaim Mertz.
Tipster says this is the Williamsburg funeral today of Rabbi Chaim Mertz who died from COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/wsTvCrlzpb
— Reuven Blau (@ReuvenBlau) April 29, 2020
De Blasio took to Twitter late Tuesday to voice his disapproval of a large funeral gathering that took place in Williamsburg, New York.
With the tweet, he made it clear large gatherings will not be tolerated amid the coronavirus pandemic. The mayor also threatened to arrest those who ignore his order.
“Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic,” de Blasio tweeted. “When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus.”
Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic. When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020
He also included a stern message to the Jewish community, saying, “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed.”
He continued, “I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”
We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn. But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning. We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020
Almost immediately after sharing the tweet, de Blasio was met with criticism.
The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council of Hudson Valley fired back with a reference to the events that unfolded earlier in the day, also drawing large crowds that apparently failed to practice social distancing.
After President Donald Trump announced the Thunderbird and Blue Angels’ flyover, large crowds turned out to capture images of the scene.
You failed to social distance tonight and you failed to call out the packed crowds that were out today to watch the flyover. Also, there are plenty of photos of people in ethnic groups violating the rules but how often do you mention them by name as done tonight to Jews? pic.twitter.com/dgwAAZtAg6
— OJPAC (@OJPAC) April 29, 2020
Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC. The few who don’t social distance should be called out — but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever. https://t.co/jcYO9QQred
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 29, 2020
Mr. Mayor, your words are unacceptable. To condemn our entire community over one group of people is something you would not do to any other ethnic group, and I know you long enough to know that you know this. https://t.co/tkKQrc0bXA
— Kalman Yeger ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם (@KalmanYeger) April 29, 2020
Would DeBlasio have sent this identical tweet with the word “Jewish” replaced by any other religious minority? If not, why not? Laws should be enforced neutrally w/o targeting religious faith. #ProtectFreeExercise https://t.co/dMVcX0bin4
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 29, 2020
Another Twitter user shared footage from Central Park, noting the repeated violation of social distancing guidelines there and accused de Blasio of targeting Jews.
Over the last few weeks, photos have captured crowds flocking to the park. The user argues that de Blasio had not expressed concerns about New Yorkers in the park.
Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Central Park: A large group of people gathered in Central Park. When #NYC Mayor #BillDeblasio heard about it, he went there himself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. Upon arrival, he saw that it’s not #Jews so he left right away. pic.twitter.com/y0pVACJjAl
— Dovi Stern (@DoviSternNYC) April 29, 2020
De Blasio also declared large gatherings would only lead to more deaths.
“We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn. But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths [and] more families in mourning” de Blasio said. “We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance.”
The NYPD confirmed no arrests were made.
We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn. But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning. We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020
As of Wednesday morning, the state of New York has over 300,000 coronavirus cases, including 162,000 cases in New York City alone.
