Thursday, April 30, 2020
Jewish leaders slam de Blasio over comments about Brooklyn funeral in letter
More than 100 Jewish leaders expressed their "anger and disappointment" with Mayor Bill de Blasio over his warning to "the Jewish community" after thousands gathered for a funeral in Williamsburg — and demanded a meeting with him to discuss his incendiary critique.
In the Wednesday letter, obtained by Jewish Insider, the leaders said they want face time with de Blasio "to discuss constructive approaches to respond to the pandemic that recognize the Jewish community's earnest efforts to fight COVID-19, protect vulnerable communities, and avoid heavy-handed over-policing."
"In the midst of a historic wave of antisemitic hate violence in New York City, our community — like the Asian community — has been feeling the pain of being singled out and blamed for the spread of this deadly disease," the letter says.
"This singling out is especially potent because it aligns with longstanding antisemitic tropes that have, for millennia, blamed Jews for societal ills," it continues. "Laying blame upon Hasidic communities — among the most visible members of our Jewish family — will not stop the spread of COVID-19, and referring to these particular communities as 'the Jewish community' both flattens a diverse group of New Yorkers into a single bloc and fuels the anti-Semitic hatreds that bubble beneath the surface of our society."
The letter was signed by groups including Jews for Racial & Economic Justice and the New York Jewish Agenda, as well as city council members Stephen Levin and Brad Lander, who, respectively, represent parts of the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods. State Sens. Brad Hoylman and Julia Salazar, as well as Assembly members Harvey Epstein and Linda Rosenthal, also signed.
Dozens of religious leaders are also included in the signatures.
The letter echoes similar concerns brought earlier by Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt, World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder and even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for the mayor's tweet.
Hizzoner tweeted his outrage Tuesday night after Orthodox Jewish mourners gathered en masse — a blatant violation of social distancing mandates — near Rutledge Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg to pay their respects for Rabbi Chaim Mertz.
In a Wednesday press conference, he defended his statements, saying he spoke out of "passion" and "tough love," but regretted if his message came across in a hurtful manner.
Hizzoner called the funeral "by far the largest gathering" in the city he'd heard of since the start of the coronavirus crisis, "and it's just not allowable."
He added that the city no longer permits these kinds of gatherings "in any community" as the crisis continues.
Comments:
Post a Comment
