NYPD breaks up massive JEWISH crowd gathered for rabbi's funeral in Brooklyn

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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sent police to Brooklyn on Tuesday to disperse a massive crowd that had gathered for a rabbi's funeral in defiance of a statewide shutdown over the coronavirus.
The mayor sent a series of tweets scolding the crowd, messages that themselves generated widespread backlash from many who felt they unfairly singled out the city's Jewish community.

There were no summonses or arrests of those mourning Rabbi Chaim Mertz, according to a police spokesman.

Photos and video showed streets packed with mourners, which the mayor said was "absolutely unacceptable."

"What I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus," he said, noting that he went himself to ensure that the mass dispersed.

"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. 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."

De Blasio said he understood the instinct to mourn after months of remaining indoors.

"But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning," he added. "We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance."

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However, De Blasio was widely criticized on Twitter for what some saw as using the actions of a relatively small number of people to generalize against the Jewish community as a whole.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said the mayor's comments were "outrageous, especially when so many are scapegoating Jews."

Jonathan Greenblatt
✔@JGreenblattADL

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://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1255309615883063297 …

Mayor Bill de Blasio
✔@NYCMayor

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. 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.

914

12:04 AM - Apr 29, 2020

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Ted Cruz
✔@tedcruz

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://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1255309615883063297 …

Mayor Bill de Blasio
✔@NYCMayor

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. 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.

10.8K

11:00 PM - Apr 28, 2020

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American Jewish Committee
✔@AJCGlobal

Mr. Mayor, the vast majority of the Jewish community is following the guidelines. You can find us donating blood, raising money to support our neighbors, and in emergency rooms providing critical care. We deserve better from our leaders than generalizations and fingerpointing. https://twitter.com/nycmayor/status/1255309615883063297 …

Mayor Bill de Blasio
✔@NYCMayor

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. 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.

415

12:28 AM - Apr 29, 2020

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Comment by vaughn mitchell on April 30, 2020 at 2:11pm: Lying ass article they did not break up s***. Black people would never be allowed to do what the Jewish community did, they break rules, and act like they own the city. The mayor is not getting elected what does he have to lose. That's the second funeral they had which they march down the street.