On October 5th, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York held a press Covid-19 related press conference. As the Governor discussed the adverse side effects of religious gatherings, photos from well-attended Orthodox Jewish synagogue services were shown. The photo caption, in part, read that these services can be “super spreading events.” The message was clear; the Jews were caught red-handed doing something wrong by worshiping.
The Governor further went on to single out the New York Orthodox Jewish community for hosting large gatherings in the last few weeks. As the Governor of New York, the state with the highest population of Jews in the country, Cuomo should know that the weeks to which he was referring included the holiest days of the year for Jews: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Known as the “High Holidays,” these days are often spent gathered in the synagogue.
As the synagogue photos continued to be shown on the screen, Cuomo said: “These pictures are just from the past couple of weeks.” This was a lie. One of the photos was taken 14 years ago, at the 2006 funeral of Hassidic Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum. So, the Governor showed a FOURTEEN-year-old picture to chastise a religious group for celebrating their most holy days of the year.
Cuomo further threatened the Jews, “I have to say to the Orthodox community . . .[if] you’re not willing to live with these rules, then I’m going to close the synagogues.” Well, this was more than the community could handle.
The next day, on October 6th, Brooklyn-based Orthodox Jews protested. They set fire to masks in the streets, stopped traffic, and made their voices heard. Strategically, a smart move, showing that Jewish Lives Matter, too!
Never once has Mayor De Blasio or Governor Cuomo criticized Black Lives Matter protesters for lack of COVID protocols. Those large gatherings are never called super spreader events. Never are BLM folks threatened and told to play by the rules . . . or else! The Mayor even joined hundreds of BLM protesters to paint the words “Black Lives Matter” in front of Trump Tower.
The message in New York is clear: Jews gathering to worship is terrible. It results in government closures, shaming press conferences, and targeted attacks. Black Lives Matter riots aren’t discussed. When a property is destroyed, police officers are injured, and stores are robbed, there are no press conferences or government closures, just shuttered businesses and population exoduses. The silence from Cuomo and De Blasio is deafening. One must ask, which group causes more harm?