On Saturday, October 16, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo announced to reporters that health officials were stepping in to stop a ḥasidic wedding, scheduled to take place in Brooklyn on the following Monday, that would violate social-distancing guidelines. Indeed the grandson of the rebbe of the Brooklyn branch of the Satmar Ḥasidim—one of the world’s largest ḥasidic groups—planned to get married on the evening in question. But, Melissa Langsam Braunstein writes, much else about the story, which was quickly reported in the national and international media, deserves further scrutiny:

[O]n Saturday, while Orthodox Jews were unplugged for the Sabbath, Cuomo told the media, “We received a suggestion that [an enormous wedding] was happening. We did an investigation and found that it was likely true.” . . . Did anyone ask a Yiddish speaker to translate the public wedding invitation? It included a box—in red—that read: “Please follow all of the regulations from the health department scrupulously; they will be strictly enforced.” That this health notice appeared in Yiddish . . . implies that this wasn’t [just for show].

As for logistics, the synagogue in question could never hold a crowd of 10,000. . . . [O]nly “a small circle of close family members” were expected to attend the ceremony and celebratory meal. . . . Another nagging question remains: why didn’t Cuomo just call Satmar leaders? On Sunday, Cuomo mentioned having known Rabbi Moshe Dovid Niederman, [a leading community spokesman], for “over twenty years.”

But Cuomo clearly accepted the premise of a large wedding taking place, and his words have had consequences. Reporters descended on Williamsburg on Monday, something locals did not appreciate. Further, harassment and anti-Semitic graffiti continue apace for New York’s Orthodox Jews, as does the cementing of the dangerous narrative that Orthodox Jews deserve unique blame for COVID-19’s spread.

If New York is to conquer COVID-19, there must be universal compliance with public-health guidelines. However, public officials must simultaneously demonstrate true leadership. In Governor Cuomo’s case, that includes ending his recent, troubling pattern of singling out New York’s Orthodox Jewish community. Perhaps he could start by publicly taking responsibility for [launching] a thousand nasty news stories.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.