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.
Read more on National Review: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/10/cuomos-claims-about-hasidic-wedding-deserve-scrutiny/