Police closed a Hasidic school in Brooklyn: she worked during quarantine

Classes resumed despite the fact that all schools and colleges in the region are closed until the end of the school year. However, most of the students were without protective masks. He writes about it The New York Times.

What happened

Residents of houses close to the Hasidic school in Brooklyn turned to the police after they witnessed the resumption of classes at the educational institution. Arriving at the scene, police found about 60 schoolchildren, most of whom were without masks.

Eyewitnesses living near the educational institution said that they were shocked by what they saw: children entered the school without masks, filled small classrooms, and played on the roof between classes. In doing so, they violated the hygiene requirements that have closed schools across the state since March. “It was definitely an ordinary day for them,” said Joe Livingston, who lives in a building across the street from the school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. - Is it dangerous".

Police sent home schoolchildren, police spokeswoman Sergeant Mary Frances O'Donnell said.

Another Conflict

The dispersal of Yeshiva disciples was the last of several episodes that spawned conflicts between the authorities and Hasidic Jews since the beginning of the pandemic.

It is worth noting that the virus kills Hasidim at a rate exceeding that of other ethnic or religious groups, according to public health data. Moreover, in the regions where the majority of Hasidim live, social rules have been repeatedly violated, especially at events such as weddings or funerals.

Disagreements between the community and the authorities continued over the past month. These disputes began immediately after 2500 mourners gathered on a street in the Williamsburg area in Brooklyn for a funeral, which provoked a sharp protest from Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The mayor personally ordered the dispersal of the crowd and promised to further more strictly apply the rules of social distance.

On the subject: New York police dispersed the rabbi’s funeral: what does the mayor have to do with it and why is the public angry

Two days later, police recorded five fire safety violations and issued six subpoenas after finding large groups of parishioners hiding in two Hasidic synagogues in Williamsburg, the Yetev Lev D'Satmar and Darkei Tshivo of Dinov congregations. Chains hung on the doors of both synagogues, and black garbage bags covered the windows. According to a law enforcement officer, there were more than 100 children in one of the synagogues.

On May 18, Bill de Blasio announced that the city would see to it that it didn’t reopen in Bedford Styvesant while quarantine was in place throughout the state.

What the Hasidim themselves say

Hasidic groups claim that small communities are responsible for the violations, and try to draw the attention of officials and the media to this.

Also, Hasidic parents in Brooklyn are increasingly complaining that yeshivas are working in secret again. In a tight-knit community, they said, this creates strong social pressure that forces them to send their children to crowded classrooms, despite the advice of health officials. “Parents trying to keep their kids at home face the dilemma of allowing their child to be the only one who does not enter class, which is obviously extremely difficult and can have serious social impact for years to come,” said one parent who declined to name his name for fear of retribution.

Who is responsible for the violation

The Nitra Yeshiva school, which the police visited on Monday, is most likely associated with the Hasidim sect. But a spokeswoman for the Nitra Rabbinical College, the center of the sect, said he knew nothing about the Bedford Styvesant school.

Avrohom Weinstock, assistant director of education at the Jewish organization Agudath Israel of America, said the yeshiva had “no excuses” for violating quarantine measures.

He added that his organization contacted the school administrator, who said that "no formal classes were held." “He said that individual students study together, on their own, and are on the spot wearing masks, maintaining a social distance,” Weinstock said. “I cannot comment on the facts, since we were not there, but I think it is important to convey (vision of the situation - Ed.) The other side of this story.”

What ended the acceleration of schoolchildren

According to Sergeant O'Donnell, most of the students discovered at the school turned out to be teenagers, so none of those present received a subpoena. According to people living in the neighborhood of the school, Monday was the first day that classes began to be held there.

The institution itself did not even try to hide the fact that classes resumed. Schoolchildren were brought in small buses, after which classes were held in crowded classes, which residents of neighboring houses could observe.

One of these eyewitnesses said that what he saw reminded him of the January turmoil at school. According to him, only a few of the students wore protective face masks, and most wore masks incorrectly - under the chin. In his opinion, this behavior is dangerous.

Tommy Leonard, who also lives next door to the school, shook his head when he thought about what he saw. In his words, everything was like this: first, buses with schoolchildren began to arrive at the school, which soon filled the building, after which the police arrived to disperse the violators, and a television news helicopter appeared in the sky above the building. “They didn't have any masks, they just jumped out of the bus and (ran - Ed.) To school,” he said. - Of course, this is unfair, everyone wears masks, but not them. It's horrible".

As previously reported, on May 1, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that public schools and colleges in the region will be closed until the end of the school year. The authorities took such measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, schoolchildren and students will have to continue distance learning.