Brooklyn synagogue fined $ 15 for wedding celebration
'24.11.2020'
Vita Popova
A synagogue in New York has been fined $15 for celebrating the wedding of a rabbi's grandson, which drew thousands of guests. The publication writes about it New York Post.
Thousands of Hasidim gathered inside a Brooklyn synagogue to celebrate the rabbi's grandson's wedding. This event received wide publicity thanks to a video that got into the media.
City Hall has promised to impose a $15 fine on the synagogue for violating social distancing and quarantine rules. This was announced on November 23 by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The celebration took place on November 8 at a synagogue located in South Williamsburg. The guests sang, danced and congratulated the grandson of the Chief Rabbi of the Satmar community, Aaron Teitelbaum.
“This is simply unacceptable given what we've been through,” de Blasio said. “It was amazingly irresponsible, just unacceptable.”
The mayor said it was not known exactly how many people had gathered at the 7000-seat synagogue, but it was clear that social distancing and mask-wearing measures had been violated. Moreover, the number of people also exceeded the limits set in the city.
Most likely, the organizers took measures to hide information about the wedding.
“There seems to have been a real effort to cover it up, which is also completely unacceptable,” de Blasio said.
The synagogue has not yet commented on the situation.
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
Many of New York's Jewish neighborhoods have fallen into the "red" zone due to a new surge in COVID-19 this fall. This was done in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. However, the restrictive measures have caused violent protests from community representatives.
In October 2020, one of the leaders of the Satmar Hasidic movement in New York, Rabbi Meir Zelig Rispler, died of coronavirus. The rabbi served as Rosh Hakuhal (similar to the president) in the Satmar Hasidic community in Williamsburg, did charity work, and was the CEO of a large accounting firm, Mayer Rispler & Co.
Rispler supported the city's measures to combat COVID-19, and also urged Hasidim to follow safety rules.
