New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed his sympathy for the loss of a rabbi in Brooklyn, but condemned the large funeral gathering as it put more people at risk of exposure.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday a funeral for an ultra-Orthodox rabbi that drew thousands of mourners in Brooklyn “was absolutely unacceptable,” and he warned that police will start issuing summonses or arrest violators at similar gatherings.
“It was a large gathering, again, tragically thousands of people. The amount of danger created by that kind of gathering is inestimable,” de Blasio said at a press conference. “People will die because of it, which goes against everyone’s values.”
Jewish organizations blasted the mayor’s comments.
Police didn’t issue any citations at Tuesday night’s funeral for Rabbi Chaim Mertz, but that will change, a police spokesperson said. De Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said they are done warning people who violate social distancing guidelines. The rabbi died of Covid-19 at age 73, NBC New York reported.
Shea said “probably several thousand people” gathered on one block for the funeral, which was broken up by the NYPD.
“That event last night never should have happened, it better not happen again,” Shea warned. “You are putting my cops’ lives at risk and it’s unacceptable.”
On Tuesday night, de Blasio sent police to Brooklyn where a massive crowd of people could be seen in the streets attending the funeral. The mayor sent a series of tweets scolding the gatherers, saying he went to the scene himself to ensure the crowd dispersed.
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