"Two wrongs don’t make a right. The language was wrong. I think he [de Blasio] should have apologized immediately"
Rav Chaim Mertz could have never imagined that his funeral would generate so much controversy.
The respected rebbe of a small Williamsburg shul, approximately 7,000 people turned out for his levayah in the midst of a global pandemic last Tuesday, generating headlines when the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, personally showed up to scold the crowds. He later tweeted:
“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: The time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”
But that’s not what the Jewish community heard. The “message to the Jewish community” particularly rankled, given that it was followed by instructions for the police to “proceed immediately” to arrest anyone breaking quarantine rules.
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