How Boro Park chassid Pinny Ringel won the respect of de Blasio and the trust of his people
At other times, though, Orthodox Jews perceived the de Blasio administration as antagonistic. His tone-deaf policies on crime and commerce, peaking with Midtown going up in flames during the 2020 race riots — encouraged by the mayor, who even suspended Covid lockdown rules for protesters — will discourage companies from moving to the Big Apple for a long time.
In particular, the mayor will forever be remembered by the Jewish community for a single tweet that came late one evening in April 2020, during the Covid lockdown. The mayor had heard reports of a levayah going on in Williamsburg. The local community said they had coordinated with the police department, but the mayor came down personally to break it up.
“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities,” went the now-famous tweet, “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.”
But the next day, there were no repercussions for tens of thousands of New Yorkers who gathered in Battery Park to watch an air show. Later, parks in Jewish neighborhoods were padlocked, while children in other areas had access to their playgrounds; and around the same time, De Blasio allowed for large-scale demonstrations, while shuls were still shuttered.
Create a free account to keep reading.
