Hundreds of members of the Borough Park Orthodox community took to the streets Tuesday night defying orders to disperse and lighting a fire in protest of new state-mandated restrictions imposed on area synagogues, schools and non-essential businesses over a COVID-19 surge.
One large crowd huddled closely together at the corner of 50th Street and 15th avenue at about 9 p.m. as community activist Heshy Tischler ripped Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio over the order that shuts down schools completely and limits houses of worship to 10 people in certain COVID-19 hot spots.
Much of Borough Park is subject to those measures – the most restrictive – which also shutters non-essential businesses. The level of restrictions, broken down into three color-coded categories, are guided by coronavirus diagnosis data.
“It’s called civil disobedience, we can fight back,” Tischler told the crowd after tearing up his face mask. “Do not allow them to torture you or scare you,” he said, referring to the elected officials.
The closures must be made no later than Friday — though a spokesman for de Blasio tweeted that they would likely begin Thursday — and run for at least two weeks.
Councilman Kalman Yeger was also at a protest on 13th Avenue.
There, the lawmaker told the crowd: “We are not going to be deprived of the right that we have in America, like everybody else in America, the right to observe our religion.”
The protests swarmed in numbers later in the night with demonstrators shutting down 13th Avenue to vehicular traffic.
Things also turned unruly when the crowd lit a rubbish fire after midnight at the intersection of 46th Street and 13th Avenue and chased away two city sheriff’s deputies who responded.
The defiant crowd chanted “Jewish lives matter,” as they held their ground.
At about 1:30 a.m. FDNY firefighters and cops put out the flames to the dismay of the protesters.
Meanwhile, at the end of the night, the NYPD negotiated with Heshy Tischler, promising him 2 hours of blocked streets tomorrow, and even let him use the police cars public address system to rally the crowd.
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39 Responses
If Tishler becomes the public face of the NYC Jewish Community on the national news media, I suspect there will be even greater issues in the long-term. Its time for Agudah, our elected leaders and other askanim and rabbonim to come together, lower the rhetoric and engage offline. Cuomo and deBlasio are both inept and tone-deaf but a segment of the tzibur in these neighborhoods seems determined to engage in irresponsible behavior and ignore public health mandates. The daily photos of bodybags on YWN are apparently not enough to motivate compliance.
Is this the latest style? For Yidden to behave like goyim? We have to look to our Gedolim to figure out what to do, not to “activists”.
This isn’t the way Jews should respond. Today, Aharone haCohen is the the main of the ushpizin. Ohaiv shalom.
Let’s continue to support & vote the Democrat tickets!
*B C D* Biden, Cuomo, & de Blasio! They best serve our needs!
Isn’t that really what we’re doing?
How much Jewish money and support went to elect these? All top notch public servants, Right?
Let’s get our heads together
Is upset as I am with the idiots that set a couple of fires in the street like animals, I am very thankful to HKBH that we are not like the שווארצע בהמות who would have burnt the town down.
No social distancing and hardly any masks. This plays into Cuomo’s hands.
This just like eretz yisroel.
Were are the rabonim
Just some rabble rousers looking to make trouble
haha they should send this to the losers in office in ny and nyc. they will lose their seat in office, and will lose their pants in their houses when we will sue them in court for all they are worth. THROW THEM OUT!! that will be the biggest accomplishment that we can do, and everyone in ny will be thankful
There is something so disturbing about this whole thing. I actually feel sick to my stomach. Did anyone ask gedolim if this is ok to do? It just seems so goyish and nasty. How about these hundreds of yidden stand in one area and say tehillim instead of setting fires? Do we really want to adopt the methods of those vicious Jew haters on the left, BLM etc.? What does this craziness accomplish except providing a Chol Hamoed activity for those bored bein hazmanin bochurim? C”v if more people get sick because of this “get together “! Reading the comments on Fox News website, I can see many anti semites coming out of the woodwork with statements about Jews on welfare and not caring about anyone else but their own community comparing them to the black chevrah. Hashem yirachem!! Is this what you want?
Keep it up.
Love it
It is OK to protest but not give tbem an excuse by tearing apart your mask.
So much דעת תורה going on.
Listen up Yidden; We’re all in the same boat unfortunately but can u stop and think with a lil “daas” ??
Is Tishler our new Torah expert or should we listen to right minded Torah scholars as to not escalate things as were a “little” diffrent than “BLM”.
I beg to differ with all hot heads. We Yidden are in GALUS although we we’re unfortunately perfectly complacent till these Gezeiras descended upon us. In any case, we have a moral obligation to exercise our rights thru diplomatic channels and clarify ONCE AGAIN that our religious liberties cannot be trampled on. But to take to the streets is an IMMEASURABLE CHILUL HASHEM.
Yidden wake up! We are better than that! The Gov and mayor are absolutely not our friends (to put it mildly) but we CANNOT take it to the streets. Keep in mind that we’re still in Galus although we have “our” representatives and feel extremely comfortable. Its an unfortunate time but actions as such will bring nothing but put us in a terrible light.
I wonder if the media will largely pretend these protests don’t exist, and to the extent that that the media does cover these events, describe them at every turn as ‘peaceful,’ a ‘block party’ and an ‘Autumn of Faith.’
My thoughts:
1 – Mask-less people hanging around.
2 – Chayos
3 – Chilul Hashem.
In Deblasio’s New York it can’t truly be a peaceful protest without rioting and looting.
Many studies have proven that masks don’t work for covid-19.
Google It.
Google ‘Masks don’t work for covid-19’
And you will find the proof.
There is absolutely no good double blind study to prove that masks are at all effective, against covid-19.
Those who push the ineffective masks are basing it on junk science.
Enough with the Masks Baloney.
Purim Masks are only for Purim.
Those who use masks all year long reflect that their mind is gone and they are Drunk, , like on Purim, ‘Ad Deloy Yadda’, with Junk Science ‘Purim Masks’ which is joke mask and doesn’t prevent covid-19, at all, whatsoever. It just doesn’t work. There is no good study to back up the claims that it helps at all, whatsoever.
Shtusim Vehavalim!
Time to sober up, and dump the junk science Shtusim, about ineffective masks.
Many recent studies, have done an A B comparison, between states and countries, where masks were mandatory, as compared to where masks are not commonplace, which Proves that there is zero Scientific Efficacy to the false claim that masks can prevent Covid-19.
It’s just like the big lie of the Russia Hoax.
We have been Brainwashed by Junk Science and no double blind study was ever done.
You wanna protest? Idk, this is not the Jewish way. This isn’t our country, we’re in Galus.
But if you’re protesting- it certainly looks awfully BAD when almost noone is wearing a mask!!
What a kiddish hashem!
Maybe someone should post here all comments about BLM and how “violence is never acceptable”….
Finally Jews standing up for ourselves! If only we had done this last year!
And who knows?
Maybe, maybe this will get to a front cover of a few papers, maybe the world will finally see how civil, obedient and lawful we behave.
Maybe this will make a few people hate us a little more.
And most important, maybe Hershey tischler will earn another vote.
What a disgrace! Shame upon us!
I’m not sure I get this. Can someone explain this to me? People are getting sick by the hundreds and some even worse than that. We totally do not socially distance. What should the Governor do?? Why is it ok not to care??
Wow what a kiddush Hashem.
WELL,,,,
For years you have been voting democratic because you wanted the money. Didn’t matter that you were supporting abortion, gay rights ect…..and being ‘mechalel Shem Shamyim. The politicians treated you like the ‘Shwartzus’ and gave you the money. Now your’e rioting like the ‘Shwartzus
We’ve designed housing in urban U.S. that people have adjusted to living in by telling themselves, ‘It’s okay. I only go home to sleep.’ Now we’re asking people, healthy people, to live in those crowded spaces going on eight months. Some sources claim the end won’t come for a minimum of an additional 12 months, if we’re lucky. People with families, especially with children, can’t do that. They aren’t trying to upset you. If you live in a spacious home especially with private access to the outdoors more power to you. If you can run your business via Zoom, double power to you. If you can also have everything you need delivered to your door 3X power to you. Secure yourself on your property, protect your health with every blessing you have. You even have the right to preach the (wrong-headed) woke religious-left doctrine about BLM-Antifa being the only group allowed to gather, chant and riot. Other people don’t have that option. They cannot and will not stay in their crowded homes, and lose their businesses, and miss out on major life events, on the remote off-chance it will help (those who aren’t sacrificing and / or losing 1/100 of what they are) end the pandemic a bit sooner. Even more so since there is widespread belief that the lockdowns are politically motivated. We know a lot more about covid than we did eight months ago. If you are in a high-risk category and you value your life and you aren’t a risk taker, do everything recommended to protect yourself. Stop demanding that people sacrifice their lives for you. Politicians and media types going about their lives with minor to moderate adjustments are in no position to preach. If necessary, put on a mask, sit in a dark closet with nothing but your pet dog and tell yourself the chances are 995/1000 I’ll be ok if I go out. See how long you last. The virus is real. But it’s not deadly for everybody. Not everybody needs to walk around lugging a parachute because some people wanna’ skydive.
and the police officers of New York.
and Heshy Tischler.
This is not the Jewish Way. So sad
Tischler the convicted felon and graduate of Otisville Federal Prison. what a joke.
All those minors on the street at 9PM with no masks on in a crowd. The parents should be subjected to child endangerment charges.
YWN incites readers with a FAKE headline saying shul closures. No one is closing shuls, just limiting occupancy due to the spike in Covid-19 cases in the area,
There is nothing civil about this disobedience. Dina Malchusa Dina
Why not learn from Crown Heights to be b’simcha on succos outside with following distancing and masks instead of loud protests ? Simcha poretz geder
They also attacked a frum man who disagreed with them,
knocking him out and putting him in the hospital.
Since when did politicians become are leaders?
We KNOW Jewish lives matter. There is no need to chant it, imitating other people/races for whom that fact is questionable. Ashrainu ma tov chelkanu. We don’t have to resort to that sort of low class stuff. Unless you really think it will achieve your goals. Then it’s a shaila. I wonder if any Rabbonim were asked?
JEWISH LIVES MATTER!!!!
So the governor calls to limit shul attendance to 10.
How many people do you think the king of all kings wants in shul? Zero!
A few drops of rain, and Hashem wants you out of the succah. How about a few drops of dead?
וּבְפָרִשְׂכֶ֣ם כַּפֵּיכֶ֗ם אַעְלִ֤ים עֵינַי֙ מִכֶּ֔ם גַּ֛ם כִּֽי־תַרְבּ֥וּ תְפִלָּ֖ה אֵינֶ֣נִּי שֹׁמֵ֑עַ יְדֵיכֶ֖ם דָּמִ֥ים מָלֵֽאוּ׃
Did our avos do this ever. In europe the gzeiros were this bad and far worse but we yidden accepted it as from Hashem, a sign that we must fix ourselves. I feel this stuff here shows lack of btachon, not to exclude my own weakness here, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves into justifying protests like this.
If anything be moser nefesh to make private minyanim and talmud torah, like the tana R Akiva, not this nonsense.
Until mashiach comes he goyim will not ever truly respect us, to not realize this is the mistake of the zionists – some of them had good intentions, but at the end of the day eisav soneh es yaakov, we can only turn to Hashem, no councilman/mayor/governor/president has any real power. We yiddin have the power to talk straight to Hashem and He does answer as I’m sure we’ve all felt at some point in our lives.
Stay strong yiddin, gutten moed!
I hope no one feels offended by my post, just sharing my thoughts on this stuff!
(Yes I copied and pasted my comments on both these posts)
Your freind, that’s why we were transported onto trains and into the ovens, because the Jews let the blaming of us get out of control without protesting against the discrimination. It will just get worse if we do not speak out.
Of course this is all from Hashem. It doesn’t mean we should sit bakc and do nothing about it.
i would quicker vote for joe biden then for heshy tischler