26 Responses

1. You don’t live in Boro Park, so you don’t get the full picture. There is only 12 cases a day in Boro Park, and it was like that for the past 2 weeks. THERE IS NO PANDEMIC!

   We haven’t worn masks since JUNE! Masks won’t change anything!

2. Thank you for this interesting letter.

3. Why can’t we unify as one community, regardless of affiliation, make Achdus and come to the government as a united front and when the government sees true leaders, true leaders that don’t have petty fights over power between themselves

   A year or two ago I would have been naive enough to believe we have that option and would have strongly
   felt we should take that route too.

   Today, to quote Martin Luther King “A riot is the the language of the unheard”

   That is what these protests are caused by.

4. There’s only one thing wrong with those protests and it’s the fact that no one attending is wearing a mask. We’re trying to convince them to allow us to open our establishments because we can take care of ourselves, then we’re protesting in a way that shows we’re careless. Yes, the scientific evidence behind mask usage isn’t absolute. I personally wear one with a generous heap of skepticism. However, it’s what the general public believes and is an easily identifiable mark of responsibility and consideration for your fellow.
   R’ Avigdor Miller once said that a Yid must stand up for his rights. If we sit around idly as they’re taken from us then it can devolve into shmad very quickly. But PLEASE do it the right way. Demonstrate like mentschen and wear masks.

5. There’s no reason to give Heshy Tischler any publicity. He certainly isn’t a rational advocate for the community.

6. Disturbing is a NICE WORD! Can Tishler go back to his place and not organize such protests. This isnt the Torah way!! Our children shldnt block traffic or do anything of this kind! Its reprehensible!

7. I agree… it would be so much more effective and better representative of our community to have a unified and respectful approach to this issue. So, are you offering to put together a chareidi task force of sorts? We need someone to step up. Until then…

8. I don’t know Mr. Tischler personally, but I am very happy that he lost to Kalman Yeger. He has increasingly been using profanity and showing EVERYBODY how unfit he is to be a spokesperson, especially for the frum community. I doubt he is going to listen to any Rabbonim, but someone should read him the riot act!

9. My response to you Mr/s Disturbed resident is:- Get out of Boro Park, and move to my neighborhood, which is yellow alert, and our Shuls @50% capacity are operating just fine, as our non-essential businesses.
   We shall welcome you Mr/s Disturbed Resident, with open arms, or maybe more accurately, with elbow shake.

10. unless the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are fools, they don’t go outside (at least without an N95 mask, and even then)

    In past generations, especially in Europe, Africa and Asia, no one would have been shocked at anti-Semitism and discrimination. We were naive to think America is all that different (though in all fairness, it is only in “blue” cities and not all of those, where this is a problem, so perhaps that are options to relocate out of New York).

11. This has turned into a national story
    And the sad part is the frum Jews that think not wearing a mask is their right are so clearly wrong
    And are responsible for a huge chillul hashem

12. BLM burns buildings and cars. BP demonstrators burn their own masks. Mamash the same.

    Also, please name the stores that were looted last night?

    I’m not pleased with the tactic either but this ain’t BLM.

13. I disagree with the thing that caused the protests (lack of mask wearing and following health guidelines), bit i agree 100% with the protest! Regardless of how you feel about mask wearing, Yidden are being attacked, humiliated, and slandered on national media. This creates a sakana for Jews everywhere. We must stand up for ourselves and show that we are willing to take physical action and that we won’t become passive. Any time a Jew is attacked, and that very Jew and others fail to put up a fight (literally), then they are responsible for more Jews being attacked afterwards. Where were we last year? We should have overtook the precincts and courthouses. We should have taken City Hall. We should have physically fought back. To not fight back is retzicha. You don’t have to be a follower of Rabbi Kahana to understand this. Even a child understands that you can’t ignore a bully. It is a chiyuv to fight back against sonei Yisrael every way possible, especially with physical force.

14. Dear disturbed 2 questions? Who are some people that YOU consider true leaders?
    What would be your mesg to the governer?
    You are correct that these clips are disturbing and there is a void however this is night activity for bucherim who’s tishen and dancing has been canceled. The overwhelming majority are just standing and maybe booing…

15. We don’t get anywhere playing nice with the Dems. About time there’s a protest.

16. I support this protest 100% and I thank Heshey Tishcler and all who were involved. I absolutely abhor any violence including setting fires and today nobody has done anything remote. I’m very impressed that Yidden turned the protests into a mass simcha beis hashaeiva.

    It is time to show that we will fight against discrimantion of our people. The BLM protests were endorsed, promoted and supported by these same politicians who cannot take praying to God and learning the Torah. We will fight for our beliefs and our constitutioanl rights.

    Anyone who believs that masks are essential should knwo it’s there beliefs only. By anylyzing the data of neighborhoods who wear masks from morning to night and it’s practically glued onto their faces, there neighborhoods are NOT lower. Please analyze the data here https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page . Our numbers in our communtities are average, masks or no maks.

17. @An American in Yerushalayim:
    Since you are an American in Jerusalem, I assume you don’t live in Boro Park, and by your own logic, don’t get the full picture. And since you apparently are an American in Jerusalem, you are in no place to decide if we in Brooklyn should be wearing masks to slow this pandemic. And (unless you have some secret biology education that you have not advertised) you should not be arguing against the simplest of measures that could save lives. No one, including the current governement, is asking you to break shabbos. Nor does pikuach nefesh even figure into what we are being asked to do. We save souls by wearing masks and it is Kiddush Hashem to do so.

18. Our reputation as upstanding and the עם הנבחר has been blemished! This is not our way. Tischler decided he is our representative! He is not! I can better understand the Korach incident now. We have leadership – it’s called Rabbonim and it is only they who can decide how we’re to act. There is NO Rov that Tischler went to to get a הסכמה for his Chol Hamoeid activities. We need to beseech Hashem for His help. Heshy Tischler is not our shaliach.

19. Anyways. The unfortunate story of today, sukkos, 2020.
    My neighbor was standing outside while her husband was on the phone. The block was quiet, there were no people around.
    A non Jewish woman passed by and stared at my friend. “Those f@&)”?! Jews” she said as she glared at her.
    My friend said excuse me? Why are you talking to me this way?
    Now there was no one around. No crowds, no people, plenty of room to social distance and she was outdoors, next to her own home.
    You Jews. U don’t wear masks. It’s bc of you that covid is back. It’s bc of the f—— dirty Jews. Go home and put on your mask.
    She then walked over to my friend and got really close. A little too close. Threateningly close.
    Her husband said you don’t have to come so close. We live here. Get away from us. We happened to have had corona already. But why are you coming so close anyways if your so scared of Covid?
    She answered. I had corona too. But I hope you get it again.
    She looked again at my friend who did not yell back, And the woman said, I’m going to hit you.
    To which my Friends husband replied let me see.
    The woman did not hit my friend, but my friend and her husband quickly walked away and went indoors.
    This happened today. Chol hamoed sukkos, Wednesday, outside her own home.
    In boro park.
    This is not a mask issue. People don’t have to wear a mask right outside their own home when there is no crowd, no people.
    This is undiluted anti Semitism.
    Hashem should protect us all.

    so this will be the outcome if we dont fight back we are. being put into a ghetto

20. Dear disturbed residents: the last time Jews were singled out for harsh treatment the Jews kept their mouths shut and it didn’t end particularly well.

    There are many towns, not Jewish, in the same condition as the Jewish towns but they do not get red zoned. You need to look no further than kew gardens versus kew gardens hills. Kew gardens had the higher number but they red zoned the Jewish dominant kew gardens hills. Why? They’re hunting for Jews.

21. The egregious and draconian measures that Deblasio and Cuomo have rolled out for their own political benefits do not excuse mob like behavior. We are better than this. Let’s act that way.

22. Hashem Yeracheim! The chillul Hashem is STAGGERING! PLEASE JUST STOP!

    We already made a huge chillul Hashem by ignoring the mask wearing and social distancing. We acted like COVID was over but it wasn’t. We see that now and nobody can honesty argue otherwise.

    So then we go and make an even bigger chillul hashem by doubling down on our already arrogant and disgusting behavor?? STOP IT NOW!

    Put on the damn masks, social distance in shul and elsewhere, and do what is expecected of every single citizen, Jew and non-Jew alike. We, meaning all New Yorkers are in this together whether we like it or not. We, the Am HaNivchar, are an Am Kadosh and must act accordingly. We are in Golus! We are guests here. And we have an OBLIGATION to follow dinah d’malchusa. Dinah d’malchusa says to wear masks and social distance. SO DO IT!

    Don’t give me excuses. JUST LISTEN. Believe it or not, you’ll be better off in the end if you just listen. There is a pretty good likelihood that we wouldn’t be in situation if the large weddings and gatherings had not occurred. SO WE BROUGHT THIS UPON OURSELVES!!!!! Stop being idiots and try to exercise some damage control and keep COVID from spreading even more.

23. To 11665wst, yes there is anti-semitism. No question about it. There always was and always will be.

    But why do always need to give them fodder to hate us more? They have a really good point. Their schools are closed and some can’t go to work now. If we had just listened to the rules all along, they couldn’t use this excuse to hate us. Yes, they’d find other excuses. But we don’t need to feed it right to them.

    I can’t express how angry and upset I am at the people of the mostly chassidish and yeshivish communities who have blatantly ignored all the rules since June. What the hell did they all think was going to happen? Are they honestly so stupid to think that COVID wouldn’t come back? Our our frum doctors have warned about this for months. And we see they were totally right!

24. dont you understand that our community has been exposed to this in march? medical providers in the frum community thing this is overdone. we are being picked on. we dont have more covid then anyone else. it’s a lie. we need to be normal and not eat breath and live corona. CDC never ever said wearing a mask on the street is neccessary. this is all political garbage. we are ruining children and adults emotionally. The governer and mayor are full of garbage. listen to Trump. He is the only one making sense. Flu is more rampant and kills more ppl!!!! Stop feeding into political garbage. I understand if older ppl or ppl with compromised immune systems are afraid. They should watch and we should not make children and young healthy adults crazy!!!! Children are crying that there school is closed. It’s terrible and makes no sense. Ask medical providers if Corona is here to stay? We have to learn to live with it. No one is dying g meds are helping !!! This is ridiculous!!!!

25. 11665wst,
    Finally, the first sensible comment!
    And those who write, “JUST PUT ON MASKS AND LISTEN AND OBEY THE LAWS”….sorry to say, you will not drive away the antisemitism.
    There is a political agenda here and none of these officials mean our wellbeing. Open your eyes and see it for what it is. And don’t excuse, explain, or swallow their bait. They will hate us no matter what.
    The ones who brought the virus back to NY after 3 months were people who came from out of state, from other hotspots. Nobody in NY was remotely affected when we gathered Shvuos or by June/July/August events. Whether we wore masks or not.

    True, we should stick up for our rights respectfully, and not emulate the low lifes.
    Just trust in Hashem and follow the Torah guidelines.
    Gut kvitel.

26. The point is that a law was made and entire communities ignored it. So now it’s blamed on us.

    Whether masks help or not, whether this is all political or not, is totally irrelevant.

    What is relevant is that a government order was made, whether it is correct or not (I’m not debating that because it’s irrelevant). We as a community need to be good citizens and follow the law even if we don’t like it.

    And you’re right, other communities have COVID too, and the governor, mayor and certainly the press are unfairly targeting the Orthodox communities. That is true and I’m nor arguing otherwise.

    What I’m saying is that we did not follow the rules and that itself is a Chillul Hashem. So what all need to do now is start to meticulously follow the rules. You’re right – masks outside when you can social distance are not needed. But now they are for us because we need to try to undo the image we’ve painted for ourselves that we don’t care about anybody else.

    We should do it for ourselves. Haven’t we lost enough people already?