The following is an unedited article Associated Press about the now international news story regarding the massive Satmar wedding that was recently held in Williamsburg. (YWN published an article earlier Sunday after NY Governor Cuomo slammed the wedding in his daily press conference, and after it was reported as far away as Australian TV.)
Cuomo: Massive Orthodox wedding in Brooklyn ‘disrespectful’
A Brooklyn synagogue should be investigated over reports that it hosted a secret wedding with thousands of unmasked guests earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.
“If that happened, it was a blatant disregard of the law,” Cuomo said during a briefing in New York City. “It’s illegal. It was also disrespectful of the people of New York.”
The New York Post reported that guests, mostly unmasked, crammed inside the Yetev Lev temple in Williamsburg for the Nov. 8 wedding of Yoel Teitelbaum, a grandson of Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelman, in blatant violation of coronavirus restrictions that ban large indoor gatherings. The synagogue has a capacity of 7,000 people.
Organizers kept the wedding secret after state officials canceled an earlier Satmar wedding, the Post reported, citing a Yiddish newspaper, Der Blatt.
“If it turns out that because we stopped that wedding the reaction was, ‘Well we’ll have a secret wedding,’ that would be really shocking and totally deceitful,” Cuomo said. “It’s illegal and the city should do a robust investigation,” he added.
A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is investigating.
“The city is conducting an investigation into the incident and will hold those accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” spokesperson Avery Cohen said.
Businesses and houses of worship that flout bans on large gatherings risk fines of $15,000.
A man who answered the phone at the Yetev Lev synagogue on Sunday said officials there had no comment.
Compliance with coronavirus restrictions in some of New York’s Orthodox Jewish communities has been an issue since the pandemic started last spring.
Protests erupted in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn last month after Cuomo announced a crackdown in several Orthodox neighborhoods as virus cases increased. Many members of Orthodox communities complained that they were being singled out.
Cuomo and de Blasio have warned all New Yorkers that even small gatherings during the holidays could fuel a spike in coronavirus infections.
“The problem is that this is a dangerous period because you have increased social activity by definition,” Cuomo said.
Virus rates will likely rise between now and New Year’s Day, Cuomo said.
Cuomo said there were 2,562 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state on Saturday, 119 more than the previous day. There were 30 deaths, he said.
(AP / YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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17 Responses
I cry for the Chilul Hashem being made by these Jews.
Satmar had a Biden victory celebration by BLM supporters in Satmar.
So it was totally above board and completely legal, as we have all seen Biden victory and BLM are permitted mass gatherings in NY.
These Satmars are not above any laws, be it the laws of NYS A.K.A. דינה מלכותא דינה or be it הלכות יום העצמאות or be it הלכות יום ירושלים or be it following the פסק of our גדולים to vote at Israeli elections.
Let me guess. The only problem many of us will see is the antisemitism of the Governor.
The real problem is the blatant disregard for NYC law, public safety and human life. Everyone in North America is doing without since March.They are doing thier part, on behalf of the community at large. Why do we think we are above the law? Connections? History of evil decrees, so this must also be one? Whatever the reason, it must stop. We must stop it. No deflections. No attacking the Mayor, the Governor, the antisemites, blah blah blah. Look in the mirror. Say your sorry, and promise that it won’t happen again.
CUOMOS RIGHT
If the Post found out because of an article in the Der Blatt, then the Der Blatt should be punished by Satmar. What right did Der Blatt have to print a secret? Did they ask Daas Torah such as the Rebbe before printing the story?
By printing the story of the wedding in their newspaper, Satmar was clearly sending a message of defiance to Cuomo.
The big question is how will King Cuomo react? The risk is that he will try to hit back as hard as he can and he can. He’ll have the board of regents declare ALL Yeshivas out of compliance on educational standards. He can cut all funding by using that metric. He can find or manufacture some way of declaring the Jewish neighborhoods red zones as he has already done once. etc. etc.
If you are talking about health risks then I agree with Satmar to a certain degree. If you are talking about whether politicians are hypocrites who don’t have our best interests at heart then I agree with Satmar to the fullest degree.
If you are talking about Shalosh Shevuos, hisgarus B’Umos, aivah and any other Torah perspective about how to act in Golus then I vehemently disagree with Satmar to the fullest degree.
Whatever the health and political situation is or isn’t it makes no difference. Making a Chasuna like that at a time like now is putting every Mosed H’Torah in New York State into danger. R’L
Just because Satmar Chasidim don’t live in Israel doesn’t mean they can forget and act like we aren’t in Golus anymore.
I’m not sticking up for the satmers if wrong or right but ywn should have common sense and not spreading the chilul hshem and giving stuff for our sonei yisroel remember once you’re posting anything everyone is reading it
Silentmoishe: It was printed in order to share the news about the wedding and because the population has a lot of interest in knowing the details. Not at all sending a message of defiance to Cuomo.
Your post is an awful message. Perhaps next time be silent.
and lets ask this crooked Cuomo now that we are 2 weeks after the wedding and 6 month after the terrible Funeral in Williamsburg and no uptick in that area, why are you even talking about it, there goes all you your science, our local Hatzalah did a better job thru covid then all these these corrupts politicians by getting people not to have to go into the hospitals in March- April and by getting major equipment needed by the biggest hospitals in NY, and they by far have a better understanding on what’s going on here then Cuomo, and the big rabbis ask them what is allowed and what’s not allowed in these circumstances, and if they gave an okay then they knew that their will not be any major uptick about the wedding, so people please take it easy and tell these self hating jews to stop reporting to the media
The other Satmar could have paid off MoNster, they chose not to. The Kallah in the second wedding is related to MoNster so they probably paid him off. Nothing can be kept a secret for that long.
That they pulled the wedding off under the noses of the city and state agencies is remarkable. They they then went and published what they did, shows that the editors of der blatt are either incredibly stupid or incredibly arrogant.
please someone notify his arrogance Cuomo that all he is , he’s the elected governor of the people for the people, not the owner of the people. don’t threaten and think you’ll get away with it. we pay his salary
His ego streches to somewhere in space. in his dealing with President Trump he showed his lowlife traits.
During the height of the pandemic Trump gave him whatever he asked for inccluding masks ventilators , ^even a hospital ship only to be rebuked by this menuvel humbaro. never forget
BS”D
The Satmar wedding was a kiddush Ha Shem.
Read Mazal Tov by Becky Akers on the Lew Rockwell site.
Please tell your intelligent writers that the word דינא דמלכותא דינא is an Aramaic word and it is written with an אל”ף not with a ה”א
Calm down everyone. Over 95% of Satmar chasidim had this virus already. And those who didn’t yet and are high risk stayed home. The bulk of the crowd at the wedding was young yeshiva students who have a greater chance of dying from the flu than from covid.