Orthodox Jew declares ‘war’ on politicians over Covid lockdown
Brooklyn Jewish activist Heshy Tischler has said 'he wants to go to war' over new shutdown rulings toward his communities. (Photo: YouTube and Getty)
An Orthodox Jewish community leader has dramatically declared war on politicians after New York City was hit with tough new lockdown measures.
Heshy Tischler, an outspoken radio host, lashed out after New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo limited religious gatherings to 10 people in his Brooklyn neighborhood.
‘My father was the last of his family from the Holocaust,’ Tischler said. ‘I will not stand by idly. We are now at war. I will not allow the good name of the Jewish people to be hurt anymore.’
Tischler spoke hours after he and hundreds of other protesters took to the streets of their neighborhood. They lit fires, blocked traffic and even chased away law enforcement. The group did so in response to rules unveiled yesterday which have also closed schools and community centers.
He called New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo ‘a pig’ and said that the Jewish community is being abused by the new restrictions.
Visit our live blog for the latest updates Coronavirus news live
‘I cannot stand by while this animal hurts my people,’ Tischler said. ‘Families are being hurt and struggling.’
The Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn is home to one of the largest concentrations of Jews in the US, with many different sects of the religion, including Hasidic, Haredi, Reform and more.
They are known in New York City for having a focus on community, family and their religion, with some neighborhood communities restricting access to anyone from outside of the faith.
Many Orthodox Jewish men wear distinctive clothing, including black suits, white shirts, and black hats, while female worshippers don simple black tops, long skirts and bobbed wigs.
Their distinctive clothing has made it easier for New York City officials to identify them when large groups of Orthodox Jews have gathered and broken rules, but the worshippers themselves say new measures targeting them increases the existing prejudice they face.
Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot have seen some worshippers flout health guidelines banning large gatherings and put them at odds with being able to practice their faith.
Donald Trump retweeted a message on Tuesday which appeared to support the Orthodox community, which called New York City mayor Bill De Blasio an ‘anti-Semite thug piece of shit.’
‘I am the only thing in the Radical Left’s way,’ Trump tweeted.
Tischler said that he supports the president all the way and believes that De Blasio wants the Brooklyn Jewish community to ‘lay down and die.’
‘When president Trump gets reelected, he will not let De Blasio get away with what he’s doing,’ Tischler said.
The activist was seen last week disrupting a press conference in Brooklyn discussing a spike in cases in the community where he railed against wearing masks.
However, Tischler said this was due to hypocrisy being shown toward the Jewish community, where other residents of New York have not faced the same level of scrutiny.
‘I have no problem wearing masks and staying six feet away,’ he said. ‘But the non-Jewish communities can go outside, and there are people in the parks, playing with no masks.’
‘We are peaceful people, but you’ve pushed us to the line,’ he said. ‘The Jewish people do not use force, but sooner or later we’re going to break. There’s only so much we can take.’
Another member of the Orthodox community who wishes to be unnamed has called Tischler ‘mentally deficient’ and said ‘he does not speak for anybody.’
He dismissed Tischler as an attention-seeking ‘clown’ who has ‘no influence’ in the community.
A joint statement from state senators, an assemblyman and two councilmen representing the area said they are ‘appalled’ by Cuomo’s actions.
‘His language was dangerous and divisive, and left the implication that Orthodox Jews alone are responsible for rising Covid cases in New York State,’ the stament said.
Covid-19 is growing significantly in New York Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, according to the city’s health department, outpacing other communities by four times the rate, the New York Times reported, with hundreds of orthodox Jews killed.
Cuomo said that he understands the political sensitivities of shutting down the neighborhood, but stressed its importance in a press conference on Sunday.
‘No one wants to enforce a law, because then you make the other person unhappy, and nobody wants anyone unhappy,’ Cuomo said. ‘You know what makes people really unhappy? Dying makes people really unhappy.’
In America, there are 7.5 million cases of Covid-19 and 210,000 are dead.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.