NYC mayor threatens ‘Jewish community’ with arrest over virus violations

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is under fire for appearing to warn all local the city’s Jews of a crackdown after a funeral in Williamsburg gathers a large crowd.

“My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, 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. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period,” he tweets.

The tweet draws fury online, with Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt calling the generalization “outrageous.”

“Would DeBlasio have sent this identical tweet with the word ‘Jewish’ replaced by any other religious minority? If not, why not? Laws should be enforced neutrally w/o targeting religious faith,” tweets Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC. The few who don’t social distance should be called out — but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever. https://t.co/jcYO9QQred

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 29, 2020

https://twitter.com/SaraCarterDC/status/1255333486526967810

https://twitter.com/seffikogen/status/1255333789267623937

Poignant to be celebrating Yom Ha'Atzmaut on the day Bill de Blasio announces he has ordered the NYPD to crack down on Jews in public.

This is why.

— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) April 29, 2020