(Jewish Group) More than 400 rabbis back tough New York social distancing measures
More than 450 rabbis from across the religious spectrum signed on to a statement backing measures by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The statement, organized by the New York Jewish Agenda, a liberal Jewish advocacy group, expressed its support for New York’s use of “data-driven, geographically-based efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.”
The reference to “data-driven” efforts is aimed at pushing back at claims that Cuomo and de Blasio are singling out haredi Orthodox Jews with their most recent efforts to contain the spread of the virus. In April, the group organized a letter protesting what it said was de Blasio’s “scapegoating the Jewish community” with a series of tweets harshly criticizing the violating of social distancing guidelines at an Orthodox funeral in Brooklyn. This week’s statement emphasized that the current orders, spurred by a sharp uptick in infections, are not driven by bias.
“We condemn the lack of compliance with public health directives and recent violent reactions from some individuals within the Orthodox Jewish community to enforcement of those mandates,” the statement said.
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