Cuomos Claims about Hasidic Wedding Deserve Scrutiny
People want answers. They crave certainty amid chaos. But for a year filled with tremendous upheaval and so much newness, there have been notably few questions -- and thats a problem.In pre-pandemic days, New Yorkers knew that Governor Andrew Cuomo was an abrasive bully, intolerant of those who didnt share his political beliefs. Yet Cuomos eagerness to take charge matched the moment back in March. Cuomo comforted those nervous about COVID-19 by communicating clearly at his daily press conferences.Seven months later, though, the picture is different. Its clear that too much power has been ceded to Governor Cuomo. Not only have state legislators provided the governor with nearly unchecked power, but the media have too. Events now follow an all-too-familiar script. Consider, for example, the story surrounding the Satmar Hasidic wedding in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Monday night. Governor Cuomo said something, reporters accepted it, and a negative narrative about New Yorks Orthodox Jews took hold.If you read or watch the New York Times, The Hill, New Yorks NBC 4, ABC News, the Daily Beast, the Miami Herald, Britains Daily Mail, Australias Business Insider or countless other outlets, you may have heard that upwards of 10,000 people were expected to attend the wedding of the Grand Rebbes grandson. However, there are many questions that should have been asked -- and indeed appear to have gone unasked -- before Cuomo publicly blasted New Yorks Satmar Hasidic community, and before the international media broadcast the story far and wide.To recap, on Saturday, while Orthodox Jews were unplugged for the Sabbath, Cuomo told the media, We received a suggestion that [an enormous wedding] was happening. We did an investigation and found that it was likely true.While some unquestioningly accept the governors remarks, I, for one, would like to know more about this investigation and the related activities.For starters, is nobody else curious about -- or perhaps troubled by -- the decision to deliver the Section 16 order prohibiting the mass gathering on Friday evening? New Yorks leaders know that Orthodox Jews are indisposed starting at sundown on Friday, when the Sabbath begins. So, when exactly did state authorities learn about this wedding?Next, the governments source was someone with known animus toward New Yorks Haredi community who has since acknowledged in an op-ed that he had other motivations beyond saving lives. Did no one on the governors staff think it important to be absolutely certain of the facts before discussing this wedding so publicly?Did anyone ask a Yiddish speaker to translate the public wedding invitation? It included a box -- in red -- that read: Please follow all of the regulations from the health department scrupulously; they will be strictly enforced. That this health notice appeared in Yiddish, a language all invited guests would speak, implies that this wasnt virtue signaling.As for logistics, the synagogue in question could never hold a crowd of 10,000, as Satmar leader Rabbi Moshe Dovid Niederman explained to Cuomo during a Sunday call, published in the Orthodox daily Hamodia. The hosting congregation even published a statement explaining that this wedding was designed differently, because of COVID-19. So, only a small circle of close family members were expected to attend the ceremony and celebratory meal. The statement also noted that unwarranted attacks on this event were detached from the facts before remarking, Its sad that nobody verified our plans before attacking us.Americans Against Antisemitism founder Dov Hikind considered that statement credible. During a call, he asked rhetorically, Are the Satmar so out of their minds that theyre planning a wedding with 10,000 or even 1,000, and TV cameras wouldve been down there? It would have been a disaster.Another nagging question remains: Why didnt Cuomo just call Satmar leaders? On Sundays call, Cuomo described knowing Rabbi Niederman for over 20 years. Given that, Cuomo could easily have buzzed Niederman to fact-check. Hikind commented, Why didnt the governor pick up the phone before making it into a national story? Thats being sensitive? Thats not being a friend. A friend would inquire directly. Further, if anything in the original wedding plans didnt fully comply with state health guidelines, a friend would offer private guidance on how to remedy shortcomings.Cuomos response to Niederman during Sundays call truly stands out, though: In this crazy world, everything gets blown out of proportion. And youre right, the press comes to me, they ask me a question, with an asserted fact in it. There is a wedding thats gonna have 10,000 people, how can you let that happen? They assert the fact, and then its hard to say to the reporter, Well, I dont know if you, if thats true or not. And I understand that things are said.But Cuomo clearly accepted the premise of a large wedding taking place, and his words have had consequences. Reporters descended on Williamsburg on Monday, something locals did not appreciate. Further, harassment and anti-Semitic graffiti continue apace for New Yorks Orthodox Jews, as does the cementing of the dangerous narrative that Orthodox Jews deserve unique blame for COVID-19s spread.If New York is to conquer COVID-19, there must be universal compliance with public-health guidelines. However, public officials must simultaneously demonstrate true leadership. In Governor Cuomos case, that includes ending his recent, troubling pattern of singling out New Yorks Orthodox Jewish community. Perhaps he could start by publicly taking responsibility for the response that launched a thousand nasty news stories.
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