{"id":117354,"date":"2020-11-21T23:06:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T20:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/secret-plans-helped-synagogue-pull-off-massive-maskless-wedding\/"},"modified":"2020-11-21T23:06:43","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T20:06:43","slug":"secret-plans-helped-synagogue-pull-off-massive-maskless-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/secret-plans-helped-synagogue-pull-off-massive-maskless-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"#Secret plans helped synagogue pull off massive, maskless wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Secret plans helped synagogue pull off massive, maskless wedding<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n A Hasidic synagogue in Brooklyn planned the wedding of a chief rabbi\u2019s grandson with such secrecy it was able to host thousands of maskless celebrants without the city catching on.<\/p>\n

Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases, guests crammed shoulder-to-shoulder inside the Yetev Lev temple in Williamsburg for the Nov. 8 nuptials \u2014 stomping, dancing and singing at the top of their lungs without a mask in sight, videos obtained by The Post show.<\/p>\n

Organizers schemed to hide the wedding of Yoel Teitelbaum, grandson of Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelman, from \u201cthe ravenous press and government officials,\u201d says a detailed account in the Yiddish news<\/a>paper Der Blatt, the publication of the Satmar sect.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the ongoing situation with government restrictions, preparations were made secretly and discreetly, so as not to draw attention from strangers,\u201d the paper reported in its Nov. 13 edition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent weeks, organizers worked tirelessly to arrange everything in the best way possible. All notices about upcoming celebrations were passed along through word of mouth, with no notices in writing, no posters on the synagogue walls, no invitations sent through the mail, nor even a report in any publication, including this very newspaper.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Satmar synagogue, which has a maximum capacity of 7,000, jammed men onto bleachers filled to the rafters, the videos show. Women sat in the balcony behind a barricade.<\/p>\n

Last month, the state ordered the cancellation of another Williamsburg wedding planned for a grandson of Satmar Grand Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum, a brother and rival of Aaron, after that publicized event was expected to draw 10,000 people. The congregation called it \u201can unwarranted attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Guests
Guests squeezed inside the Yetev Lev temple in Williamsburg for the wedding of a chief rabbi\u2019s grandson.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That crackdown led to a determination to keep plans for the Nov. 8 affair under wraps. The stealthy arrangements continued amid a fear that someone would blow their cover.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe days leading up to the wedding were filled with tension, not knowing what the next day, or the next moment, will bring; which disgruntled outcast might seize this opportunity to exploit even what hasn\u2019t been written or publicized, to create an unnecessary uproar, and to disrupt the simcha, God forbid,\u201d Der Blatt reported.<\/p>\n

The synagogue\u2019s stunning willingness to host a potential super-spreader event underscores what critics call the Hasidic community\u2019s ongoing disregard and outright defiance of efforts to control the deadly coronavirus, which has killed nearly 25,000 people in New York City.<\/p>\n

Ironically, the synagogue\u2019s own president, R\u2019Mayer Zelig Rispler, who openly urged Brooklyn\u2019s Orthodox community to abide by coronavirus safety measures, died of COVID-19 last month at age 70.<\/p>\n

New COVID-19 cases in New York City rose to 3.11% Saturday, according to City Hall. There were 1,345 new COVID-19 cases and 118 patients admitted to the hospital with the potentially deadly virus, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend is critical to fighting back #COVID19,\u201d the mayor warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cA second wave is bearing down on us,\u201d Hizzoner told WNYC\u2019s Brian Lehrer on Friday. \u201cWe need restrictions. It\u2019s just clear that restrictions are the only way to turn back this kind of a surge.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Blasio and Gov. Cuomo have both talked tough about repeated violations in the ultra-Orthodox communities, but ultimately have avoided curbing the mass gatherings of Hasidic leaders with whom they\u2019ve had longstanding relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability of Hasidic leaders to compel their followers to so brazenly violate the rules and norms extends well beyond the pandemic, and is enabled by government officials turning a blind eye for political reasons,\u201d said Naftuli Moster, executive director of YAFFED, a nonprofit that advocates for improved secular education in yeshivas.<\/p>\n

\"A
A sign promoting face masks and social<\/a> distancing is seen on the door to Congregation Yetev Lev D\u2019Satmar.<\/span>J.C. Rice<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mitch Schwartz, the mayor\u2019s Director of Rapid Response, could not explain why the city failed to detect the enormous Nov. 8 celebration \u2014 and let it go off without a hitch.<\/p>\n

Next door to the synagogue at 14 Hooper St. is the firehouse of Engine and Ladder Cos. 211 and 119, but the FDNY said it wasn\u2019t called to inspect the synagogue. The FDNY is one of a host of city agencies that inspect sites for COVID-19 violations, along with the NYPD, the Sheriff and the Health Department.<\/p>\n

The event \u201cclearly violated\u201d Covid restrictions on indoor occupancy, FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer said.<\/p>\n

Under current rules posted by the city, houses of worship may hold indoor religious services in one room with occupancy limited to 50 percent capacity. Also, attendees from different households must maintain six feet of social distancing, or wear face coverings.<\/p>\n

Asked whether the firefighters noticed anything amiss next door, Dywer said, \u201cFirehouses don\u2019t conduct surveillance on their neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schwartz said, \u201cThe city performs a tremendous number of inspections daily, and our community outreach team is dedicated to relaying the latest happ<\/a>enings across the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut let\u2019s be clear: indoor gatherings of this size aren\u2019t acceptable, and they\u2019re offensive to all the sacrifices New Yorkers have made to keep their families and neighbors safe from COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether the Satmar synagogue would face any consequences for violating the restrictions, Schwartz gave no answer.<\/p>\n

\"Congregation
Congregation Yetev Lev D\u2019Satmar<\/span>J.C. Rice<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It wasn\u2019t the sect\u2019s only recent event. Aaron Teitelbaum led a Chumash, a celebration of the Torah, on Oct. 27 at its Borough Park synagogue \u2014 when it was in a state-designated, high-risk \u201cred zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Religious leaders have blasted what they consider a double standard, saying city and state officials have condoned the gathering of thousands in the streets to protest police brutality and to celebrate Joe Biden\u2019s election victory.<\/p>\n

But some members of the Orthodox community are mortified by the recklessness of their own lifestyles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can have our misgivings about total shutdowns, and other extreme measures, but there\u2019s zero excuse to completely ignore anything that might help reduce the virus a bit,\u201d one told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t wear masks anywhere, we don\u2019t soap our hands, we have huge packed gatherings, we shake hands \u2013 there\u2019s zero indication that we\u2019re in the middle of a pandemic and that people in this country and in our community are still getting the virus and dying. And it\u2019s not just the lay people doing all this; it\u2019s the rabbis themselves not caring one bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messages sent to Satmar officials requesting comment were not returned.<\/p>\n

The Sunday night wedding capped a three-day affair, which began on Friday night with four hours of festivities, and continued on Saturday with Sabbath services, including a bris of an 8-day-old boy.<\/p>\n

The white-gowned bride was not named by Der Blatt, but a relative said her name is Miriam.<\/p>\n

The Der Blatt account reveled in the success of the covert operation: \u201cNow that the wedding has passed, thank God, after being held with great splendor and fanfare, the sentiment expressed by all is: how privileged we are, how good our portion, how fortunate our lot, to have merited the experience of such a glorious night.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n