Hundreds of maskless men gathered inside a Bed-Stuy synagogue on Tuesday night for yet another celebration honoring the marriage of two prominent ultra-Orthodox families. But according to NYC sheriffs at the scene, the indoor festivities violated neither city nor state COVID restrictions.
At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, busloads of Hasidic men and young boys began streaming through the doors of a new shul at 92 Stockton Street. The event was part of a week-long blessing ceremony for the granddaughter of Satmar Grand Rebbe Aaron Teitelbaum, Henna Zissel Meisels. Her wedding in upstate New York on Monday brought thousands of people to a Kiryas Joel synagogue, according to a report, despite a cease-and-desist order from state health authorities.
Efforts by the city to investigate the post-wedding reception in Bed-Stuy yielded similar results. After several minutes outside the location spent Googling the latest gathering restrictions, half a dozen NYC Sheriff officers cautiously entered the building around 8 p.m. They were met by throngs of black-hatted revelers, who packed the vestibule, just as the 73-year-old Grand Rebbe made his entrance. The sheriffs made way for the rabbi, and soon left the building entirely.
"There's at least 300 people inside," Sheriff Lieutenant Derek Skuzenski was heard telling another law enforcement official. "They’re trying to kick us out. They don’t want to speak to us."
The deputies ultimately left without issuing a summons or vacate notice, and the celebration was allowed to continue. A private security guard, wearing an NYPD pin, helped direct parking outside the event. (The man assured Gothamist he was not an off-duty cop.)
Asked about the event on Wednesday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the gathering followed guidelines for religious events set by the state. "My impression from the briefing I got this morning is the sheriffs found what was there was within the standard," he said.
In a phone interview, Joseph Fucito, the head of the city's Sheriff's Office, attributed the lack of enforcement to a state rule allowing houses of worship to operate at 50 percent capacity, regardless of the number of attendees. The building's occupancy limit is 431 people, he said, and sheriffs on scene weren't positive there were more than half that inside.
"We couldn’t stick around to determine if they were going to go higher," Fucito told Gothamist. "We spoke to some religious leaders. We said, 'You have to keep it under 216 mark.'"
Fucito added that mask mandates were difficult to enforce in religious spaces. "Houses of worship have a lot of protections," he noted. "Even if they’re being used to circumvent the rules, it doesn’t matter."
A spokesperson for Governor Cuomo noted a stricter cap on religious gatherings was blocked earlier this year by a federal judge. Still, worshippers are required to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines under state protocols.
"With cases rising this fall, we are recommending New Yorkers avoid all large gatherings, even if a federal court says religious gatherings at 50% capacity are technically allowed," Jack Sterne, a spokesperson for the Governor's Office, said in a statement. "If this was a religious event, it was unadvisable at best, and if it was not religious in nature, it is a clear violation of the law — regardless, it put lives at risk and everyone is legally required to wear masks.”
The indoor gathering comes as New York's COVID positivity rates and hospitalizations continue to grow at alarming rates. But as Cuomo and de Blasio plead with New Yorkers to skip Thanksgiving this year, they've been accused of turning a blind eye to continued rule-breaking among the politically powerful Hasidim.
"They're abundantly aware of what’s going on," said a source in the ultra-Orthodox community, who requested anonymity for fear of a backlash. "But they only raid disco parties with Black people. That’s who gets arrested."
On November 8th, thousands of Satmar adherents attended a wedding in Williamsburg for a different Teitelbaum grandchild. After photos of the event were published, Cuomo called on de Blasio to investigate the "blatant disregard of the law.” This week, the mayor announced he would fine the synagogue $15,000.
Asked whether City Hall's enforcement efforts were falling short, de Blasio said on Tuesday that the strategy had been "very consistent."
"We need to be very, very clear that if folks are doing something dangerous we can't allow it to happen," he added.
This story was updated to include statement from the Governor's Office.
