An event in Brooklyn aimed at raising awareness about the alarming cluster of COVID cases in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods was cut short on Friday, after a pair of anti-mask activists hurled personal insults at health officials and shouted racial epithets.
The press conference opened with a sober warning from NYC Health Commissioner David Chokshi, who described the recent uptick in transmission across parts of Brooklyn and Queens as "the most precarious moment since we came out of lockdown."
But almost as soon as the event began, the Orthodox radio host Heshy Tischler stormed the podium and accused Dr. Ted Long, the head of the city's Test & Trace program, of lying about the increase in infections. "Your violent Nazi storm troopers are coming in here to violate us," he shouted. "That's all you're here for!"
As that was happening, a second man confronted Dr. Mitchell Katz, the leader of the city's public hospital system. "Get the fuck out of here," he said. "Go to your fucking nice house some place." When a mayoral staffer approached the man with a surgical mask, he rejected it. "I don’t want a mask. It’s my freedom."
"Go to East New York," the man, who sources identified as Borough Park resident Heshy Brach, continued. "I’ll bring you some n----rs, I’ll throw you some rocks. You want antifa here?"
(The disruption begins around the 11 minute mark)
The ugly scene unfolded in Borough Park, Brooklyn, one of several Brooklyn neighborhoods that Health Department officials consider part of a new "Ocean Parkway Cluster." The city has also recorded increased positivity rates in Williamsburg, Far Rockaway or Kew Gardens.
Amid growing fears of a second wave, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to ramp up enforcement of social distancing guidelines, with the possibility of shutting down schools and businesses if compliance doesn't improve.
In response to the city's threat, members of the Orthodox community have accused the mayor of anti-Semitic bias. Elected officials who represent the neighborhoods have also claimed that the city hasn't done enough to proactively engage the community and dispel misinformation.
“For the last six months, the de Blasio administration has limited their COVID communication with the Orthodox community to threats, fines, and violations," said Councilmember Chaim Deutsch, whose district includes Gravesend and Midwood. "Now, when education is needed, they are finally reaching out, again, with intimidation and threats."
A visit to Borough Park on Wednesday found residents crowding into stores and synagogues without masks — with no visible police or public health presence. Many community members said they believed the neighborhood, which was hit hard by the virus in the spring, had attained herd immunity — an assertion disputed by epidemiologists.
"We know that no area of New York City has herd immunity," Katz, who is Jewish and grew up in the Ocean Parkway area, said during the press conference on Friday. "Herd immunity occurs when more than 80 percent of people are immune and that protects everyone."
His speech was quickly interrupted by one of the hecklers. "You can’t say stuff without proof," Tischler said. "Aren’t you embarrassed what you’re doing to your brothers and sisters?"
