De Blasio and “the Jewish community”: a tale of two tweets
Nothing to see here pic.twitter.com/kJHHgjeRAA
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) April 29, 2020
The genesis of de Blasio’s admonition to “the Jewish community” – a pretty diverse group, and in NYC a fairly large one – was apparently a funeral for a rabbi held in Brooklyn by an ultra-Orthodox sect called the Satmar. Not only are they not “the Jewish community” at large, they’re not even “the Orthodox Jewish community.” The NY Satmar are based in Willliamsburg, and they are such an extreme sect that they could correctly be called not just ultra-Orthodox but ultra-ultra-Orthodox. They are so Orthodox they are radical, if that makes any sense (among other things, they don’t recognize the state of Israel). It’s hard to get a bead on their numbers in Brooklyn, but let’s just say that although it’s in the thousands, it’s a miniscule percectage of the Jews of New York City. They no more represent the Jewish community than the Branch Davidians represented the “Christian community.”
But that didn’t stop de Blasio from referring to them that way. It is no accident, either, although he tried to backtrack somewhat when howls of protest ensued regarding his addressing Jews in general. De Blasio may be mayor of New York, but he’s a leftist of the Corbynesque variety, and anti-Semitism is part of the genre.
Oh, and by the way, the Satmar said they had a police permit for the event and tried to make the crowd conform to social distancing rules:
Neither de Blasio nor his police commissioner, Dermot Shea, addressed reports that the funeral procession had actually been coordinated with the New York Police Department and the knowledge of City Hall. Shea said that 12 summonses had been issued for refusal to disperse and for violating social distancing. “That event last night never should have happened,” he said. “It will never happen again.”
The mourning event in the Williamsburg neighborhood Tuesday night was organized by followers of the late Rabbi Chaim Mertz. Organizers said that they thought the procession would conform with social distancing guidelines because they asked everyone to stay six feet away from each other. The police department cooperated by barricading streets and putting up street lights, according to David Greenfield, the CEO of a Jewish anti-poverty organization and a former city councilman.
Video of the event showed that funeral marchers were also guided by members of Shomrim, the Jewish community security organization. A Hasidic source who is familiar with the Shomrim’s preparations for the funeral, but not authorized to speak publicly, told the Forward that the Shomrim and NYPD had worked together in planning the funeral.
“The plan was to have a specific number of people who could go into one street, then close it down, and have the car go to the next street,” the source explained. The source added that in addition to lights and barricades, the police had also approved having a sound system so that attendees could hear eulogies, but that at the last minute, officers ordered organizers not to use the speaker system.
In their joint news conference, de Blasio and Shea did not respond to the claims of NYPD involvement.
Sounds like it was an event that was held with good intentions but ended up getting out of control, probably through emotion. And de Blasio’s office isn’t wanting to talk about the issue of the government’s supposed involvement.
A few weeks ago I happened across a video on YouTube (don’t recall which it was) about the ultra-ultra Orthodox Jewish community’s response to COVID. It mentioned that initially they were still getting together in large groups because so much of their lives involved such things, but in recent weeks they were practicing all sorts of social distancing, including for deaths and funerals. I even recall their having set up a sort of dial-a-prayer hotline for families with dying members. It was quite heartrending. These groups – and all groups who are accustomed to large social gatherings as part of the fabric of their lives and their worship – are particularly challenged by the social distancing resulting from the COVID rules. It’s not surprising that violations occur, just as they occurred in non-religious settings such as the Blue Angels flyover.
But I also noticed that in the comments to that video about the ultra-Orthodox community – and there were many – every single one expressed fervent anti-Semitism, sometimes of the rabid kind. The internet is one of the main conduits of a vicious sort of anti-Semitism, and these sorts of events are opportunities to unleash it.
[ADDENDUM: The inevitable “Downfall” parody emerges rather quickly.]
Old fashioned Jew hate really seems to have come out into the open in recent years. Sometimes it wears a fig leaf (“I’m not anti-Semitic, I’m anti-Zionist!” is the most common) but more and more it walks naked.
One aspect of this trend that particularly alarms me is the degree to which hating Jews has become socially acceptable. The Democrat party and academia are two areas where this is most noticeable. Even people who don’t make anti-Semitic statements are less and less outraged by those who do. Instead, they ignore the rhetoric of hate or even the actual violence spawned by it. And if they cannot ignore it they just blame it on the right.
John F. MacMichael:
It’s somewhat ironic, I think, that the Satmar are anti-Israel and I presume anti-Zionist. But that won’t make the supposedly “I’m only anti-Zionist” Jew-haters love the Satmar.
Neo, just so. I have noticed over the years that representatives from tiny Jewish sects that are radically anti-Zionist are occasionally trotted out at events organized by anti-Israel organizations and pointed at as proof that these organizations are not anti-Semitic. I don’t think this fools anyone expect those who really want to be fooled.
Going back to the stark contrast of the two tweets that started your post. The difference in De Blasio’s treatment of the two different religious communities is very telling. I have no idea whether De Blasio is someone who hates Jews. But he has made it clear that he thinks attacking Jews is safe and politically profitable. If he did not think so, he would not do it.
I simply don’t understand anti-Semitism.
I understand disliking certain individuals, but not a group of people as a whole. I just don’t understand it.
I’m not sure hate makes those “too fine” distinctions…say between the Orthodox & the “stuck on 10 rip the knob off” Orthodox & the not-so-Orthodox. Jew is Jew to someone who’s Anti-Semitic.
Corbyn and DeBlasio can’t hide that part of their character & it makes them almost caricature-like because it is so obvious to outsiders and so invisible to them.
John F., a big step, toward making hating Jews into becoming socially acceptable, was Hillary’s rant about “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic – Islamophobic” deplorables.
That she needed to rip Islamophobia, but not anti-Semitism, spoke volumes about where the Left was heading.
SueK, anti-XXism will always be with us, because there will always be an emotional need (among losers) for a Socialism of *Fools*.
Jews will often be a juicy target, because they have a rep for *tending* to be very good at making $$, and at being Hams.
Einstein did his fellow Jews no favors, when he became (likely) the *only* Nobel laureate, to wantonly flash his tongue out at a cameraman.
In good times, being known as Hams (and *geniuses*) serves them well, such that they can rack-up Nobel Prizes like hotcakes, and bring the house down with their flashiness.
But, in grimmer times, their *tendency* toward flashiness is likely to stick out like *sore* thumbs, thus painting targets on the backs of their fellow Jews.
Some would say, Jews are like everyone else, except *more so*.
In my view, their most underrated virtue is their (striking tendency toward) reflectiveness/ conscientiousness: “two Jews, three *opinions*”.
As King Arthur said, in the film “Camelot”, “only fools never *doubt*”.
Alas, when times get tough, the fools get more of a hearing, and the huge importance of reflectiveness often gets lost in the chaos.
Instead, in such times, it is impulsiveness which thrives.
In tough times, when millions are more likely to have ants in their pants (e.g. for strong *führung*), Jews’ propensity to doubt is seen as, at best, irritating.
The “street” rep of (esp. Ashkenazi) Jews is similar to that of their fellow “Ice People” “Orientals”, except that the latter are seen as being *much* less flamboyant, and less breathtakingly insightful.
“The German (e.g. Hitler, Merkel) is more likely than the Jew to be the Hare, and the Oriental is more likely than the Jew to be the Tortoise.”
De Blasio’s errors are addressing this warning to “the Jewish Community” while ignoring the social distancing failures in other parts and communities of New York. If he had warned this particular sect by name, only, it wouldn’t have been as offensive. From what I read, Jews in New York and around the country are trying to honor their traditions while cooperating with social distancing guidelines. I have read and heard stories about people who cannot hold the traditional mourning gatherings in their homes for family members who have died, and who cannot say the traditional prayers because the requisite gatherings of ten men cannot be held.
the mayors real name Is Kaiser Warren Wilhelm II, in case you didn’t know.
And Im sure he has a Solution.
“The German (e.g. Hitler, Merkel, Mayor Wilhelm II) is more likely than the Jew to be the Hare, and the Oriental is more likely than the Jew to be the Tortoise.”
fixed it for you
While the Constitution enshrines religious freedom, I think the Founders made a mistake by not defining “religion.” They should have restricted its application to only those doctrines which recognize the separation of church and state.* It is my understanding that Islam makes no such distinction.** During this lockdown, petty little tyrants have sought to prevent Christians from exercising their 1st Amendment rights, but in some instances, have not similarly restricted Muslims.
In so doing, they unwittingly endorse my position.
* This is by no means an endorsement of the extreme position that the Left has taken on the separation of church and state issue.
** I am open to being shown that I am wrong.
Fair enough, avi!
Geography also pertains, to what I wrote above.
The rep of NYC gentiles, and secular NYC Jews, is exemplified by guys like this Kaiser, and Schumer: In Your Face, and deceitful to boot.
In contrast, Ortho Jews (even in NYC), and most secular gentiles west of the Hudson, are seen as more laid-back or reserved.
Most U.S. Christians are seen as closer (in these respects) to these groups, than they are to the De Blasio/ Schumer mentality.
Cap’n Rusty, Islam is an all-encompassing religious and political system which recognizes no authority which is not Islamic. In the USA, there are people attempting to be modern Muslims, following Islamic worship traditions while recognizing the Constitution and the rights of others. More power to them. But there are Muslims who do not recognize or accept the American system. These radicals are not like Hasidic Jewish sects in two respects. The ultra-orthodox Jews do not deny the authority of the secular American state in general. They live within it and try to work with it. Second, ultra-Orthodox Jews do not try to force non-Jews to follow their laws and practices. Strict Islamists deny the authority of all secular governments, and the ideology seeks to subdue and rule all others.
I am not threatened, as a Christian gentile, by orthodox Jewish neighbors. I may very well be threatened by strict Islamist neighbors. There’s the difference.
Following his Magyar struggle notes..
Kate on April 29, 2020 at 7:00 pm said:
…I am not threatened, as a Christian gentile, by orthodox Jewish neighbors. I may very well be threatened by strict Islamist neighbors. There’s the difference.
* * *
Indeed.
Kate and AesopFan:
“In the USA, there are people attempting to be modern Muslims, following Islamic worship traditions while recognizing the Constitution and the rights of others.”
Does that not constitute apostasy, punishable by death under the Koran? It’s hard for me to believe that such “reformed” Muslims, if push came to shove, would uphold the Constitution.
Well, Cap’n Rusty, I know some. They’re “cultural Muslims,” and they don’t follow all the rules, or even many of the rules. They may fast during Ramadan, but they’re unlikely to attend mosque events or prayers with any regularity. They’re analogous in some respects to some “cultural Jews” I know, who won’t eat pork and avoid leavened bread during Passover, but otherwise don’t attend synagogue or pay much attention to Jewish traditions.
Uh, ‘Hams’???
Kate,
Thanks. What you say is encouraging.
I’m in St Cloud, Minnesota, where we have a sizeable population of Somali refugees, and from what we know, they’re mostly Muslim. They have not been here long enough to assimilate much; most are still wearing native garb, and I rarely hear any English. But I’ve been taking my exercise walk through our “little Mogadishu” for several years. At first, I could sometimes get the little kids and some of the younger women to smile when I said hello. The older people, not so much. But, strangely, ever since the Corona lockdown, I notice that there’s more western apparel (dudes in blue jeans!) and a lot more hellos. Maybe they sense that we’re all in this together. And maybe we sense it, too.
SueK: The reason behind eternal anti-semitism is simple. The insult people are the least capable to forgive is the existence of other people who are morally superior to them. This often inflames a murderous rage, so irrational that the victims of this obsession can not explain or believably rationalize.
The REAL issue is, this is still their choice, and they’ll pay the price if they fail to react properly with SDx and other non-contact efforts.
It’s not the government’s place to tell people how to handle their own risk choices.
Never has been and never will be.
Cap’n Rusty, I have hopes that many Muslim immigrants to the US will “Americanize,” as you’re seeing in St. Cloud, and as my acquaintances are doing. The threat that some of them will “radicalize” is always there, and I don’t discount that. However, treating them all as if they’re jihadis only helps drive those who aren’t closer into a segregated Muslim community in which they might become radicals. Best to do as you do — smile, treat them as individuals and not merely as members of a group.
A really really good film on Netfix is “Unorthodox;” which is about a young girls “escape” from Williamsburg’s Satmar orthodox community and her eventual move to, of all places, Berlin, Germany.
It is loosely based on a real life story which became a best selling book.
Amazing acting and writing.
By the way, the Satmar’s are not the only orthodox jews that are “anti-zionist.”
It’s even worse in Knox County, Tenn., where the health department just announced that while churches may reopen on May 1, the Lord’s Supper is forbidden.
The order was announced by Knox County Health Department Regional Hospital Coordinator Charity Menefee, who announced that Communion is not part of “core worship.
[snip]
In addition, “The physical taking of communion/sacrament should not be performed due to the serial breaking of physical distancing across a
congregation.” Churches are urged to “consider guiding parishioners in how to connect with the spiritual aspects of these practices during this phase.” Never mind that for Christians, Communion is a requirement, not an optional activity that can be transmitted over the internet.
Not only that, but church attendees are also banned from physically embracing or shaking hands with one another. And singing, while not banned, “is discouraged as it is thought to be an activity that expels significantly more virus than talking.”
Also banned by the Knox County order: “communal items (for example, tithe plates, hymnals, bibles, etc.).” Churches are told they should use a donation box in lieu of an offering plate. “Only core worship services are permitted in Phase One,” the order reads. “Activities such as groups and classes, youth services, social events, potlucks, communal snacks or food, and nursery, are not permitted in Phase One.”
wish i got arrested or something so i could have enough money for a home..
the checks are going to fly after this… if not, then the US as it was is over, the feminists made the change, and can consider it now the state they claimed was needed for full liberation – a communist one
Let me know if you find an opposite one, like capitalist femism..
you have more luck finding a unicorn.. and not being a virgin
the history they want to repeat is Weimar… (though if they admit it, who would side at all?)
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Socialist feminism rose in the 1960s and 1970s as an offshoot of the feminist movement and New Left that focuses upon the interconnectivity of the patriarchy and capitalism. Socialist feminists argue that liberation can only be achieved by working to end both the economic and cultural sources of women’s oppression.Socialist feminism is a two-pronged theory that broadens Marxist feminism’s argument for the role of capitalism in the oppression of women and radical feminism’s theory of the role of gender and the patriarchy. Socialist feminists reject radical feminism’s main claim that patriarchy is the only or primary source of oppression of women. Rather, Socialist feminists assert that women are unable to be free due to their financial dependence on males. Women are subjects to the male rulers in capitalism due to an uneven balance in wealth. They see economic dependence as the driving force of women’s subjugation to men. Further, Socialist feminists see women’s liberation as a necessary part of larger quest for social, economic, and political justice. Socialist feminists attempted to integrate the fight for women’s liberation with the struggle against other oppressive systems based on race, class, sexual orientation, or economic status.
Socialist feminism draws upon many concepts found in Marxism, such as a historical materialist point of view, which means that they relate their ideas to the material and historical conditions of people’s lives. Thus, Socialist feminists consider how the sexism and gendered division of labor of each historical era is determined by the economic system of the time. Those conditions are largely expressed through capitalist and patriarchal relations. Socialist feminists reject the Marxist notion that class and class struggle are the only defining aspects of history and economic development
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Given ACO and others, i dont think it lost traction:
In 1972, “Socialist Feminism: A Strategy for the Women’s Movement”, which is believed to be the first publication to use the term socialist feminism, was published by the Hyde Park Chapter of the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union (Heather Booth, Day Creamer, Susan Davis, Deb Dobbin, Robin Kaufman, and Tobey Klass). Other socialist feminists, notably two long-lived American organizations Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party, point to the classic Marxist writings of Frederick Engels (The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State) and August Bebel (Woman and Socialism) as a powerful explanation of the link between gender oppression and class exploitation. In the decades following the Cold War, feminist writer and scholar Sarah Evans says that the socialist feminist movement has lost traction in the West due to a common narrative that associates socialism with totalitarianism and dogma
Seems like Knox County may be looking for some attention by the DOJ. They seem to know a lot about what is and isn’t essential to the practice of Christianity, at least in their own conception of it. Now whether they know anything about that non-essential Bill of Rights, well, that would be no.
Wake County, North Carolina, has a similar order prohibiting Christian holy communion. Among other parts of its “guidance” is the suggestion that communicants should “bring their own communion from home.”
Kate:
Civil “servants” who care nothing for the society, but they love their new power. Singing hymns and praises, make a joyous noise to the Lord? those are forbidden. If only three are gathered in his name, ok, but no more? Will silent prayer be allowed? Tar and feathers, some assembly required. Public health indeed.
John Tyler:
One thing that troubles me about that sort of documentary (which I haven’t seen, so perhaps I’m wrong) is that focus on a group such as the Satmars and labeling them “Orthodox” has a tendency to make people think they are representative of orthodox Jewry. They are not. They are a very fringe group, very radical.
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