New York health officials shut down a Hasidic wedding in Brooklyn that was set to have “upwards of 10,000 individuals.”
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement during a briefing on Saturday, Oct. 17, that the state had learned about a wedding after the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning telling people not to attend. New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Ducker signed a Section 16 order prohibiting the gathering. The ceremony was scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, in Williamsburg.
“We received a suggestion that that was happening. We did an investigation and found that it was likely true,” Cuomo said. “Look, you can get married, you just can’t have 1,000 people at your wedding.”
The wedding was supposed to take place outside of Brooklyn’s red, orange, and yellow COVID cluster zones, but the sheer size of the wedding still made it dangerous to have.
Leaders of the synagogue said that safety precautions had been taken when planning the event. They also stated that the majority of guests were only expected to participate “for a short period of time” in accordance with the COVID-19 regulations.
However, tensions in Brooklyn have escalated the past week between state officials and residents. Lawsuits have been filed against Gov. Cuomo of “anti-Semitic discrimination” after a shutdown of religious gatherings within red zones. The lawsuit accuses Cuomo of discriminating against the Jewish community by making their neighborhoods red zones which limits their right to worship.
