Boro Parkers Still Reeling From Governor's Decrees, Mayor de Blasio Says We Can Lift Restrictions as Soon as COVID Numbers Decrease

      It is no secret that Boro Parkers feel “stabbed in the back” by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sudden sharp decline in the maximum occupancy of houses of worship right before the last days of Yom Tov.

     Last Tuesday, when Gov. Cuomo was speaking with Jewish leaders, the governor was heard saying in a recording of the meeting obtained by Hamodia, “The current rule … in any indoor gathering … it’s 50% of capacity,” the governor said. “That’s the current law. We have to follow that law. If we don’t follow that law then the infection rate gets worse. Then we’re gonna have to go back to close down. And nobody wants to do that. But I need your help in getting the rate down, and the rate will come down if we follow the rules on the mask and the social distancing and the 50%.”

   But then, strangely, a few hours later in a national press conference, the governor shocked the same Jewish leaders, by announcing that the houses of worship red zones would be limited to 25% capacity or 10 people maximum.

   One Jewish leader who was on the initial call with the governor was quoted in Hamodia as saying, “We feel that the governor is not interested in working with us at all.”

  This morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked for his response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s strange change of tune from seemingly wanting to work with Jewish communities to shocking them with what many feel are excessive restrictions, especially in communities in which many men attend shuls three times daily.

  “I understand the concerns of [Jewish] community leaders, and I understand that many people are trying to grapple with a really tough situation here,” said Mayor de Blasio, who actually started his career as an elected official on the New York City Council, representing the 39th district of Brooklyn, which includes Boro Park, from 2002 to 2009.

      “I did represent the community, and I have worked very closely with the community and I understand why there is so much concern.”

     With that said, the mayor said that he had [initially] “put forward a vision of how we could address the situation, [however,] I do respect the fact that the state does get to make the ultimate decisions here in this time of emergency, and we are going to work with the state’s rules in a constructive way, while always talking to community leaders and working with them to try to make it work together.

“It is in everyone’s interest to address this problem as quickly as possible, so we can take these restrictions off and get life going in a more positive direction.

    “I understand the concerns, but ultimately, I think we can all overcome this challenge together.”

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.