NYC cops go after large Jewish funeral procession just 2 days after Mayor de Blasio singles out Jews over public gatherings

The New York Police Department was forced to break up an Orthodox Jewish funeral in Brooklyn on Thursday, despite New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's stringent regulations on public gatherings.

 

On Tuesday, de Blasio issued a warning to the Jewish community after a large funeral gathering on the streets.

What are the details?

Officers broke up the funeral Thursday after the gathering apparently grew too large. The funeral was for Rabbi Cheskel Wagshel.

New York City's current shelter-in-place order prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people at one time.

During the funeral procession, officers also ended up issuing a summons to a 17-year-old boy who reportedly shoved a police official after intentionally crossing a police line. In a viral video, an officer can be seen chasing after a hearse while trying to dispel the large crowd.

In a statement, Sgt. Jessica McRorie said that the NYPD were present on the streets in order to "ensure social distancing rules were being followed."

What else?

The mayor blasted mass gatherings across the city over the last week, and specifically pointed to a Jewish funeral that took place Tuesday night and saw at least hundreds of Hasidic Jews take to the streets to mourn Rabbi Chaim Maertz, who died of the coronavirus.

New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea later said that the crowd grew to include "several thousand people."

After backlash, de Blasio later said that he was sorry for singling out the Jewish community.