A hasidic resident of the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn was beaten during a protest against coronavirus restrictions which were imposed on the largely haredi community by New York State early Wednesday morning.
Berish Getz, 34, was filming the protest from on top of a trailer when someone in the crowd yelled “This is Getz!” Getz is known as an advocate for mask-wearing in the haredi community.
People in the crowd called Getz a "snitch." He was surrounded and beaten when he jumped down from the trailer.
According to police, three people beat Getz on his head and neck. One assailant hit him with a stick while others threw objects at him.
Getz was taken in critical condition to Maimonides Medical Center, where doctors stabilized his condition.
Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a member of the Orthodox Jewish community, condemned the attack on Getz.
"The violent mob that attacked their fellow Hasidic Jew is a total disgrace to everything we stand for, they bring nothing but shame upon us! Such violence is unconscionable and we can’t allow this to devolve any further! Angry at Gov? Shout! Don’t hit!" Hikind wrote on Twitter.
Protests erupted in Brooklyn Tuesday night following the imposition of new restrictions that would close schools, limit attendance at synagogues services and close nonessential businesses in areas with upticks in coronavirus morbidity.