Mayor de Blasio's behavior is unacceptable
Mayor de Blasio's behavior is unacceptable

At a time when hate crimes against the Jewish community are skyrocketing in New York City and so many people are scapegoating Jews for the COVID-19 pandemic, it shocks the conscience that Mayor Bill de Blasio would single out and stereotype the Jewish community, even threatening its members with arrest.

Comments like this promote anti-Semitism and invite hostility. Enough! A true leader would bring the city together, not divide it with hatred.


Just a few days ago, New Yorkers ignored social distancing to watch a flyover by the Blue Angels. According to the New York Post, "Photos from throughout the region show large crowds jammed together in waterfront parks and venues in New York and New Jersey, looking skyward for a glance at the famous jets."

Yet Mayor de Blasio didn't single out these people or threaten them with arrest. Nearly a month ago, crowds of New Yorkers ignored social distancing to watch the USNS Comfort pull into Pier 90. Mayor de Blasio didn't single out these people either. When crowds have gathered during this pandemic, they haven't been identified by race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion. Only the Jewish community has been highlighted, in a manner designed to heighten anti-Semitism. This makes de Blasio look not just like a hypocrite, but also like a bigot.

Mayor de Blasio could have spoken about the 3,000 Orthodox Jews in New York who donated blood plasma in the last week, helping victims of this pandemic who are desperately in need. He could have spoken about the 45,000 members of the Jewish community who are expected to follow suit and give aid.

But he didn't.

Instead, de Blasio lashed out at a community mourning a tragic death, singling out the Jewish community in a manner unbefitting of an elected official, let alone a person with human decency. Mayor de Blasio's job is to stop attacks on the Jewish community, not incite them.

This behavior is unacceptable and must be called out!


Where was Mayor de Blasio's offer of kosher meals for Jewish New Yorkers celebrating Passover?

Why does he single out the Jewish community for condemnation yet offer free meals to the Muslim community?

Anti-Semitic hate crimes have increased under de Blasio's watch — does anyone wonder why?

The Lawfare Project is a global network of legal professionals that contribute their skills, time, and expertise to defending the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and pro-Israel community, and fighting discrimination wherever they see it.