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'Totally deceitful': 'Secret' wedding blasted for ignoring Covid rules

A New York synagogue has come under fire for reportedly hosting a secret wedding with thousands of unmasked guests in a crowded room earlier this month.

The Brooklyn synagogue has drawn the ire of New York governor Andrew Cuomo who said Sunday (local time) it would be investigated after footage of the event surfaced online.

“If that happened, it was a blatant disregard of the law,” Cuomo said during a briefing in New York City.

“It’s illegal. It was also disrespectful of the people of New York.”

Thousands of people packing a New York synagogue for a wedding during the coronavirus pandemic.
Thousands of people are shown here attending a New York wedding. Source: The Jerusalem Post

Guests, mostly unmasked, crammed inside the Yetev Lev temple in Williamsburg for the November 8 wedding of Yoel Teitelbaum, a grandson of Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the New York Post reported.

The large event was in blatant violation of coronavirus restrictions that ban large indoor gatherings. The synagogue has a capacity of 7,000 people.

Organisers kept the wedding secret after state officials cancelled an earlier Satmar wedding, the New York Post reported, citing a Yiddish newspaper, Der Blatt.

“If it turns out that because we stopped that wedding the reaction was, ‘Well we’ll have a secret wedding’, that would be really shocking and totally deceitful,” Cuomo said.

“It’s illegal and the city should do a robust investigation.’

A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city was investigating.

“The city is conducting an investigation into the incident and will hold those accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” spokesperson Avery Cohen said.

Businesses and houses of worship that flout bans on large gatherings risk fines of US$15,000.

A man who answered the phone at the Yetev Lev synagogue on Sunday said officials there had no comment.

Pictured are people wearing masks in New York City.
The New York governor has slammed a large wedding that secretly took place in Brooklyn. Source: Getty Images

Compliance with coronavirus restrictions in some of New York’s Orthodox Jewish communities has been an issue since the pandemic started earlier this year.

Protests erupted in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn last month after Cuomo announced a crackdown in several Orthodox neighbourhoods as virus cases increased. Many members of Orthodox communities complained they were being singled out.

Cuomo and de Blasio have warned all New Yorkers that even small gatherings during the holidays could fuel a spike in coronavirus infections.

“The problem is that this is a dangerous period because you have increased social activity by definition,” Cuomo said.

Virus rates will likely rise between now and New Year’s Day, he added.

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