NYC Investigates Brooklyn Synagogue That Drew Thousands for Funeral Despite COVID-19 Restrictions
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New York City officials are investigating a funeral at a Brooklyn synagogue that reportedly drew thousands of attendees, in what would be a violation of the city’s COVID-19 restrictions. Up to 5,000 people attended the funeral, held at Congregation Yetev Lev D’Satmar in Williamsburg on Monday afternoon, according to the New York Post. Many of the mourners of Rabbi Yisroel Chaim Menashe Friedman, 94, were maskless, the Post reported. In October, state officials shut down a wedding at the Orthodox Jewish synagogue that was expected to draw over 10,000 attendees, according to The New York Times. “These large events are a real cause for concern, and we either need to see them be handled very differently, with really clear limits and precautions, or not happen at all,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a Tuesday press briefing. “If we see another confirmed situation in which an inappropriate event is happening in that same building, then we’re going to have to move to shut down the building once and for all.”