A Hasidic Jewish wedding in New York that expected 10,000 guests is stopped by New York officials over coronavirus infection fears
New York officials have stopped a Hasidic Jewish wedding that was expected to have 10,000 people attend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.
The wedding was reportedly for a well-known Hasidic rabbi's grandson and was scheduled to happen in Williamsburg on Monday.
"Look, you can get married, you just can't have 1,000 people at your wedding," Cuomo said in a press conference on Saturday.
Tensions between the Orthodox community and New York City have escalated since local authorities put some of their neighborhoods on lockdown earlier this month after a spike in infections.
New York health officials have shut down plans for a Hasidic Jewish wedding that was expected to attract up to 10,000 attendees, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.
The wedding, which was reportedly for the grandson of a well-known Hasidic rabbi, was scheduled to happen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Monday, according to CBS New York.
However, state officials handed down an order barring the mass gathering from happening on Friday night as it would violate the current coronavirus restrictions.
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"We received a suggestion that that was happening. We did an investigation and found that it was likely true," Cuomo said at a news briefing in on Saturday, according to ABC News. Cuomo said New York state officials had to crack down on the planned wedding in the Orthodox Jewish community because it would have brought together "upwards of 10,000 individuals," ABC News reported.
"Look, you can get married, you just can't have 1,000 people at your wedding," Cuomo added.
New York State's current guidance for weddings allows for no more than 50 people at the event.
Authorities have not yet heard from the event organizers, although Cuomo's office said on Saturday that a hearing on the order can be requested with the state Health Department.
The large-scale event was reportedly for a grandchild of Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, a grand rabbi of the ultra-Orthodox Satmar sect -- a Hasidic group originating from a city in Hungary, the New York Post reported.
Previous marriages of Teitelbaum's kin, including some in Israel and Brooklyn, have drawn thousands of attendees, the paper reported.
Tensions between the Orthodox community and the city have escalated since local authorities put nine of their most-populated neighborhoods on lockdown earlier this month after a spike in infections.
In response, some community members started a bonfire in the streets of Borough Park neighborhood, burning face masks as a form of protest.
Local leaders told The New York Times that there was a belief within the community that they had achieved herd immunity.
One local rabbi previously told Business Insider that he believes the coronavirus has led to increased hatred toward their community.
At 1.1%, New York, which was badly affected by the virus at the start of the pandemic, currently has one of the lowest infection rates in the country, according to Cuomo.
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