NYC mayor Bill de Blasio still apologizing for Hasidic funeral tweet, one week later
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaking to firefighters on May 4. Image by Bryan Thomas/Getty
By Ari Feldman May 5, 2020
Nearly a week after his tweet about a Hasidic funeral drew ire from Jews across the religious spectrum, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is still apologizing for his words — and defending his actions.
In a conference call with multiple Orthodox media outlets Monday, de Blasio called the tweet — which was directed at “the Jewish community” — an example of “poor word choice,” but said he would not delete it, Jewish Insider reported.
“I am someone who believes you always move forward,” he said on the call. “You don’t dwell on something. You find a way to move forward.”
“I am at peace that what I’ve done has been consistent, I’m at peace that I’ve explained this circumstance, and I am much more interested now in dealing with the fact that there are lives in danger right now that we have to protect,” added.
Frustration with de Blasio was fueled by reports from the community that planned the funeral, Satmar Hasidic Jews, was planned in direct coordination with local police officers.
Yet the call came after multiple Orthodox organizations signaled their forgiveness to de Blasio over his handling of the incident, noting his long partnership with the community and defense of its practices. In the call, de Blasio, a former city council member who represented Orthodox neighborhoods, said he had defended the community from attacks that came “not by poor word choice or out of a mistake in the middle of a passionate moment, but purposeful systematic discrimination against the community.”
Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
