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Orthodox journalist attacked, chased, called ‘Nazi’ at Jewish Borough Park protest

An ultra-Orthodox journalist who covers the religious Jewish community was set upon by participants in a protest against new coronavirus restrictions after the event’s leader ordered the crowd to chase him away.

Jacob Kornbluh, who lives in Borough Park, Brooklyn, was covering an event organized by Heshy Tischler, an aspiring politician. Tishcler has recently risen to prominence as a critic of perceived government overreach in the name of coronavirus against Orthodox Jews.

Tischler has accused Kornbluh of being a “snitch” and posted a tweet in which he held a portrait of the journalist that many reported to Twitter as incitement to violence.

Kornbluh said he was rescued by community members and police and is safe.

Tischler is running for City Council and works in the construction industry. He also does a weekly call-in show carried on YouTube and Facebook in which political discussion is interspersed with plugs for his business.

Kornbluh received tweeted well-wishes almost instantaneously.

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