Letter | My brother died alone. Why are hundreds attending these funerals?

APRIL 19: A casket is placed into a van outside of a funeral home in the heavily Orthodox Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn which has scene a large number of deaths due to the coronavirus on April 19, 2020 in New York City. Hospitals in New York City, which have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus, are just beginning to see a slowdown of COVID-19 cases. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Image by Getty Images
Dear Editor,
I am a committed Jew. My brother died last week and was buried virtually alone due to regulations about crowds and social isolation. It made me very sad.
Now, we read that in certain areas of the Orthodox community, rules of social isolation are ignored and people are going to home minyans or funerals or weddings. These people are fools.
Instead of righteous indignation, chastise those who think it is alright to sacrifice the needs of the community in order to satisfy their own selfish needs. I’m no fan of the mayor, but in this case, Bill de Blasio is correct!
Sincerely,
Mel Young
Boca Raton, Fla.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
