A married couple was arrested on May 10 in connection with an attack on a group of Chasidic Jews in Brooklyn.
The New York Daily News reported that the couple, identified as Paulo and Clelia Pinho, allegedly approached the Chasidic Jews and said to them, “The mayor says you Jews are the reason we’re getting sick.” Authorities said Paulo attempted to rip the face masks off some of the Jews, prompting three men in the group to confront Paolo, telling him to stay 6 feet away from them.
Paolo then is suspected of starting to punch one of the Jewish men; three Jewish men then held down Paolo, prompting Clelia to start kicking and punching them.
The Pinhos were arrested and charged with aggravated assault and hate crime.
Moshe Rosenbaum, who was one of the three Jewish men who confronted Paolo, told the Daily News that the group was just walking down the street and observing social distancing measures.
“[Paolo] saw whatever on social media, posted about Jews and he wanted to be a big man,” he said. “He wanted to be famous, but it didn’t go the way he thought.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the alleged assault in a statement.
“We will not tolerate hate, we will act on it quickly,” de Blasio said. “Anyone who engages in an act of hate will be suffering the consequences of their action.”
Anti-Defamation League New York / New Jersey tweeted, “This incident is troubling and we are reaching out to law enforcement to learn more.”
This incident is troubling and we are reaching out to law enforcement to learn more. https://t.co/Bj9IkjJsRz
— ADL New York / New Jersey (@ADL_NYNJ) May 11, 2020
Former New York Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who is also the president of the Americans Against Anti-Semitism watchdog, also tweeted, “History on repeat: Step 1. Blame the Jews, Step 2. Attack the Jews, Step 3. Rinse and repeat. This time, however, @NYPDHateCrimes lost no time in arresting the offenders, and for that I’m thankful.”
History on repeat:
Step 1. Blame the Jews
Step 2. Attack the Jews
Step 3. Rinse and repeatThis time, however, @NYPDHateCrimes lost no time in arresting the offenders, and for that I’m thankful. https://t.co/LX9BGpRbLG
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) May 11, 2020
The Lawfare Project wrote in a Facebook post, “This attack is one example of why Mayor de Blasio’s comments on April 28 are so unacceptable and dangerous. Instead of uniting the city, he singled out and stereotyped the Jewish community. Instead of fighting anti-Semitism, Mayor de Blasio’s words added fuel to a fire that, sadly, still burns strong. Words matter, and we should expect better from our elected officials, especially when it comes to fighting discrimination and anti-Semitism.”
https://www.facebook.com/LawfareProject/posts/3647226351971000
The Facebook post referred to the mayor’s reaction to the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz on April 28 in Brooklyn. Video of the gathering on the street showed many of the estimated 2,000 participants failing to social distance properly. The New York Police Department issues a dozen summonses.
De Blasio tweeted afterward, “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”
Jewish leaders blasted the mayor, calling the tweet anti-Semitic.
New York’s ultra-Orthodox communities have been hard hit by the virus, and officials cite Chasidic residents’ inclination to gather in large groups as partly responsible, with data suggesting the numbers likely exceed other ethnic and religious groups.
