BROOKLYN (JTA) – Seeking the endorsement of Borough Park Orthodox leaders in his run for Congress, former mayor Bill de Blasio apologized for a 2020 tweet berating Jews for large gatherings held during the pandemic.
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In a video of Sunday’s meeting, called by an activist of the Bobov Hasidic movement, de Blasio is seen being asked about the tweet. In the tweet, he blasted “the Jewish community” following the packed funeral for a rabbi who died of COVID-19, and said the NYPD had been instructed to “summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups.”
“It was a mistake and I shouldn’t have done it,” de Blasio said in the video. “It was a moment of passion and pain over what was happening in the city.”
De Blasio is running for a seat in the newly created District 10, which stretches from his home in Park Slope to Lower Manhattan and includes a chunk of Borough Park with its large Orthodox population.
Yitzchok Fleischer, a confidante of de Blasio and a representative of the Bobov community, an influential voting bloc in the district, told the New York Jewish Week he arranged the meeting.
“I’m the one who called him,” Fleischer said. “I’m an old friend of his 20 years. When he was a Council member, he was the best we ever had. People need to remember that.”
Fleischer did not officially endorse De Blasio, but said “we will probably endorse him in the next week.”
“The last time we endorsed him, he won the election,” Fleischer said.
He added that Borough Park residents have forgotten that De Blasio “was helpful” to the community.
“Most people are upset with him,” Fleischer said. “As a mayor, he did a lot of things we didn’t agree with. Most of the people in Borough Park don’t know what he accomplished for us in the City Council.”
Fleischer brought up De Blasio’s record in funding child care vouchers for yeshivas in 2015 as an example of a policy helpful to the haredi Orthodox community.
Fleischer also said de Blasio’s progressive values were brought up in the meeting, but noted that “we want to give him a chance.”
“We told him clearly that we’re not progressive,” Fleischer said. “He knows that. I hope nothing is going to come up with that. The Congress is [elected] every two years. If he does something against the community, believe me, in two years, people won’t vote for him again.”
The meeting was first reported by Hamodia, which linked to the video. De Blasio is asked about his conflicts with the Orthodox community during the pandemic, in which he faced backlash over closing down synagogues and other measures meant to contain the raging coronavirus.
“We all went through a difficult time together,” de Blasio said. “I had to make a lot of tough decisions. I’m sure every decision was not right.”
The race for District 10’s congressional seat already has the most crowded field in the city. Jewish candidates include Dan Goldman, an attorney, and former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, who at age 80 is staging a political comeback. First elected to Congress in 1972, she championed efforts to investigate and deport suspected Nazi war criminals.
Other hopefuls include Rep. Mondaire Jones, currently representing New York’s 17th congressional district, and Yuh-Line Niou, a Taiwanese American representing Lower Manhattan in the State Assembly.
Fleischer said that “the mood was positive” for de Blasio and that he is hoping the rest of the Jewish community will get behind the former mayor for this campaign.
“There are 15 people running in our district and I don’t know who any of them are,” Fleischer said. “There could be a guy from the grocery store running for Congress. We know de Blasio.”
Bid mistake. Don’t touch him with a 10 foot pole.
He is mostly to blame for the rampant violence that followed George Floyd’s death. He basically endorsed the violence that became the norm in NY and elsewhere.
Yeah we know De Blasio. We know what an immoral , Jew hating, democracy hating, tax loving, progressive loser he is. So now he’s suddenly ok because once upon a time he voted to support a program that may or may have not given some Jews money.
But the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t ? Nope. Never again. Don’t ever want to see his ugly mug again.
Hashem yerachem. Why do these people always sit down with and endorse these awful progressive politicians. They’re self appointed reps of our kehilla. The only clown missing from that pick is that punk Fried lander. Then the whole eruv rav will be present.
What a chutzpah to spit in the faces of New Yorkers who are still left , after what this horrible mayor did. Let’s not follow this eida into heck again.
Which Yid in his right mind would vote for this lowlife?
And which Yid is foolish enough to think that he would help them in congress?
Fools would be fools
Is this a Purim Torah? He was a horrible mayor and is so progressive and woke that everyone should be staying far away from these demoRats. When will we yidden learn our lesson and stay away from these menuvalim?
Am I hallucinating? “he was the best we ever had” at some point you need to stand for something other than $$$$ or gelt in Yiddish. by the way Silber of Aguda was the co arranger of this meeting.Do I need to start on how horrible this guy was as mayor? I mean everything from crime, dirty streets, COVID targeting Jews, BLM riots etc. its ALL HIM.
He’s had his chance. He’s shown himself to be a commie and an antisemite. Next…
Are you kidding? this guy will turn around and stab you – us – in the back.
What about his apologizing for wrecking our communities, our safety, our peace and tranquillity?!?!?!
TOO LITTLE TOO LATE – he’s going down in history as worst Mayor in Dinkins & Lindsay’s league
i cannot believe any frum person would contemplate voting for de blaz
Bobov, Satmar , Crown Heights Council , all flinging orthodox Jews under the bus . Disgrace beyond words.
Anyone stupid enough to vote for him?
What a number he did on NYC!
Get out of our lives , Fleischer. Who asked you ? We didn’t forget Blatzio turning NY into a cesspool.
We know that until now, DeBlasio acted as a soneh Yisrael – now all of a sudden he loves Yidden. Hizaher – ch’as V’shalom if he gets into Congress.
i didnt hear him apologize publicly for the red zone nonsense.
the guy from the grocery store would be better than the person we know.
DeBozo is a שוטה מוחלט no one in our community who has an ounce of common sense will vote for him.
and who of these people are a leader? Nobody of these ever did anything for me. Was Rappaport of Masbia there, he is the only leader who did anything, he feeds and gives food packages for all my Chinese neighbors.
DeBozo is a commie Jew hater, anyone voting for him is an idiot, if you vote for based on government gelt then you may be an apikores.
Just pathetic what a bunch of sellouts. how don’t they feel ashamed sitting next to that evil man that came out full force after the Jewish community during covid. shutting down synagogues and Jewish schools and Parks specifically targeting the Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park and Williamsburg. Apparently we can’t even be United against our common enemy who has made it clear that he has contempt for the Jewish way of life especially the Orthodox Jews. I had my personal running with this lowlife before he was mayor a nobody and my first impression was he hates Jews. The eyes don’t lie and his eyes were full of hate and contempt. The photo of him sitting there with our fellow brothers made me sick to my stomach.
We are getting close to the three weeks. Not Purim. What kind of ridiculous joke is this that we should consider voting for De Blasio, While I can understand those who say that a Democrat who doesn’t border on open hostility is the best you can get elected in NY so you if such a person looks like they will win anyway you may as well support them, but De Blasio??? A guy who WAS so openly hostile to us ? In actions AND words. What did he ever do for us? Send his gestapo out to ticket CLOSED schools and businesses during the “red zones” ?Accuse us of spreading high Corona and cause anti-Semitism but then refuse to make us a priory neighborhoods for funds or vaccines when they became available?
What a chutzpa for him to ask us for votes now or anyone else to do so on his behalf. Just wait to see how they will rewrite history now in order to get us to vote for him. Ick!
I hope they have the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
Boro Park is going with Law & Order Public Safety Candidate for Congress NY-D10 Brian Robinson (Twitter @VoteBrian)
Brian Robinson Supports the NYPD & is Very Pro Yeshivas, Pro Israel & Anti Covid Mandates.
Vote Brian Robinson @VoteBrian to represent Borough Park
i am sorry but after what bill did to us i will never vote for him. He spread motzi shem rah about Yidden. he is the opposite of achdus
Public Safety Law & Order, Pro Police, Pro Israel, Pro Yeshiva candidate for Congress NY-D10 (Boro Park) is Brian Robinson @VoteBrian Twitter.
Yes Mr. Fleischer Boro Park has forgotten what DeBlasio did for the BP community. That’s because DeBlasio hurt the community during covid. Hurt the community with his progressive beliefs. If he wants BP vote for him he will need to need to make drastic changes to the way he speaks about policy.
If Ezra, Pinny, & Abe endorsed Hochul, they might as well endorse DeBlasio.
I don’t care about a stupid tweet. He could apologize all he wants. The fact of the matter is that he was the worst mayor in NYC’s history. It doesn’t help matters that he is a left-wing ideologue who is completely out of touch with the Borough Park community
most registered democrats in Borough Park are moderate Democrats like Brian Benjamin. check him out
DeBlasio is a radical police abolitionist, he is pro crime & he directly targeted our Borough Park Yeshivas & Stores during Covid.
Because of this Boro Park is supporting someone that shares our values and views, Brian Robinson for Boro Park Congress.
In the immortal words of “deep throat “of Watergate fame, “follow the money “
Beautiful interview this week exclusively featured on VINnews for Congressional candidate NY district 10 Brian Robinson (Boro Park district)
VINnews keep up the good work covering a candidate that wants to help Borough Park, like Brian Robinson Congress. And hope to IYH see many more articles here on VINnews of Brian Robinson Congress.
https://vinnews.com/2022/06/20/the-definitive-rap-interview-with-brian-robinson-congressional-candidate-for-nys-10tth-district/
You can kick me in the teeth but give me some shut up
Money and it’s ok. Brooklyns Jews sell themselves. Typical democrats
Brian Robenson is really pro yidden and would be great for the community. If people vote for him we should be able to have a big change!
The usual suspects are busy dancing מה יפית again.
Anyone who votes for this libtard really needs to have their head examined. If you have learned your lesson about democrats by now, then Hashem should have rachmonis on you. Unless you must follow those 2 gorillas, Zalmi and Ari.
Fool us once, shame on him. Fool us twice, shame on US!
Has he renounced his strong support of BLM — a Jew-hating organization that walks hand in hand w/BDS?
Not that I know of, and he never will renounce that support either.
Fool us once, shame on him. Fool us twice, shame on US!!!
dont sell your soul for him hes done!!
Has he renounced his strong support of BLM — a Jew-hating organization that walks hand in hand w/BLS?
Not that I know of, and he never will renounce that support either.
Fool us once, shame on him. Fool us twice, shame on us!!!
“I’m sure every decision was not right.”
At least he’s right about one thing…
Instead of saying we don’t know the other candidates are,Why don’t you find out who they are, maybe they would be much better?
There is only one candidate here that makes sense for us to vote for!! Brian Robinson, a moderate who will fight for Yeshivas and against the nonsense of the past several years in this city!
We could all thank Ezra Friedlander (there he is in the photo of course) for arranging and shlepping all these lowlife Democrat politicians to all these so-called askanim, community leaders. Why are they all Democrats? Can’t you find just one Republican, Ezra? What’s with your love affair and all these Democrats? Milking that money out of them, or I should say out of taxpayers??
Money and vouchers and money and vouchers that’s what u keep hearing again and again. There’s a lot of other important things to be concerned about!
he was right to shut down gatherings in the middle of a pandemic, which were unnecessarily endangering lives. those who defied torah, common sense, and public health regulations should be ashamed of themselves. but he was absolutely wrong to demonize “the jewish community”.
on a larger scale, are yids so stupid as to vote for the party of ocasio-cortez, omar and tlaib?
I don’t understand how a ” frum” yid can even look this rasha in the face..never.mind endorse him!
In my humble opinion, these horrible comments on such an important figure in new York, where so many Jews reside should be removed, Vin is too big of a site to be overlooked,
Since when does a politician need to apologies for trying to save Jewish lives??
We must vote for someone that was always our friend. He messed up once, and that is a very normal thing,