A screenshot from a video of the scene in Borough Park Thursday afternoon. Image by twitter

By Ari Feldman April 30, 2020

A chaotic scene formed in Borough Park Thursday afternoon as police officers tried to disperse a crowd of onlookers who gathered to watch a funeral procession for a Hasidic man.

The incident, which occurred at the corner of 13th Avenue and 43rd Street, came as police officers in both Borough Park and Williamsburg issued dozens of summonses to Hasidic Jews and institutions for alleged violations of state pandemic rules.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

It was also the second funeral to draw widespread attention on social media. On Tuesday a funeral for a respected Hasidic rabbi in Williamsburg which, though planned in direct coordination with community police officers from the local 90th Precinct, drew a crowd of well over 1,000 and was promptly shut down by an influx of officers and de Blasio himself.

According to Yeshiva World News, an Orthodox news site, the incident happened after police, including top officers from the South Brooklyn command, heard that the family was planning to recite mourning prayers as the hearse stopped in front of their home on 43rd Street.

The outlet reported that though police tried to only allow family on the block, a crowd gathered to watch, forcing police officers to rush the van carrying the casket away from the scene, and leading to altercations between police and Hasidic onlookers.

Police arrested a Hasidic 17-year-old after he pushed “a police official” and took him into custody before releasing him, said Sergeant Jessica McRorie, a NYPD spokesperson. One video from the scene captured officers holding the teen, as people can be heard yelling in the area and trying to move across the avenue.

Another video showed police officers trying to move the van carrying the deceased’s body west on 43rd Street, as a crowd of Hasidic Jews follows behind.

Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at feldman@forward.com or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount