As the coronavirus spreads through the Jewish community in Westchester County, New York, concerns are being raised about a possible rise in antisemitism as a result.
Local news site lohud.com reported that the virus arrived in the area through a single patient and was concentrated in the city of New Rochelle, with the man’s family and friends diagnosed with the virus and 1,000 members of his synagogue being quarantined.
The Washington Heights campus of Yeshiva University and a Jewish school in Riverdale attended by the patient’s children have been closed, along with other Jewish schools in Westchester County.
Now, there is growing evidence that an antisemitic backlash is occurring as a result of the spread of the virus in the community.
A major concern is that racist attitudes toward Asian Americans due to the virus’ origins in China could now extend to the Jewish community.
Evan Bernstein, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s Northeast Division, warned, “We’re seeing stuff online. We’re getting more and more reports of those comments.”
“People want to put the blame on certain minority groups,” Bernstein said. “This is a time we should be seeing solidarity.”
Westchester Jewish Council CEO Elliot Forchheimer made an appearance with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and said, “This is not a Jewish issue. This is an international health issue.”
He added that Cuomo and other top officials had been “incredibly supportive to the Jewish community.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer declared that both anti-Asian and antisemitic sentiments in response to the virus are “just flat-out racist.”
“It’s a prejudice they already held,” he said. “This just becomes an avenue for it.”
The Algemeiner (c) 2019 . Benjamin Kerstein
{Matzav.com}
“…Jews were often taken as scapegoats and accusations spread that Jews had caused the disease by deliberately poisoning wells. … 2,000 Jews were burnt alive on 14 February 1349 in the “Valentine’s Day” Strasbourg massacre, where the plague had not yet affected the city.” – During the Black Plague, a well-known Rav at the time (I forget his name) said that it was because of talking in Shuls. (The Jews were spared from the plague because of the Halachos of washing our hands before eating bread.)
You believe that there’s not a single person with coronavirus in chinatown? I have a bridge to sell you.
As soon as they test all federal/city/state medical, first responders, educational, social sevices staff ,etc you’ll see thousands of cases.
This guy got it from someone.
The guy was in the Wuhan