The New York Police Department closed a Hasidic Jewish School Operating in Brooklyn on Mon., May 18 after receiving reports of the school violating lockdown orders during the pandemic, according to multiple reports.
New York Post reported that the NYPD received two separate reports from individuals who live in the neighborhood of the Nitra Yeshiva, the Hasidic Jewish school located at 841 Madison Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and dispatched officers to the school in question a little before 12 p.m. on Monday on orders to close down the school in violation to the lockdown orders.
According to the individuals who tipped off the police, children at the school were seen playing together on the rooftop without a mask on, New York Post reported.
When the officers arrived at the school, they found around 60 school children inside the building, along with the administrators of the school, the news outlet reported.
The spokesperson for the NYPD told the New York Post that officers told the school to allow the students to leave, and issued no summons, and neither did they arrest anyone.
“All they did was go to the school and told the students to disperse. There were no summonses or arrests. They complied and left on their own accord,” the spokesperson.
Currently, at this time, New York City is still under lockdown orders, and people are required to follow the lockdown procedures such as social distancing.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote about the situation on Monday morning, “earlier today the NYPD shut down a Yeshiva conducting classes with as many as 70 children. I can’t stress how dangerous this is for our young people. We’re issuing a Cease and Desist Order and will make sure we keep our communities and our kids safe.”
Furthermore, de Blasio said during an interview with NY1 that there would be police officers who will keep an eye on the school.
“Where they happen, we’re going to stop them. If anyone tries to come back, they’re asking for a summons … it will be dealt with, there’s no question about that,” de Blasio said.
Previously, de Blasio addressed the situation regarding social distancing and lockdown orders. In a tweet on April 25, he wrote, “My message for the Jewish community, and all communities is that 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.”
