Times Bares Its Anti-Hasidic Bias in Covering COVID-Era Weddings – Algemeiner
Posted By admin on December 5, 2020
Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn following the cancellation of a wedding with 10,000 invited guests due to coronavirus restrictions, Oct. 19, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Lev Radin / Sipa USA.
When is the religion of wedding guests worth reporting in the era of COVID-19?
For the New York Times, only if it is Hasidic Jews getting married.
$15,000 Fine After Secret Hasidic Wedding Draws Thousands of Guests, was the headline over a Times news article earlier this month. Never mind that the wedding wasnt a secret to either the guests or to Times readers and editors who appear to take pleasure in COVID-shaming Hasidic Jews, feeding a longstanding antisemitic stereotype about Jews as spreaders of disease. The Times reported that The wedding in Brooklyn, which lasted for more than four hours, was held at the Yetev Lev DSatmar synagogue in Williamsburg and celebrated the marriage of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the grandson of Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum. The brides name could not be determined.
Compare that to the Times treatment of two other weddings. Wedding and Party Infect 56 and Lock Down 300, was the Times headline over an article about a wedding at the North Fork Country Club in Cutchogue. The Times didnt name the participants in that wedding. With this one, the Times doesnt say whether the people getting married were Jewish, Christian, atheist, or some other religion. No religion mentioned in the headline of that article, and no religion mentioned in the article itself. No mention of the occupation of the bridegroom eitherperhaps the occupation is only worth mentioning, in the Times view, if the occupation is rabbi. The Daily Mail identified the couple as Cydnie Piscatello and James Rugnetta.
December 4, 2020 9:54 am
The Times also mentioned in passing in a recent news article that In rural Maine, a wedding with 55 guests ultimately resulted in 177 cases. But that wedding got no headline coverage in the Times, and no Times description of the religion of the participants. The New York Review of Books reported, On August 7, 2020, a Maine wedding became a super-spreader event when sixty-two guests, most not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, in defiance of state regulations, gathered indoors at the Tri-Town Baptist Church in East Millinocket and later supped and danced at a reception, also indoors, at the Big Moose Inn. Officiating was Todd Bell of Calvary Baptist Church. According to the Maine CDC, the wedding plague has triggered outbreaks at a county jail, a nursing home, and a school, causing more than 270 cases of Covid-19 and killing eight. But for the Times, the religion of COVID-era weddings is only worth mentioning when there are Hasidim involved.
In the past Ive tried to cut the Times a little slack on this issue by offering the explanation that news is what happens near a reporter or editor, and lots of Times editors and reporters live in Brooklyn adjacent to Orthodox Jews, while few live in rural Maine. Yet that explanation does not suffice. Times photographers captured umasked or masks-under-the-chin dancing in the streets of Brooklyn and Atlanta this month to mark Joe Bidens election victory. Rather than scolding the participants (who did not appear to be Orthodox Jews), the Times celebrated it with a front-of-the arts-section critics notebook piece by a dance critic describing it as a celebration of community and reclaimingyour faith in the world.
The organized Jewish community has been slow to recognize the biased coverage for what it is, but there are some encouraging recent signs that that is beginning to change. The executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston, Jeremy Burton, tweeted out a link to a Times article about a party at a Queens, NY sex club (no religion mentioned in the Times account), and commented sarcastically, 80 people at sex club in Queens. 120 at illegal club in Manhattan. 550 at Halloween party in the Bronx. Sheriff responding to 1 large event every evening since August. But sure, keep talking about how Orthodox Jews are cause of NYC COVID spread.
A writer for Tablet, Armin Rosen, tweeted, There have been frequent large gatherings of the people all over the city since early May, but it doesnt get talked about because it doesnt reinforce any useful media or political narrativeor at least the gatherings that dont involve Jews dont reinforce any useful media or political narrative.
This is not to recommend that anyone, Hasidic Jew or not, host a large in-person gathering or attend one. It is simply to observe that the Times has a standard in covering this event that is not being applied equally. When participants are Hasidic Jews, they get described as such. When participants are something else, the Times leaves it out of the story. Its enough to make a reader suspect that what really bothers the Times and its readers is less the behavior than the Hasidic Judaism.
Ira Stoll was managing editor ofThe Forwardand North American editor ofThe Jerusalem Post. His media critique, a regularAlgemeinerfeature, can be foundhere.
Visit link:
Times Bares Its Anti-Hasidic Bias in Covering COVID-Era Weddings - Algemeiner
- Frontier Airlines accused of anti-Semitism after canceling flight over mask controversy - USA TODAY - March 3rd, 2021
- Frontier accused of kicking Hasidic family off flight due to unmasked toddler - The Times of Israel - March 3rd, 2021
- Frontier Airlines Defends Canceling Flight, Says 'Several Adults' Refused to Wear Masks - Newsweek - March 3rd, 2021
- Partnership forged in measles outbreak: Rockland and Refuah tackle COVID-19 vaccinations - The Journal News - March 3rd, 2021
- Thousands of Haredim crowd Jerusalem streets for last day of Purim - Ynetnews - March 3rd, 2021
- Why 'The Vigil' is the first great horror film of 2021 - SYFY WIRE - March 3rd, 2021
- Jewish lore inspires chilling but less-than-original horror film 'The Vigil' - Chicago Daily Herald - March 3rd, 2021
- US TV station pulls episode of show amid anger over portrayal of Orthodox Jew - Jewish News - March 3rd, 2021
- New Hasidic horror movie 'The Vigil' is set in Brooklyn and scary as hell - New York Post - February 26th, 2021
- On the scene: Photos from a pandemic Purim in Brooklyn - Forward - February 26th, 2021
- Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Vigil' on VOD, a Freaky Horror Story About a Jewish Man and the Demons of His Faith - Decider - February 26th, 2021
- Policing religious gathering limits during the coronavirus pandemic requires sensitivity - The Conversation CA - February 25th, 2021
- Speaking Torah Episode #4: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Translator - jewishboston.com - February 25th, 2021
- Array of genres, countries in Sacramento Jewish film fest J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - February 25th, 2021
- With 'The Vigil,' Keith Thomas wanted to make a truly Jewish horror movie - SYFY WIRE - February 25th, 2021
- Foothill presents readings of 'Intimate Apparel' this weekend - Los Altos Town Crier - February 25th, 2021
- The evolution of Eric Adams - Jewish Insider - February 25th, 2021
- New Jewish Horror Film Steeped in Ancient Jewish Lore and Demonology - jewishboston.com - February 18th, 2021
- Americas Christian and Jewish Faithful Observe Socially Distanced Ash Wednesday and Purim - Times of San Diego - February 18th, 2021
- A year of grief: Orthodox Jewry reels as COVID-19 hastens the loss of its rabbis - The Times of Israel - February 18th, 2021
- Congregation Tifereth Israel Hosts Virtual Discussion With Author - Patch.com - February 16th, 2021
- Outcry After Author and COVID-19 Skeptic Ties Cuomo Actions on Nursing Homes to Orthodox Jews - Algemeiner - February 16th, 2021
- This Week In Trailers: The Vigil, The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman, Long Live Rock...Celebrate The Chaos, Happily, Slalom - /FILM - February 16th, 2021
- Parshat Yitro: Want to fight injustice and build community? Start with humility. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - February 9th, 2021
- Deaths for the week of Feb. 7-13, 2021 J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - February 9th, 2021
- 'The Vigil': An ex-Hasidic man's harrowing night with the dead J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - February 7th, 2021
- Abraham Twerski, Who Merged 12 Steps and the Torah, Dies at 90 - The New York Times - February 7th, 2021
- In Orthodox communities where pregnancy is prized, vaccines and variants leave women confused and afraid - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - February 7th, 2021
- Ruling expected by end of the week as Hasidic Jews ask for injunction on 10 people per synagogue rule - CTV News Montreal - February 3rd, 2021
- Abraham Twerski, Hasidic rabbi and psychiatrist has died at 90 - thejewishchronicle.net - February 3rd, 2021
- He Is Israels Prince of Torah. But to Some, He Is the King of Covid. - The New York Times - February 3rd, 2021
- Meet the ultra-Orthodox comedians satirizing their own community on YouTube - Haaretz - February 3rd, 2021
- Members of Quebec's Hasidic Jewish community file injunction request over gathering restrictions - CTV News Montreal - February 1st, 2021
- Williamsburg: Suspect Armed With Knife Arrested After Assaulting Jews On Lee Avenue [VIDEOS & PHOTOS] - Yeshiva World News - February 1st, 2021
- Quebec religious groups have mixed reactions to latest gathering guidelines - Global News - February 1st, 2021
- Joining All Creation in Yearning for the Face of God With Rabbi Nehemia Polen - jewishboston.com - February 1st, 2021
- Yehuda 'Yudi' Dukes, Hasidic father of 6, is dead after 10-month battle with COVID - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 22nd, 2021
- Once Again, Video Shows Ultra-Orthodox Jews at Crowded Maskless Wedding - Friendly Atheist - Patheos - January 22nd, 2021
- Police chief says trend of Haredi violence against cops only getting worse - The Times of Israel - January 22nd, 2021
- Thousands attend Hasidic wedding in Brooklyn, many from Europe and Israel - The Jerusalem Post - January 20th, 2021
- On Ultra-Orthodox social media, the messiah is almost here. - Forward - January 20th, 2021
- I Know Why Haredi Jews Joined Neo-Nazis at the Trumpist Riot - The Daily Beast - January 20th, 2021
- Fiddler Cast's God Bless America in Yiddish - Forward - January 20th, 2021
- An NYPD official is suspended without pay after being connected to racists posts on a message board - ABC17News.com - January 14th, 2021
- Ukrainian rabbi listed in ranking of top 100 influential Ukrainians - The Jerusalem Post - January 14th, 2021
- The spa resort where European rebbes spent their summer vacations - Forward - January 6th, 2021
- Developer proposes 205,000-sq.-ft. business park off Route 208 in South Blooming Grove - Times Herald-Record - January 6th, 2021
- Exposing the Visceral Lies of Jew-Haters - The Media Line - January 6th, 2021
- In 1800s Poland, Hasidic runaway girls spurred a Jewish school revolution - The Times of Israel - January 4th, 2021
- The War Against the Haredim - City Journal - December 30th, 2020
- How To Overcome COVID Vaccine Hesitancy: Try Truth From Trusted Messengers : Shots - Health News - NPR - December 30th, 2020
- Why 'Unorthodox' scared Shira Haas and how she got over it - Los Angeles Times - December 30th, 2020
- Hasidic rapper Nissim Black on his creative process and Covid recovery - The Jewish News of Northern California - December 19th, 2020
- From 'The Crown' to 'The Last Dance,' 11 of the year's best TV shows and films inspired by real people - The Spokesman-Review - December 19th, 2020
- Hanukkah Takes On Special Meaning As COVID-19 Vaccines Begin To Distribute - Wyoming Public Media - December 19th, 2020
- Quebec judge rules against Hasidic couple in trial over secular education - CBC.ca - December 5th, 2020
- Village officials agree to hold another hearing in January on 600-home Clovewood proposal - Times Herald-Record - December 5th, 2020
- The Gov. vs. the Supreme Court | Yakov Saacks | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - December 5th, 2020
- Across Texas, the show of outdoor Hanukkah festivities must go on - The Jewish News of Northern California - December 5th, 2020
- 911 Call Spurs Fear and Evacuation, but Montreal Police Report No Threat - The New York Times - November 19th, 2020
- EVERFI and ADL Join Forces to Teach High School Students About the Consequences of Antisemitism and Hate - Yahoo Finance - November 19th, 2020
- Judge orders insurer to cover town's legal bills for discrimination case by developers of Greens at Chester - Times Herald-Record - November 7th, 2020
- 'The Rabbi Goes West' in SLIFF's Jewish-oriented films - St. Louis Jewish Light - November 7th, 2020
- Virus Rate Fell to 2% From 34% in One Area. But Did Anything Change? - The New York Times - November 7th, 2020
- State will let Kiryas Joel schools reopen if all students and staff are tested for virus - Times Herald-Record - November 1st, 2020
- Hasidic Jews feel like the only minority New York officials are comfortable targeting - Religion News Service - October 24th, 2020
- Hasidic Wedding Scheduled For Monday In Williamsburg Could Test Resolve Of COVID Enforcement - CBS New York - October 24th, 2020
- Police Release Photos Of Individuals Wanted In Connection To Attack On Hasidic Jewish Man In Williamsburg - CBS New York - October 24th, 2020
- A Hasidic villages coronavirus tests went from 34% positive to 4% in a month. The county health commissioner is asking how. - Forward - October 24th, 2020
- I blew the whistle on the planned 10000 person Satmar wedding. Here's why. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - October 24th, 2020
- NY Health Officials Order Shutdown of 10,000 Person Wedding in Brooklyn - NBC New York - October 24th, 2020
- The future of religious gatherings in the COVID-19 era - Arab News - October 24th, 2020
- In Israel, journalists are being attacked while covering the pandemic in haredi Orthodox communities - The Jewish News of Northern California - October 24th, 2020
- NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio: I regret how I handled that Orthodox funeral in April - Forward - October 24th, 2020
- Dont call Hasidim anti-science. They kept COVID at bay all summer. - Forward - October 2nd, 2020
- Police warn Hasidim they will break up planned massive Sukkot events - World Israel News - October 2nd, 2020
- NYC Health Department Expresses Concern Over Increased Coronavirus Spread in Hasidic Neighborhoods - One Green Planet - October 2nd, 2020
- Satmar rabbi to skip traditional Brooklyn holiday visit because of virus spread - The Times of Israel - September 19th, 2020
- Kuleba on situation with Hasidic pilgrims: Ukrainian legislation should be respected by everyone - Interfax Ukraine - September 19th, 2020
- Covid Strands Hasidic Pilgrims on Ukraine-Belarus Border - The New York Times - September 17th, 2020
Comments