New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shouldn't single out Jewish people for breaking social distancing rules meant to curb the spread of coronavirus, Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax TV's "Greg Kelly Reports."
De Blasio criticized hundreds of Orthodox Jews for not practicing social distancing as they gathered on a block in Brooklyn for a funeral.
On Tuesday, de Blasio tweeted:
"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this 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."
Dershowitz said while the mayor was right to admonish the behavior of those not following social distancing guidelines, he called the tweet an unnecessary generalization of all Jewish people.
"You can't generalize about the Jewish community. I mean, the vast majority of Jews, like the vast majority of every other ethnic group, comply with these rules. He was right in criticizing the specific people who didn't follow the distancing ... but talking about THE Jewish community is a serious stereotyping mistake, even though he added 'And other communities' he should've said ALL communities."
Instead, Dershowitz called on de Blasio to deliver a more unifying message that brings people together during a time when a dangerous virus is crippling the country.
"The last thing we need at a time when this virus is attacking us all is to divide us by religious groups," "It also plays into a terrible old stereotype. It goes back into the 15th century, that Jews caused the Plague, that Jews are the ones that caused disease. I'm not suggesting that he had that in mind at all, but he should be sensitive to the fact that these stereotypes are out there, and he should lean over backward, as the mayor of all the people of New York, not to condemn one particular group."
DeBlasio later apologized for making the comment about Jewish people.
He also weighed in on two emergency room doctors who had their video yanked by YouTube after they violated the platform's standards.
"There's a big difference between starting a debate and doctors, sitting with their doctor scrubs on and seeming to give advice. And that's why it was taken down," Dershowitz said. "When it moves from debatable propositions to 'We're doctors. Listen to us. We're giving you advice,' and the consensus is that it's not good advice, you can understand why YouTube did what it did."
Important: See Newsmax TV now carried in 70 million cable homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, or Find More Cable Systems – Click Here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.