Brooklyn, NY – MTA Investigating Allegations Of Driver Making Measles Remark To Chasidic Passenger

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    FILE - An Orthodox Jewish man walks by the Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov school on the day New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn in response to a measles outbreak in New York City, U.S., April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonBrooklyn, NY – The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched an investigation after a report that one of its drivers made references to the measles when an obviously Chasidic man boarded her bus.

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    Rabbi David Niederman, executive director and president of the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg said that the incident happened last week aboard a B57 bus. A Chasidic man in his forties was waiting at the corner of Flushing and Franklin avenues when the B57 bus reportedly passed him by. The man ran over to the bus, which was stopped in traffic, and knocked on the door, hoping to board the bus so that he could get to work.

    “As he came up the stairs, the bus driver covered her face with her sweater and turned away from him towards the window,” Rabbi Niederman told VIN News. “He put in his fare and asked for a transfer and she responded ‘Go in, measles.’”

    The man reported the incident to Rabbi Niederman today, who informed the MTA what happened.

    “A municipal employee violated her duties and that to him and he felt threatened,” said Rabbi Niederman.

    The incident came several days before Mayor Bill de Blasio announced mandatory vaccinations for Williamsburg residents living or working in zip codes that have affected by the measles outbreak, as previously reported on VIN News (http://bit.ly/2Z1J3ZX). The affected zip codes are 11205, 11206, 11211 and 11211.

    Rabbi Niederman noted that the vast majority of Williamsburg’s Jewish community has been vaccinated against the measles. He estimated the compliance rate at close to 96 percent, dispelling the notion that the Orthodox Jewish community does not immunize its children.

    “Rabbinical leaders, lay leadership and schools are saying clearly you have to vaccinate,” said Rabbi Niederman. “When the Torah talks about v’nishmarten l’nafshoseychem, guarding our lives and our health, it isn’t a suggestion.”

    The mayor took to Twitter today to denounce the incident tweeting, “Anti-Semitic discrimination has no place in our city. We’ve reached out to the MTA about this report and will make sure it is thoroughly investigated.”

    A statement released Thursday afternoon by MTA chief external affairs officers Max Young said simply, “The MTA has absolutely zero tolerance for discrimination – we’re taking this issue very seriously and investigating.”


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    17 Comments
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    Deremes851
    Deremes851
    4 years ago

    Thanks to the crazies in our community incidents like these and worse c’v will happen.

    The anti vaxxers in the frum community will give a huge Din Vecheshbon for the lawlessness and the antisemitism they bring on us.

    The anti vaxxers who are disregarding doctors should move into the woods in Africa or Guatemala and do whatever they wish. LEAVE the Jewish community alone. All they do is making a huge Chilul Hashem.

    4 years ago

    I bet you are bachelor and never had children.

    hmmmm
    hmmmm
    4 years ago

    I don’t blame the driver. With our sick Chassidishe ladies posing in front of reporters, burping out their stupidity… who asked them. Another side question I have for these stupid women, where is your znius, when in history did we get up in front of TV cameras? I know their names, I will ask a sheila if their names and address should be published for people to organize protests in front of their homes, so normal folks see that not all Hasidim are total moronic imbeciles.

    4 years ago

    One time, I was on an E. Broad St., Central Ohio Transit AuthorityBus, in Columbus, Ohio, which was passing through a Jewish area.. There were a number of Russian/Jews on the bus, who were speaking loudly. Evidently, the Black female bus driver didn’t like them, and told them to sit in the back of the bus, which they did. However, can anyone imagine what would have occurred, if the driver was White, and he/she told a bunch of noisy Black passengers to sit in the back? The latter driver would have lost his/her job, in a heartbeat! However, when the shoe is on the other foot, then it is considered kosher to discriminate. I seriously doubt if the MTA will do anything meaningful in this case, outside of a mere slap on the wrist, if even that.

    honestbroker
    honestbroker
    4 years ago

    While, the story , if true is contemptible, the ignorant dopes that are endangering the rest of us should not be surprised. for every one person that says something disparaging , there are thousands of others thinking it. These anti vaxing dopes and their alleged “rabbis” need to be held accountable

    4 years ago

    Sounds like she was just scared she’d get sick.

    4 years ago

    The definition of chossid is “lifnim shuras hadin” but somehow that is lost in a large swath of chassidim (not all but many). When you dress a certain way and are identifiable as a chossid it is your responsibility to act a certain way not like the three yentas who made a huge chillul hashem on TV. How embarrassing and something must have been missing during their chinnuch years. Arrogance has no place in yiddishkeit.

    misslydia128
    misslydia128
    4 years ago

    This is exactly the expected result of the brazen disregard for basic community health standards. They are giving fodder to the antisemites.

    misslydia128
    misslydia128
    4 years ago

    This is exactly the expected result of the brazen disregard for basic community health standards.

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    4 years ago

    People are scared.

    4 years ago

    I’ve been told that Anti-vaxxers who want to get around school exclusion, get someone else’s filled out immunization forms and the doctor the report with their own children’s name, birthday etc. with the assumption that the school nurse (and how many Chassiddishe schools have a school nurse anyways) will not call to verify with pediatrician about the immunization dates/records…. some proudly show this off as the only way to get around being “forced to vaccinate”.

    4 years ago

    Except that no one bothered to even read the research published by Dr. Jennifer Rosen “Outbreak of Measles Among Persons With Prior Evidence of Immunity, New York City, 2011”.

    Dr. Rosen is Head of Immunization for the NYC Dept of Health.

    “All cases had prior evidence of measles immunity. Symptoms were consistent with measles. Laboratory results indicated secondary immune responses. This report documents measles transmission from an individual with verified secondary vaccine failure.”

    The case is known as “Measles Mary”.

    No Orthodox Jews do not spread disease, nor do we bake the blood of Christian children into matzah.

    puppydogs
    puppydogs
    4 years ago

    Where’s Jussie Smollet?

    4 years ago

    It should be obvious that the fault is not the Chassidim, but the news media that is making it look like the Jews are to blame. 96% are vaccinated, but because of the small percentage who are not, they’re making it look like the Jews are to blame. Anti-vaxers are from various groups that have nothing to do with religion. The news media is making it a BLOOD LIBEL like what was done in Europe.