“It looked like a scene out of a horror movie. I don’t condone the congregants yelling ‘Nazi’ and ‘gestapo,’ but it certainly reminded me of that,” Knopfler said. The ordeal was terrifying for the worshipers, including 13 children, Knopfler said, adding that his 17-year-old son was threatened with pepper spray.- NJ Advanced Media- ' The rabbi accused of violating Governor Murphy’s executive order against gatherings said he will continue to hold religious services in his backyard, despite his recent arrest.
"I don’t care about what officers say, they have no right to be in his backyard. It’s not Nazi Germany, it’s New Jersey,” Christopher Ferrara, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society who is representing Knopfler in the civil case, told NJ Advance Media.
“Absolutely,” Lakewood Rabbi Yisrael Knopfler said to NJ Advance Media on continuing to hold Orthodox Jewish prayer services in the backyard of his home. Knopfler is part of a lawsuit against the state of New Jersey over the ban on religious gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic, which he says unconstitutionally targets religions.
Knopfler, 44, was holding a ceremony with a large bonfire in his backyard Monday night when he was arrested for allegedly violating Executive Order 107, which bans groups of ten or more. He was also charged with resisting arrest and obstructing, court records show. Knopfler told NJ Advance Media there were about 40 people in his backyard for the ceremony, which he characterized as a "very harmless affair” with social distancing measures in place.
“I calmly informed (the police officer) he has no business getting onto my property, and said if he gets onto the property he’d be charged with trespassing,” Knopfler said. A charging document alleged that Knopfler threatened police with a garden hose while ordering them off his land.
"I don’t care about what officers say, they have no right to be in his backyard. It’s not Nazi Germany, it’s New Jersey,” Christopher Ferrara, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society who is representing Knopfler in the civil case, told NJ Advance Media.
Knopfler is accused of telling police that his lawyer advised him getting arrested would be in his best interest, something Ferrara and Knopfler both called “flat out false.”
“I certainly did not say that my lawyer told me that (getting arrested was in my best interested). There might have been someone there who said it served my purpose,” Knopfler said.
Police say Knopfler physically blocked officers and pointed and screamed in their faces, the charges against him allege. The rabbi told NJ Advance Media he did stand in front of the officers with his hands out to the side to block their path back, until the walkway became too narrow to continue backwards.
The charges also say Knopfler picked up a large metal tent post as he blocked officers, which officers grabbed away. Knopfler says he tripped over the broken tent while backing away from the officers and picked up the pole to move it, not to threaten the officers.
“The officers seemingly lost their patience and tried to barge past me,” Knopfler said. Police knocked him out of the way, and one tackled him to the ground from behind, Knopfler said.
He was placed under arrest, and once handcuffed did not stand up on his own, Knopfler said.
The ordeal was terrifying for the worshipers, including 13 children, Knopfler said, adding that his 17-year-old son was threatened with pepper spray.
“It looked like a scene out of a horror movie. I don’t condone the congregants yelling ‘Nazi’ and ‘gestapo,’ but it certainly reminded me of that,” Knopfler said.
No one else at the gathering was arrested, and the ceremony continued after Knopfler’s arrest.
errera lambasted the arrest, saying it was based on an unconstitutional ban on gatherings that targeted religious groups.
read more here
It was not immediately clear who was representing Knopfler in the criminal matter. A spokesperson for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office did not return NJ Advance Media’s request for more information Wednesday afternoon.
This is not the first time police have responded to a religious service held by Knopfler. According to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Newark, police broke up gatherings at the Lakewood synagogue on April 3 and 13.
The second time police responded, congregants hid inside with garbage bags taped over the windows to avoid police, something Ferrara compared to Kristallnacht, a night of violence against the Jewish people of Germany during the Holocaust.
Without discussing who is right here please don't compare this to Nazi Germany or Kristallnacht.
ReplyDeleteIt is whitewashing the behavior of the Nazis and makes it more difficult to complain about anti-Semitism in the future.
Both Halacha and L'Havdil secular law recognize the difference between a general law equally applied to Jews and non-Jew that prevents Kiyum Mitzvahs and a law that exists for the purpose of preventing Kiyum Mitzvahs.
When they are taking away your constitutional rights it is Nazi Germany.
DeleteLol. In modern day Europe there is no 1st or second amendment, is France putting all yidden in concentration camps?
DeleteGo learn some history.
The police should not have done this, but at the same time, Rabbi Knopfler also should not have done this. I believe he is wrong in halachah, a lag baomer fire which has no mekor in practical halachah does not take precedence over safek retzichah. And yes, even if you don’t believe in quarantine it is at least a safek because there is definitely a significant chance that gathering will lead to someone somewhere dying.
ReplyDeleteDid you go shopping in a store during corona if you did you were over safek retzicha too. The safek retzicha took place when people played down the virus when it initially hit the community all the hyperbole now is guilt feeling for not doing anything when it mattered.
DeleteI was there. Social distancing guidelines were fully kept. So there is no safek retzichah.
DeleteI don't think he should have done this, but you clearly don't know what the halachic parameters of safek are, and definitely don't know what retzicha means
DeleteSafek retzicha ?? Are you out of your mind ? Hes healthy . The people around are healthy. Just because the government mandated a certain strategy dosnt make it safek retzichah. In fact you twll me; if one goes to Sweden where thee are no SD laws , would you say he is a safek rotzeiach ? No. So here its the same. Some goverment mandate DOES NOT MAKE YOU A SAFEK ROTZEIACH. But its not wotrth talking to people like you. Too thick headed.
DeleteThank You Rabbi Knopfler !!!
ReplyDeleteYour dedication to Torah and Tefilah
( safely and legally ! ) is inspiring !
While many Lakewood Askonim have worked against the Tzibur, and made our lives worse.
You have stood up for all of us !!
Thank you Rabbi Knoppfler for standing up to the minyan mob. If walmart can be open with restrictions minyanim can as well. His safek rechitza doesn't change the law. As for his safek rechitza, that is not founded. Is getting into a car safek rechitza? How many people die from car accidents. Is smoking sofek rechitza? Is eating fatty foods sofek rechitza? I am amazed at how these couch poskim are throwing around words like it's supposed to sound choshev.
ReplyDeleteHey Anon 7:55 AM since when is rechitza prohibited during corona virus?
DeleteWhat shaychus standing up to minyan mob to making bonfire and screaming gestapo if anything he tainted them
DeleteLaw enforcement in lkwd opened dyfus cases on minors who were present at a minyan 2 weeks ago welcome to a totalitarian govt
ReplyDeletenot ok to fight with police over having a bonfire! period! we are in galus! this was not about minyan even, this wasn't shmad, you don't have to have a public bonfire. That's not a halachic necessity at all.
ReplyDeletenot ok to call cops Nazis. Do you know what Nazis did?? Killing people by siccing dogs on them in front of their families, killing babies in their parents arms...and those are the stories people were willing to tell! You are nuts if you make that comparison.
not ok to make social distancing about a govt conspiracy or their laws instead of a responsibility to try to save lives. I'm not getting into the minyan controversy but whether frum yidden decide to gather right now should be about the halachic parameters as defined by poskim and not on govt rights
Does anyone care about Hashem's name....?
ReplyDeleteNot you.
Delete??
DeleteThis is standard when you want to bully your opinion to throw arguments using phrases as human shields to push a agenda such as safek Retzicha, Aiva, fake letters that people died from porch minyanim or bringing up a high body count of those who died. This fear mongering will not change the facts.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how the media here in the US and all secular news papers in Israel picked up on this story.
ReplyDeleteThey are all viewing it as a retaliation to a rabbi sued government officials.
The Rabbi simply stood up for his beliefe and exercised his civil rights.
It is a frum website that posted a "letter". That sees a whole different picture...
Are they a free press or are pressed what to broadcast?
That "Letter" has all the hallmarks of a PR firm that was assigned to create a response. The optics of the establishment coming out with a statement against a Rabbi would not look good although they already called frum Lakewood residents bad apples. Its amazing how the fake news frum media think they can keep fooling people.
DeleteSadly this gneivas daas is standard in the frum media they post articles as pretended letters to the editor for PR did you see the recent letter from a choson of covid19 it was placed all over as a letter even though very obvious it was promoting a initiative
DeletePersonally, I don't think he should have had the bonfire, but that really isn't my business or main concern. The "letter", and the subjective editing of comments by the specific media was far more troubling.
DeleteFor some reason, this "oracle" of the Lakewood Community, has no problem defaming and trying to destroy the reputation of a fellow Yid, yet deems ALL police officers as saints who are beyond reproach.
Sure, many police officers are wonderful people, and deserve our appreciation, but they are people, and some of them, like people in every profession, are flawed people. I do not know the specifics of what happened, the video only shows the aftermath, but neither does the blogger was so willing and fast to condemn the person who was arrested.
The reactions of those protesters was wrong, yet we also do not know what prior actions, spurred that response. From a constitutional standpoint, the Governors position, and that of the police, is dubious at best. These emergency powers are being challenged in the courts nationwide, and so far, the courts have been siding against these governors.
I also find it odd that this "mouth of the Lakewood Community" pushes every article an comment that supports the draconian lockdown, while suppressing data, and comments that challenge that view.
Bear in mind, this is the same Mouth, that pushed for over-development and created much of the aivah, that we are witnessing today. And no, it is not coercion that is forcing this harmful slant on the news, it is financial reward. selling out the Lakewood Community for a few (or not so few) dollars
The mouth of the Lakewood community speaks for itself omly. It is like the Chinese media a fully controlled propaganda machine which posts PR articles as breaking news or whatever narrative the vaad wants to push. On this case they are all in for Murphy obviously hoping to get some gelt. Its nauseating to hear the nightly kiss up on the Boe propoganda videos.
DeleteIf you watch the video properly you will also hear the sarcastic comments of the cops, obviously enjoying humiliating the person being arrested. That definitely doesn’t justify the use of Nazi, gestapo etc, but the police did not act particularly professional at all. Anyone who’s painting them as tzadikim very obviously has a specific agenda against Rabbi Knopfler.
DeleteEveryone in Lakewood owes a Big Yasher Koach to Rav Yisroel Aryeh Knopfler Shlita for coming to Lakewood and opening his Bais Din Badatz of Lakewood That does not Promote Mesira ..and Heter Arkous of taking Fellow Yidden to Secular court or having Fellow Yidden arrested with Restraining orders for all types of Financial And Family court Matters involving Custody over children and Finances
ReplyDeleteMost people who signed against Badatz of Lakewood retracted and are todaysupporting the Badatz.
DeleteThe few who didn't retract were never against it and were pressured to sign.
Reading some of the comments here, one can imagine that all the hundreds of Heimishe Yidden who were niftar was all "made up" by the "Government", "Zionists" "Harrry's" or whatever villain you make up.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the reality is that this is indeed a mageifa, this is sofek pikuach nefesh that is doicheh, even "mitvos" like bonfires.
It is not safek pikuach nefesh. Amazing how people just throw words around without having any clue as to what they are talking about. It is Ari B'derech (mesilas yesharim)
DeleteR Chaim Kanievsky doesn’t agree with you
DeleteA similar story happened in California with Elon musk. He dared the government to arrest him and of course they gave in. The difference is musk has money and would sue them for billions . If a lawyer would now sue the government for 100 million or so, this will prevent future lockdowns which aren’t necessary and are against the law.
ReplyDeleteYou don’t have to worry about future lockdowns unless there is another deadly virus.
DeletePelosi's new $3 trillion bill calls for massive state aid, which governors give out like candy to their political supporters (like we have seen in the last round).
ReplyDeleteEven though that bill will never pass, many are hoping that a watered down version of it will, and that they will get a piece of the pie. Expect these same people to push for a complete lockdown, until they can get their hands in the cookie jar.
I assume you didn’t get a stimulus check, and I also assume you are in the same financial situation as you were before the lockdown.
DeleteI don’t condone the congregants yelling ‘Nazi’ and ‘gestapo,’ but it certainly reminded me of that,” Knopfler said.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly reminded of you of that?? As if you were ever arrested by the gestapo to know what that feels like????
The “letter” writer AKA “Dr” AK has a huge financial interest in prolonging the crisis. Certain organizations are getting Huge grants and the longer they stretch it out the more $$$ they pocket. Did you notice who was appointed to the governor “shut down commission”? How much $$ have they profited from Corona?
ReplyDeleteYou're all missing the boat. The governor has the authority to issue the order, and Rav Knupfler didn't listen to the order. I don't care if it's safek retzicha or not. You must follow the law whether you like it or not. If you don't like it go back to Poland or Lita.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever hear of something called the first amendment and the supremacy clause?
DeleteNo he doesn't its against the constitution.
DeleteUnder the old Lakewood Establishment Bais Din Vaad Hadayonim..Someone once described the ocean county Family court as looking like First Seder In BMG it was so full of Frum Yidden ..Nebach...
ReplyDelete