Photo via Twitter
Bronx Jewish Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) has formally responded to the organization of a second rally in a month, the latest held outside his Riverdale home on Sunday, Dec. 12, during which anti-Semitic imagery was, once again, on display. As reported by Norwood News, about 50 protestors showed up for the rally to oppose the assemblyman’s proposed bill A8378, according to one witness who works for the assemblyman.
The bill, if passed, and which is still at the committee level stage of the legislative process, would authorize an immunization program against COVID-19 for schools funded with State aid, and would require immunization against COVID-19 for those students attending such schools.
While healthcare workers are putting their lives on the line to save NYers, a couple dozen antivaxxers showed up at my home to spread misinfo and pseudoscience about vaccines.
And, they brought their Holocaust imagery to co-opt. Again. pic.twitter.com/RZdFGuKKvr
— Jeffrey Dinowitz (@JeffreyDinowitz) December 12, 2021
As reported, the assemblyman had issued a brief statement on the rally on Sunday, in a tweet. His office issued a longer press release on Monday, Dec. 13. Representatives for Dinowitz confirmed the rally outside his home did indeed take place and said it appeared to have been organized by John Gilmore of the Autism Action Network, and featured remarks from Derrick Gibson, a declared political candidate for governor of New York. Gibson is running on the Republican Party ticket.
Photo courtesy of Ballotpedia
Dinowitz representatives said there were several examples of Holocaust imagery observed at the rally, held in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, which is home to a sizable Jewish population. They said these included a protest sign featuring several swastikas, a protest sign with the phrase “Stop this Genocide,” a long banner with the phrase “No Jab – No Entry? I did Nazi that coming,” and a man wearing a button with the Star of David on it.
They said other imagery included a man wearing Haredi attire who had pinned a yellow star to his coat, and who held a sign with two swastikas inside red circles with diagonal lines going through them.
Photo via Twitter
The assemblyman issued the following statement in response to the rally on Monday. “For twenty-one months, our healthcare workers and many others have been putting their lives on the line to keep New Yorkers safe from a deadly pandemic,” he said. “Millions of New Yorkers and human beings around the globe waited anxiously for a vaccine to be made available, and now we have three options available to us — all of which have undergone extensive testing, continuous monitoring, and are incredibly effective at reducing hospitalizations, fatalities, and transmission of COVID-19.”
While @JeffreyDinowitz sponsor bill #A8378, putting our lives in danger for his anti freedom anti population agenda, pro-freedom pro-life protesters showed up at his home with the truth#COVID19Vaccine#VaccineMandates#NoVaccineMandates#SaveOurKids https://t.co/QkI5FRnSjh pic.twitter.com/3C6coaIFwe
— Voice of Jews (@VOJews) December 12, 2021
The assemblyman said Sunday’s rally could only be described as a slap in the face to every New Yorker who has made sacrifices during the pandemic to keep others safe and to everyone who has lost a loved one to the coronavirus. “A couple dozen anti-vaxxers decided to come to my home and spend a few hours screaming pseudoscience, misinformation, and conspiracy theories,” he wrote. “It is perfectly fine to protest me or policies that I promote. However, I cannot abide their continued use of Holocaust imagery.”
Dinowitz continued, “To be clear, the Holocaust was perhaps the most devastating tragedy in human history. Six million Jews and many others were dragged from their homes, separated from their families, sent to internment camps, subjected to cruel medical experimentation, and murdered.” He added, “The idea that this is at all comparable to a bill which simply proposes to add one fully-tested and approved vaccine to the existing list of required vaccinations to attend school in New York is preposterous, offensive, and ignorant.”
Photo courtesy of the Office of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz
The assemblyman went on to say that some anti-vaxxers had tried to defend the use of Holocaust imagery because around five men in Haredi attire were present and spoke at the rally on Sunday. “I can only speak for myself, but as a Jew, anybody who diminishes the gravity of the Holocaust, regardless of their supposed religious belief, is not somebody who speaks for my faith,” he said.
Source: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Dinowitz said he would continue to fight for pro-science, pro-vaccination legislation in the assembly. “To my neighbors who were bothered by the presence of these germ advocates with megaphones, I am sorry,” he said. “To those who continue to refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for non-medical reasons, I urge you to stop being selfish and go talk to a legitimate doctor about the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.”
Source: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
As previously reported, another protest was held outside Dinowitz’s constituency office in Kingsbridge on Sunday, Nov. 14, organized by Republican gubernatorial candidate, Rob Astorino, during which images of swastikas and a yellow star were witnessed. The display of Nazi imagery at that protest was widely condemned by elected officials from across the State as being anti-Semitic, as reported.
Source: NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Norwood News reached out to the Astorino campaign following the incident at Dinowitz’s office last month and asked if he equated a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to the murder of millions of Jewish people during the Holocaust. Phil Oliva, spokesperson for Rob Astorino’s campaign, replied, “Rob never saw the sign (which displayed a swastika), and would have removed it had he spotted it. While he strongly opposes COVID vaccine mandates and passports, it doesn’t compare to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany. Rob believes we can disagree with people without calling them Nazis.”
Orthodox Jews protest today outside the house of assemblyman Jeffrey dinowitz @JeffreyDinowitz in the Bronx NY, who sponsored bill #A8378 in the NYS Assembly, requires #COVID19 #vaccination for attendance at school #VaccineMandates#NoVaccineMandatespic.twitter.com/dEcDDg6JoC
— Jewish Desk (@JewishDesk) December 13, 2021
Since Thanksgiving, the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased by 43 percent, according to State officials, and hospitalizations have increased by 29 percent. While the percentage of fully vaccinated New Yorkers continues to increase, gaining 2 percent from Thanksgiving weekend to Dec. 12, officials said the uptick is not fast enough to completely curb the spread of the virus, particularly among communities with low vaccination coverage. In New York City, as of Dec. 10, cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 were all increasing.
Come in meet me here today as I support our teachers, freedom is worth fight to keep us free pic.twitter.com/J9jRXxUQ6z
— Derrick Gibson (@Gibson4NYS) December 12, 2021
Norwood News reached out to both Gilmore of the Autism Action Network, and gubernatorial candidate, Gibson, for comment on their alleged attendance at / participation in the rally, amid the public display of Anti-Semitic imagery. Gibson responded on Tuesday, Dec. 14, saying, “Alleged is correct. I was in attendance and no such symbol was displayed. I stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters 200% against any tyranny for any group of people.”
Norwood News provided a link to Gibson of the photographic evidence of the anti-Semitic imagery on display at the rally and asked him for further comment. We will update this story upon receipt of any feedback we receive. We did not hear from Gilmore.
Editor’s Note: Get the facts regarding the COVID-19 vaccine here.
To report a hate crime in progress or any emergency, call 911. Non-emergencies should be reported to the local precinct.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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I’m offended by Dinowitz not supporting medical freedom. What happened to my body my choice and keeping men from making decisions for my own body. Government should not be telling me what I can and can not or must and must not put into my own body and penalizing me for choices I make.
Vaccinations have risks which are understated by the medical community.
I’m tired 3% of the population having special status where they are above criticism just because many died in prison camps ( arrested for being communists) during war time when Germany was fighting for its survival. Shame on Dinowitz. The Soviets systematically starved 10 million Ukrainians to death between 1932-1941 in what is known as the holomodor but we never hear about it.