Hundreds gather together in the street for Rabbi Feinstein's funeral

The funeral was held at a yeshiva Sunday morning and, despite coronavirus regulations, a crowd that seemed to number in the hundreds gathered outside to mourn.

NOVEMBER 9, 2020 11:01

Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons) — Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem

(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

A massive crowd of apparently hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered on the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side Sunday morning to mourn the death of renowned religious scholar Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, despite worries of coronavirus, local news outlet The Lo-Down reported.

Feinstein died over the weekend at the age of 91, having led the Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem yeshiva on East Broadway since 1986, which he took over after the death of his father Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He gained a reputation worldwide as a renowned halachic authority and Torah scholar.

The funeral was held at the yeshiva Sunday morning. Despite coronavirus regulations being in place, a crowd that seemed to number in the hundreds gathered outside the yeshiva to mourn, as shown in photographs and video footage obtained by The Lo-Down.

While the footage does show the mourners seeming to attempt to maintain social distancing, they are very clearly not succeeding, and seem to be practically packed into the streets.

Massive funeral for Rabbi David Feinstein, a "towering Torah scholar" on the Lower East Side. pic.twitter.com/r8HTlBtZWX
— The Lo-Down (@LoDownNY) November 8, 2020

The incident comes following numerous controversial comments by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who linked coronavirus outbreaks in the state and city to ultra-Orthodox communities.

In particular, de Blasio has criticized the communities for their funerals, as massive crowds have shown up to them in the past. Cuomo has also asked them to stop these gatherings, as they represent potential superspreader events for the virus.

Worries over potential outbreaks from ultra-Orthodox gatherings also led the grandchild of the grand rabbi of the Satmar Hassidic dynasty to cancel his wedding, amid law enforcement fears that potentially tens of thousands of guests could gather for the event.