WHY DEL WORE A YELLOW STAR OF DAVID

On March 27, 2019 officials in Rockland County, New York took the unprecedented step of banning all unvaccinated individuals under the age of 18 from public places for 30 days due to an outbreak of 5 cases of measles. Rockland County is home to a large population of Hasidic Jews, who have deeply held religious beliefs against vaccinating. Rockland’s actions have put this group under house arrest for 30 days which falls during Passover, leaving them unable to go to a synagogue or public place during some of the holiest of days in the Jewish faith. Such actions taken against a religious group haven’t been seen since the infamous Ghetto’s seen before and during World War II. In his speech on March 28th, Del took action to let the Jewish community of Rockland County know he stands with them. While questioning how the county would identify unvaccinated individuals in public, he placed a yellow star on his jacket to symbolize the dangers such actions have had in modern history. He commented, “for all the Hasidic Jews in New York right now that never thought this moment would come, I am saying I stand with you! I stand with a nation that said we will never oppress the minorities, we will stand for your religious convictions. We have seen that before and we will never let this happen in this beautiful country.”