BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a fierce advocate for the Orthodox Jewish community, believes Mayor Bill de Blasio should have cracked down on large functions like Tuesday's big funeral in Williamsburg weeks ago.

Hikind said if people have to be arrested or fined, that should happen.

Hikind has been concerned since the coronavirus outbreak hit, that a small portion of the Hasidic community has continued to come together for prayer services, weddings and funerals. As well as speaking out this week, he expressed concerns to NY1 on April 2.

"They think they know better than anyone else in America, and it needs to stop," Hikind said.

Neighborhood-by-neighborhood data of confirmed coronavirus cases suggest that the Hasidic community in Williamsburg and other parts of New York have been especially hard hit by the pandemic.

Jacob Kornbluh is a reporter for the online news site Jewish Insider. He says the Hasidic community is vulnerable because so many large families live in small apartments and homes. In some of those homes, children and grandparents live side by side.

"In the greater New York and New Jersey we had like over, almost like 1500 deaths from members of the Orthodox community," Kornbluh said.

The toll was clearly seen at a funeral home in Borough Park.

"In a regular day he has about two or maximum three funerals. There were days here were they had 19 to 30 funerals a day," said Kornbluh. "We were not given testing, so we really don’t have the numbers but those who have been tested it was over 60 percent who have been tested that come back positive."
 
Kornbluh agreed the city should have stepped up enforcement weeks ago when people where told to shelter in their homes and social distance when outside.
 
“"f you are going to let people out on the street and you are not going to give them tickets or prohibit them from actually gathering, they are going to do it because they are waiting for the moment to get out from the house," he said.
 
Hikind says tough enforcement by the city will stop the behavior by the small numbers of people in the Hasidic community that he said are endangering everyone else,
 
”An absolute minority can be responsible for killing people in this epidemic," Hikind added.