An anti-Semitic couple from Queens were arrested after they attacked Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg. It happened on Sunday night at around 9:00PM at Bedford Avenue and Ross Street. Sources tell YWN that the couple, named as Paulo Pinho, 35, and his wife, Clelia Pinho, 46, arrived at the location in a vehicle and began screaming anti-Semitic slurs at the Jews. They then exited the vehicle and began physically attacking the Jewish pedestrians – including pulling the masks off some of them. Eyewitnesses tell YWN that the couple yelled “You’re the reason why we’re getting sick!” After getting physical with the Hasidic pedestrians, the two were detained until Williamsburg Shomrim and the NYPD arrived. Both were taken into custody and charged with Aggravated Assault.

New York City’s lockdown is likely to continue into June, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday at a press briefing. The state has been under lockdown since March in an attempt to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that some regions of the state will be able to reopen beginning May 15, but that likely wouldn’t include hard-hit New York City. Citywide hospital admissions have declined, along with intensive-care admissions. That shows progress slowing the spread, but state and city measures of virus incidence show it’s “clearly not ready yet,” de Blasio said. “The likelihood right now, is that we’re going into June.” The lockdown means the city’s pools and beaches will not be available on Memorial Day, which is when they traditionally open.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, New York City and State government have instructed New Yorkers to stay in their homes as much as possible despite the obvious inconvenience. As such, many government directives have been suspended, making it easier for residents to stay indoors during these difficult times. Yet New York’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) continues to issue summonses to homeowners simply because sidewalks aren’t clean to the demanding perfection of DSNY’s enforcers. This, without regard to the fact that these homeowners are largely indoors and unaware of any litter that may have possibly been blown in front of their home or dropped by a passerby. These innocent homeowners have been receiving DSNY summonses of as much as $300 each.

President Donald Trump is hoping to persuade a Supreme Court with two of his appointees to keep his tax and other financial records from being turned over to lawmakers and a New York district attorney. The justices are hearing arguments by telephone Tuesday in a pivotal legal fight that could affect the presidential campaign, even with the coronavirus outbreak and the resulting economic fallout. Rulings against the president could result in the quick release of personal financial information that Trump has sought strenuously to keep private. The justices have been hearing cases by phone this month in an effort to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Six of the nine Supreme Court justices are over the age of 65.

A vehicle overturned in Flatbush on Sunday morning. The accident happened at around 12:40PM on Roder Avenue near East 7th Street. Flatbush Hatzolah was on the scene in seconds. Thankfully, only one person suffered minor injuries, and was transported to the hospital in stable condition. They were assisted by FDNY and the NYPD. This is exactly the reason why people should support Hatzolah. They are at our service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – in seconds! There isn’t a person that has not called Hatzolah, seen Hatzolah, been a patient of Hatzolah etc. No one. And we can all attest to their amazing work. If you haven’t yet supported Flatbush Hatzolah in their emergency campaign, CLICK HERE NOW. It take 2 minutes to donate and support this life-saving organization.

Dear YWN, When I told my husband that my son’s Yeshiva is giving off for Lag Baomer he thought it was a Purim shtick (if it’s snowing in May why can’t we have Purim now). Let me preface this article by saying that I have the most respect for Rebbeim. My father is a Rebbe and now mentors Rebbeim and I have many siblings who are Rebbeim. If any of my kids want to be a Rebbe I would be thrilled. We received an email that the Rebbeim deserve a break and therefore there will be no Yeshiva on Lag Baomer. If there is a Rebbe that has something going on of course they should get a break. But to give everyone off? Our kids finally have some structure in their lives. When I asked my father what it’s like for Rebbeim now he said it’s not that it’s necessarily harder work but it’s different work.

Yeshiva parents will have a seat at the table when Mayor Bill de Blasio’s dedicated task force meets to discuss reopening schools during the coronavirus recovery period, with Agudath Israel of America’s executive vice president Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, named to the city’s sector advisory council on education and vocational training. The mayor announced the creation of ten sector advisory councils on May 5th, explaining that they will help the city formulate plans for a gradual return to normal life. Each team will be led by a deputy mayor or a city agency head and will consist of 20 to 40 experts in their respective fields from different parts of the city.

Mother’s Day weekend got off to an unseasonably snowy start in the Northeast on Saturday thanks to the polar vortex bringing cold air down from the north. Some higher elevation areas in northern New York and New England reported snowfall accumulations of up to 10 inches, while traces of snow were seen along the coast from Maine to Boston to as far south as Manhattan. John Cannon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said parts of northern New England saw as much as 10 inches of snow and even coastal areas of Maine and New Hampshire got a dusting. There were even reports of flurries in Boston. “We’ve had several inches in many areas in the Northeast. This is a rare May snow event,” he said.

On Friday afternoon, the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America issued guidelines to synagogues and communities regarding reopening. This document presents thirteen principles that should guide the decisions and planning of synagogues and communities throughout the country. They focus primarily on the eventual reopening of communal davening. Guidance on other matters will follow. As made clear within the document, the issuance of this guidance does not imply that any reopening should be done at this point. The situation continues to evolve and thus these recommendations and guidelines are formulated based solely on currently available information and advice.

We are all encouraged to see several states ease, or begin talks of easing, the long and difficult quarantine which has successfully slowed the progress of COVID-19. We pray that the trajectory witnessed in several states continue its downward trend until this menace is totally eradicated. Notwithstanding our eagerness to “return to normal,” Agudath Israel of America reminds our constituents that the road to recovery will, and should be, deliberate. Easing restrictions abruptly and without closely monitoring its impact risks forfeiting the gains achieved by enduring this difficult quarantine.