Orthodox Jews demand anti-Semitism as a result of measles

NEW CITY –

Orthodox Jews in Rockland County claim that anti-Semitism intensifies against misconceptions about who is responsible for the measles epidemic.

Shoshana Berstein, of Monsey, said that because of the discrimination, she had created a bumper sticker saying "I was vaccinating".

Discrimination complaints come as the number of measles cases in the county continues to grow, with most cases coming from Orthodox communities.

MORE: Rockland pediatricians urge parents to vaccinate against measles at 6 months old
MORE: Officials: Anti-vaccine propaganda among the reasons for the rapid spread of measles
MORE: Rockland County Officers' Day reissues measles emergency order

Council legislator, Aron Wieder, said he had never seen as much anti-Semitism as today.

"The perception is that Orthodox Jews do not vaccinate themselves or their children," said Wieder. "And it's absolutely wrong."

Wieder explained that this misperception has led to a level of discrimination that Jews have not seen since the Holocaust. He says people do not want to share parks or even sidewalks with Orthodox Jews. Some companies even boycott orthodox businesses.

Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg, of New City, says that people should not assume, because someone wears a yamaka, that they do not vaccinate their children.

There are now 224 confirmed cases of measles in Rockland. It's almost 10 cases in a week.