Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, on Wednesday criticized New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Bill de BlasioNew York City will rename Brooklyn municipal building after Ginsburg New York to honor Ginsburg with statue in Brooklyn The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - White House moves closer to Pelosi on virus relief bill MORE (D) over his response to a crowd of Jewish New Yorkers turning out for the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz, who reportedly died from the coronavirus.

"There are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC," Greenblatt tweeted at de Blasio. "The few who don’t social distance should be called out — but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever."

Hey @NYCMayor, there are 1mil+ Jewish people in #NYC. The few who don’t social distance should be called out — but generalizing against the whole population is outrageous especially when so many are scapegoating Jews. This erodes the very unity our city needs now more than ever. https://t.co/jcYO9QQred — Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 29, 2020

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The mayor was at the scene of the funeral as the New York Police Department (NYPD) dispersed the large crowd Tuesday evening, tweeting such gatherings "WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus."

"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period," de Blasio continued.

Greenblatt is not the first to push back against de Blasio's comments, with some going so far as to call the mayor's comments anti-Semitic.

"How on earth does the mayor of NYC single them out for persecution in the middle of a pandemic? Words do not exist to describe the criminal incompetence at City Hall," Lis Smith, a Democratic operative in the state who also served as a senior adviser to Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield Facebook takes down Chinese network targeting Philippines, Southeast Asia and the US MORE's presidential campaign, tweeted.

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NYC has been a refuge for Jews fleeing persecution and death for decades and more.



How on earth does the mayor of NYC single them out for persecution in the middle of a pandemic?



Words do not exist to describe the criminal incompetence at City Hall. https://t.co/1bc2IoBcJt — Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) April 29, 2020

"We are not a monolith, and neither are the specific communities you are calling out," writer Elad Nehorai tweeted. "This is disgusting and antisemitic, and especially dangerous considering the recent uptick in antisemitic attacks."

NYC councilman Kalman Yeger also condemned de Blasio’s comments, calling them “unacceptable.”“To condemn our entire community over one group of people is something you would not do to any other ethnic group, and I know you long enough to know that you know this,” he tweeted.

A large number of people turned out for Mertz's funeral, prompting the police to break up the gathering.

The NYPD has broken up other funerals since social distancing regulations have been put in place, including multiple funerals in the Hasidic Jewish community, according to other reports.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has issued a stay-at-home order for the state.

New York City has had more than 150,000 coronavirus cases and more than 40,500 hospitalizations, with at least 11,500 confirmed coronavirus deaths.