David Greenfield, a former city councilman who represented Borough Park and is now CEO of the Met Council, a large social service agency that serves many Orthodox Jews, said many were skeptical of the seriousness of the pandemic and the efficacy of masks because that was the message they heard on the news.
“Their main source of news tends to be right-wing news sources,”
Greenfield said, noting the popularity of talk radio and conservative
news sites in the community. “The right-wing media downplays the
effectiveness of masks.”