LAKEWOOD, NJ – On Monday Lakewood Rabbi Yisrael Knopfler, who is suing Governor Phil Murphy and the State of New Jersey was arrested after violating Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law is a series of draconian executive orders issued by the governor meant to keep people at home and out of work for the greater good of social distancing and “flattening the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the curve well-flattened, many across New Jersey are now asking “what now?”. The answer from the Murphy administration has been less than reassuring for millions, more quarantine and more basic human rights lost.
That’s why Knopfler said he’s fighting Murphy, to challenge the governor’s restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Knopfler held a backyard service on Monday and it was broken up by police. Attendees called the police Nazi’s and The Gestapo, referring to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany police force. Knopfler was charged with violating Murphy’s Law and resisting arrest. He says he’s going to keep doing it.
“I don’t care about what officers say, they have no right to be in his backyard. It’s not Nazi Germany, it’s New Jersey,” said Christopher Ferrara, the attorney representing Rabbi Knopfler’s lawsuit.
Knopfler said the police raid on his home was a terrifying experience for his family, including his children, but said some in attendance may have gone too far.
“It looked like a scene out of a horror movie…I don’t condone the congregants yelling Nazi and Gestapo but it reminded me of that,” he said.
