Mayer Rispler, B’klyn Satmar rebbe, dies of COVID-19 at 70, says news blog

A major figure in Satmar Williamsburg, Brooklyn, succumbed to coronavirus early Friday morning, according to Yeshiva World, a Jewish news blog.

Rebbe Mayer Rispler contracted the virus last month and was hospitalized on a ventilator when he died at the age of 70, said The Yeshiva World.

With recent coronavirus spikes in ultraOrthodox neighborhoods and subsequent protests against measures used to curb the virus sometimes growing violent, Rispler was an early voice in support of the city’s handling of the crisis.

City Councilman Kalman Yeger (D-Brooklyn) tweeted his condolences, writing that he was “incredibly saddened” by the death of Rispler.

“His kindness and generosity were legendary. I’m grateful for the friendship and chizuk he always gave me and everyone who knew him,” he wrote, using a Hebrew term for strength or support.

Rispler was known as a philanthropist to the tight-knit Satmar community, where he also ran an accounting firm.