Jewish Conservatives will burn masks during party in Collin County to celebrate end of Texas masquerade

More than 200 people are expected to gather at a house in Collin County this week for sushi, drinks, political speakers – and a bonfire to destroy masks that, according to organizers, are in the government’s hands.

The Jewish Conservative rally in Dallas Wednesday night in Parker is intended to celebrate the end of Texas’ mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions by the government, Greg Abbott.

“I felt it was an opportunity for my fellow conservative Texans and freedom-loving Americans to come and celebrate,” said Benji Gershon, president and founder of the Dallas Jewish Conservatives. The bonfire “is symbolic of freedom and it is symbolic of the fact that the mask represents government control.”

The people whose home was indicated as the location of the event declined to comment Sunday.

Although the bonfire has been added to attract attention, it is not the focus of the event, Gershon said. Speakers will include Trump campaign staff members and Shelley Luther, a Dallas salon owner who garnered national attention for fighting COVID-19 orders and unsuccessfully won for a state Senate seat.

Event organizers will also hold a moment of silence for the more than 500,000 people who died from the virus before burning the masks, which experts say is critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Gershon said he has friends and family members who have died or become seriously ill from the virus, and he does not want to downplay the severity of the pandemic. Instead, he said the event would celebrate the removal of government mandates.

“I’m not personally a mask,” he said. “It should be a personal choice, not a government mandate.”

Despite the advertised mask-free environment, some COVID-19 protocols will be in place, according to the event’s website.

It will be outdoors with plenty of room for social distance, and hand sanitizer will be available. According to the description of the event, registrants should also not hold the organizers of the event liable for illness, while “acknowledging that there is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 wherever people are present.”