Mamdani faces scrutiny? Pro-Palestinian protest outside Park East Synagogue sparks outrage over antisemitism

Around 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators assembled late on Wednesday outside the  Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, where they chanted inflammatory slogans and  heckled Jewish attendees arriving for an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an  organisation that facilitates Jewish immigration to Israel. Park East is a historic Orthodox congregation led by Senior Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a Holocaust survivor who witnessed  Kristallnacht— the violent anti-Jewish pogrom of November 9–10, 1938, widely seen as a crucial turning point in Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jews.

Footage circulating on social media showed protesters shouting a series of incendiary  chants, including references to armed resistance and calls directed against the Israel Defence Forces. Many carried placards reading “Zionism is a death cult”, while others invoked slogans celebrating “intifada”. The demonstration was organised by PAL-Awda NY, a pro-Palestinian activist group, which, in its promotional material, described Nefesh  B’Nefesh as an arm of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency for Israel. The  activists accused the organisation of helping recruit North American settlers to what they regard as occupied Palestinian land.

As attendees made their way into and later out of the synagogue, they were obliged to  pass directly by the line of demonstrators, who continued to jeer and chant. According to  the Times of Israel, one masked protester positioned above the crowd urged others to intimidate those entering the building, repeatedly insisting that it was their duty to “make them scared”. Protesters echoed his words using a call-and-response format commonly employed to avoid the need for amplification equipment, which would have required an additional police permit.

New York City has witnessed more than 3,000 protests since the Hamas attacks of October 2023, but Wednesday’s gathering appeared to mark a further escalation. For many members of the city’s Jewish community, the scenes outside Park East Synagogue were another troubling indication of an increasingly hostile climate, despite the current ceasefire in Gaza. 

Governor Kathy Hochul issued an unequivocal condemnation, describing the protest as a  blatant attempt to intimidate Jews at a place of worship. “No New Yorker should be intimidated or harassed at their house of worship,” she said. “What happened last night at Park East Synagogue was shameful and a blatant attack on the Jewish community. Hate has no place in New York.”

A spokesperson for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Dora Pekec, said that Mamdani disapproved of the language used by protesters and would continue to discourage such  rhetoric. She added that the mayor-elect believed all New Yorkers should be able to  attend religious services without fear. However, she also commented that houses of worship should not be used to promote activities “in violation of international law”, without explaining why the synagogue event was considered to fall into this category.

The Nefesh B’Nefesh session had been advertised as an open house for North American  Jews contemplating immigration to Israel, offering an opportunity to ask questions about life in the country. Mamdani has previously said he discourages the chant “globalise the intifada”, which critics view as a call for violence against Jews. His remarks regarding the synagogue event have raised fresh concerns about how he intends to address rising antisemitism. His team later clarified that his concerns related specifically to the organisation’s promotion of settlement activity beyond the Green Line— the post-1948 armistice boundary.

Mamdani’s election has unsettled many Jewish New Yorkers already alarmed by an increase in antisemitic incidents. He has promised to expand city funding for combating hate crimes, reinforce police protection for Jewish institutions, and ensure the safety of Jewish residents. 

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, currently abroad on a trip that included a visit to Israel, condemned the anti-Jewish chants as vile and branded the protesters “sick and warped”. He announced plans to visit Park East Synagogue upon returning to New York in order to show solidarity. “Pray for our city,” he wrote. “Today it is a synagogue. Tomorrow it is a church or a mosque … We cannot hand this city over to radicals.”

 

 

Middle East