Anti-Israel protesters in the hundreds recently shouted hateful slogans outside a historic house of worship in New York City, threatening Jews who tried to pray peacefully inside their own synagogue. The crowd’s chants went far beyond political protest:
- “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here.”
- “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada.”
- “Resistance, you make us proud, take another settler out.”
Code words of hate: Zionists = Jews; intifada = call for violence against all Jews; Israelis = settlers.
A protest leader incited the crowd of activists: “It is our duty to make them think twice before holding these events. We need to make them scared. We need to make them scared. We need to make them scared.” One protester shouted at a visibly Jewish man: “You’re part of a death cult.” Another woman called Jews “rapists, racists and pedophiles.”
Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue is a recognized national historic landmark built in 1890. The synagogue’s senior rabbi, Arthur Schneier, is a Holocaust survivor honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal for “a lifetime devoted to overcoming hatred and set an inspiring example of spiritual leadership by encouraging interfaith dialogue and promoting the cause of religious freedom around the world.”
The nonprofit Nefesh B’Nefesh hosted the event in the synagogue. It was founded by Americans dedicated to supporting, educating and advising individuals and families throughout their aliyah (“immigration to Israel”) journey.
Although organizers framed the mass protest as a rally against an event inside the synagogue, the rhetoric quickly escalated beyond the program and instead targeted Jews directly.
Split condemnations: ‘Violence should not be normalized’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the protest, stating that “no New Yorker should be intimidated or harassed at their house of worship. This was a shameful, blatant attack on the Jewish community.”
Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams responded by visiting the synagogue and saying “what happened was totally unacceptable, no matter your faith or background. This type of protest and vile language should concern us all. When you desecrate one house of worship, you desecrate them all. I stand proudly with Rabbi Schneier and our Jewish community to celebrate Jewish life and reaffirm our unshakable bond with Israel.”
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s spokesperson gave a very different response: “Mamdani has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so. He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation,” but added that “these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law,” referring to the event held inside.
“A synagogue is where Jews learn, pray and strengthen Jewish life. Teaching about aliyah and Zionism belongs in that space. It reflects who we are as a people,” stated William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “Mamdani’s claim fuels hostility. Calls to ‘globalize the intifada’ or threatening Jews outside a house of worship are incitements to violence, not political debate.”
Recent incidents show how anti-Israel activism can quickly escalate. Masked protesters stormed an Oct. 7 memorial event featuring testimony from a massacre survivor at Pomona College in California. They entered through a locked fire door and shouted, echoing chants used outside the NYC synagogue: “Zionists not welcome here!”
Hate escalates to violence: ‘Jews should be able to worship freely’
The New York City protest is part of escalating confrontations. Two anti-Israel activists armed with baseball bats drove through a Los Angeles neighborhood looking for Jews to attack last year during a riot outside a synagogue. The pro-Hamas mob of more than 200 rioters, many armed with weapons, blocked Jews from entering the Adas Torah Synagogue. The organizers claimed that they were protesting an Israeli real estate event.
The U.S. Department of Justice is supporting a StandWithUs-backed lawsuit against the protest organizers: “Members of our Jewish community should not have to think about their safety when they go to worship. Federal law prohibits people from obstructing access to places of worship.”
American Jews, unfortunately, know how rallies can quickly turn deadly. A lone gunman shot and killed 11 Jewish worshippers during Shabbat-morning services at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018. Another terrorist shooter killed one Jewish congregant and injured several others in Poway, Calif., a year later. The Poway attack happened during the Passover holiday.
Copycat event in London: ‘Disguise yourselves as Jews’
Days after the incident on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, anti-Israel protesters used the same stated reason for protesting outside a London synagogue. The protest leaders encouraged their followers to look “visibly Jewish” to protest at a synagogue filled with families and children. Activists projected, “Stolen lands sold here,” onto the side of the synagogue and chanted for the destruction of Israel in Arabic. Some synagogue members were prevented by police from accessing the synagogue to pray.
Several weeks earlier on Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, a British Muslim man drove his car into security guard Melvin Cravitz outside a shul in Manchester, England. Jihad al-Shamie proceeded to stab Cravitz and other Jews. Cravitz died of his wounds, as did worshipper Adrian Daulby, hit by a stray police bullet while sheltering inside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation.
Synagogue members still do not feel safe. Worshipper Marc Levy said, “Our community is asking if our children and grandchildren will still be as welcome in this country as our family have been for generations. The unequivocal answer is no.”
Points to consider:
1. Targeting a synagogue targets Jews; it’s not a political act.
When activists surround a synagogue, chant for violence and tell Jews to “be scared,” it is open dehumanization, not political protest. “We don’t want no Zionists here,” language directed at Jews from outside a synagogue, is effectively a call for the removal of Jews from New York City. This is a blatant act of anti-Jewish hatred and has no place anywhere. A house of worship is never a legitimate target, and treating it as one endangers every Jewish community.
2. Extremist rhetoric quickly escalates into violence.
Harassment and violence rarely appear out of nowhere. There is a clear pattern: first comes vilification, then violent slogans like “Globalize the intifada” or “From the river to the sea,” followed by verbal threats, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, property damage, and ultimately, violence. Recent incidents across campuses and communities around the world show how quickly rhetoric can become action and how anti-Jewish hostility moves from words to violence.
3. Attacks on synagogues are now disturbingly common.
Jews have been shot, stabbed, taken hostage and physically blocked from entering or exiting synagogues in recent years. These are not isolated incidents; they show how quickly anti-Jewish rhetoric can escalate into violence. The risk to Jewish life and community is rising. Jews now face the reality that even routine religious gatherings make them targets.
4. Politicians must respond strongly without hesitation.
Leaders have a responsibility to speak clearly and forcefully when any group is targeted by hate. Immediate, unambiguous statements help prevent the normalization of hostility and show that intimidation of religious communities will not be tolerated. Mixed messages create confusion. Public officials must leave no doubt that threatening people during prayer violates the basic norms of a safe, free and diverse society.
5. Everyone should be able to worship freely.
The freedom to pray without intimidation is a core American principle protected by the First Amendment. This right guaranteed to all Americans is undermined when Jews are harassed, threatened or attacked at synagogues. No community should have to weigh personal safety against attending a religious service or community event. Every American deserves to walk into a house of worship—whether a church, mosque, temple or synagogue—without fear and the need for a police escort or armed guards.
