Chaim Yehuda Meyer

On Wednesday night, November 19th, roughly 200 pro-Palestinian activists gathered
outside Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to protest a Nefesh B’Nefeshevent promoting aliyah. The Rabbi of Park East Synagogue, Arthur Schneier, a Holocaust survivor.

Nefesh B’Nefesh, a quasi-Israeli government organization, legally held the
informational fair. Palestinian Assembly for Liberation-AWDA NY/NJ organized the protests,
with demonstrators holding signs that read: “Death to the IDF,” “Resistance is glorious,” and “We don’t want no Zionists here.” Protestors blocked entry to the synagogue and shouted anti- Semitic slurs. Rabbi Reuven Kahane, who engaged in peaceful counterprotests, expressed alarm on the Zev Brenner Show over the scant police presence.

The NYPD clearly was not prepared, noted Kahane.

The Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
condemned the Park East Synagogue protests on X last Friday, calling them a federal crime that will not be tolerated. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted that protests such as those that occurred outside the historic shul on the Upper East Side would “not be tolerated,” and are considered federal crimes.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division confirmed to Daily Wire on Sunday that an investigation was underway. In a statement, Assistant AG Dhillon proclaimed: “Every time we see violence around a house of worship, we take action.” The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is “gathering information”on the protests, according to Dhillon. Access to houses of worship cannot be obstructed, she further warned.

The UJA Federation issued a statement on Facebook condemning the Park East
Synagogue demonstration, calling it an incitement for violence against the Jewish people.
“We’ve been in contact with our partners at the NYPD, and they are taking this matter very
seriously.”

The Federation further stated: “Every leader must denounce this heinous language,
and the choice to target a house of worship makes it especially vile.”

NYC Mayor Eric Adams visited Park East Synagogue on Monday to show solidarity with
the Jewish community. “We don’t back down in the face of hate – we show up,” Mayor Adams wrote on X. The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating officers on the captain level and above in relation to the handling of the protest.

On the other hand, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani condemned the language used by the protestors outside this “sacred space[],” but called the Nefesh B’Nefesh event a “violation of international law,” said spokeswoman Dora Pekec.

The basis for Mamdani’s condemnation, Pekec told CNN, was the aliyah organization’s
assistance with helping immigrants move to “settlements beyond the Green Line.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who Mamdani is keeping on the job, joined Park
East Synagogue for Shabbos services, telling congregants they deserved better in terms of safety.

A rally in support of Park East Synagogue was to be held on Thursday. This author has not heard back from the Department of Justice as of the time of publication. We eagerly await word on what, if anything will result from the NYPD investigation into the handling of the pro- Palestinian demonstrators.