Fury at Park East: Anti-Israel Mob Targets Manhattan Synagogue in Night of Menacing Chants and Intimidation

By: Fern Sidman – Jewish Voice News

A volatile crowd of anti-Israel demonstrators converged on one of New York City’s most historic synagogues on Wednesday night, unleashing a torrent of incendiary chants and threatening rhetoric outside the Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side. According to a report that appeared on Thursday morning in The New York Post, approximately 200 protesters descended on the landmark house of worship, shouting phrases such as “Globalize the intifada” and urging the “resistance” to “take another settler out” as congregants attempted to enter the building for a scheduled community event.

The demonstration unfolded as attendees gathered for a program organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a prominent Zionist nonprofit that supports Jewish immigration to Israel. Protesters, mobilized primarily under the banner of the anti-Israel organization Pal-Awda, positioned themselves directly outside the synagogue’s entrance, echoing chants that video footage later showed to be both aggressive and overtly hostile. The New York Post, citing on-scene reporting and video documentation, emphasized the level of vitriol on display as demonstrators carried out what many observers described as a brazen act of intimidation targeting a Jewish institution.

The crowd’s rallying calls included the increasingly common chant “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada,” which protesters repeated rhythmically to the beat of a drum. Another chilling refrain — “Resistance you make us proud, take another settler out” — was delivered with a fervor that visibly unsettled synagogue attendees and passersby. Protest leaders amplified the tensions by urging followers to escalate pressure on Jewish events related to Israel. As The New York Post reported, one organizer shouted, “It is our duty to make them think twice before holding these events,” followed by an emphatic and repeated command meant to instill fear: “We need to make them scared.”

A mob of antisemites is gathered outside Park East Synagogue, screaming “Globalize the Intifada” and “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution.”

Inside is Rabbi Arthur Schneier, 93 years old.
A Holocaust survivor.
A man who lived through Kristallnacht, when Nazis smashed… pic.twitter.com/mt6ja5AITN

— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) November 20, 2025

According to a report in the Times of Israel, which was also cited by The New York Post, the demonstration was staged explicitly to disrupt the Nefesh B’Nefesh gathering, which had been advertised by Pal-Awda as a protest against what it called a “settler recruiting fair.” Promotional materials for the demonstration featured slogans such as “No settlers on stolen land,” directly linking their efforts to broader anti-Israel campaigns across the city and on college campuses.

Inside the synagogue, however, the event proceeded as planned. Nefesh B’Nefesh representatives welcomed attendees near the front entrance, continuing their programming despite the noise and menacing chants echoing outside. The organization maintains that its mission focuses broadly on facilitating immigration to Israel from North America and does not involve directing newcomers to disputed or controversial areas, a point reiterated in The New York Post report.

The atmosphere outside Park East Synagogue became increasingly charged as a group of Jewish counter-demonstrators arrived to voice their opposition to the anti-Israel activists. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, the counter-protesters positioned themselves in front of the synagogue, answering the hostile chants by calling the demonstrators “cowards” and rebuking them for “protesting at a synagogue,” a location that many argued crossed a moral and communal red line.

Videos published by The New York Post and other outlets documented the tense standoff that ensued. NYPD officers formed a barricade separating the two groups, erecting metal barriers to maintain order on the sidewalk. Although the situation remained volatile, no arrests were reported, and police intervention stayed limited, stepping in only when confrontations appeared to escalate.

The choice of target — the Park East Synagogue — shocked many residents, community members, and national observers. As The New York Post report highlighted, the synagogue has stood at its Manhattan location since 1890 and is widely regarded as one of the most prominent Jewish institutions in the United States. Its Senior Rabbi, Arthur Schneier, now 95 years old, is a highly respected Holocaust survivor whose leadership over the past five decades has made Park East a center of Jewish life, humanitarian outreach, and interfaith diplomacy.

The synagogue has long served as a beacon of Jewish resilience and continuity in New York City. Many commentators noted the disturbing symbolism of aggressively confronting worshippers outside such a historic institution, particularly during a time of rising antisemitism across the country. While the leadership of Park East did not issue an immediate public statement, The New York Post reported that inquiries had been made seeking comment on the protests and the impact on the community.

One of the most poignant reactions came from Elizabeth Pipko, National Spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, who took to social media to condemn the demonstration. Pipko posted on X.com that Park East Synagogue is her family’s spiritual home and has been since the 1970s, when her relatives arrived in the United States after fleeing antisemitism abroad.

“This is my synagogue,” Pipko wrote, underscoring the personal significance of the location that had just been targeted. She highlighted not only the synagogue but the fact that the entrance being protested is also the doorway to the Park East Day School. “Not only is Park East an amazing place where I spent most of my childhood, but it is where children as young as 2 and 3 years old are going to walk in tomorrow morning, to get a Jewish education,” she said. “A place they should be allowed to feel safe. My heart breaks for NYC and what it is becoming.”

Pipko’s statement reflected the deep alarm felt by many Jewish New Yorkers in the wake of increasingly aggressive anti-Israel protests citywide, particularly when such demonstrations intersect with religious spaces or schools. Her remarks emphasized the generational ties families have to institutions like Park East and the growing concerns about safety when political agitation spills onto religious grounds.

Observers and community organizations expressed concern over the rhetoric broadcast Wednesday night, pointing out that some chants invoked violent language and sentiments typically associated with the most extreme factions of anti-Israel activism. As The New York Post chronicled, phrases such as “globalize the intifada” carry historical connotations linked to deadly violence, while urging the “resistance” to “take another settler out” was condemned as overtly threatening.

The protest’s organizers, notably Pal-Awda, have frequently aligned themselves with some of the harshest anti-Israel positions in local activism circles. Wednesday’s mobilization outside Park East Synagogue was advertised in advance, according to the report in The New York Post, with messaging that framed the Nefesh B’Nefesh event as part of a broader campaign to halt what the group described as settler expansionism — rhetoric that put a routine informational program in the crosshairs of a charged political confrontation.

Jewish organizations and civic leaders responded by stressing the need for heightened vigilance in protecting Jewish institutions, especially as public protests increasingly target synagogues, schools, and community centers. The New York Post has reported a surge in anti-Israel activism across New York City since the October 7 attacks in Israel, with several protests crossing into overt intimidation or disruption of Jewish communal life.

While some demonstrators framed their actions as political protest, many in the Jewish community viewed the location and tone of Wednesday’s event as deeply inappropriate and frightening. Community members stressed that disagreements over Middle East policy must not translate into aggressive demonstrations at houses of worship, especially those attended daily by young children.

The tense scene outside Park East Synagogue added to a growing list of incidents in recent months where anti-Israel activism has collided with Jewish religious and educational life in New York City. According to The New York Post report, the Wednesday night protest represented one of the clearest examples yet of activist groups bringing political pressure directly to the doorstep of a major synagogue, raising concerns about the safety and security of Jewish attendees and students.

Despite the threatening chants, the Nefesh B’Nefesh event continued inside the building without interruption — a detail underscored by The New York Post as a symbol of determination amid escalating intimidation.

As the NYPD continues to monitor such demonstrations and religious leaders call for reinforced protections around synagogues and schools, Wednesday night’s events stand as a stark illustration of the heightened tensions gripping the city. With forthcoming holidays, community programs, and school schedules, many are watching closely to see how New York will respond to the volatile intersection of political activism and the safety of Jewish communal spaces.