By: Jared Evan

A controversial, anti-Israel community garden in Ridgewood, Queens — repeatedly accused of antisemitism and ideological extremism — has won a temporary reprieve from eviction, as a judge blocked the city’s efforts to revoke its license, NY Post reported.

Dubbed by outraged locals as the “Garden of Hate,” the green space — formerly called Sunset Community Garden and now rebranded as Jardin de Santa Cecilia — has become a flashpoint of tension for promoting radical “woke” ideology, glorifying Hamas-linked causes, and alienating Jewish residents.

The city’s Parks Department had revoked the garden’s license on May 5, citing a breach of GreenThumb guidelines, especially over its demand that prospective members pledge “solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people of Palestine.” The garden’s 10-point list of “community agreements” included vague language about “interrupting violent behavior or rhetoric,” which critics say was wielded selectively to promote anti-Israel views and silence dissent.

A special corner of the garden marked “Poppies for Palestine,” featured memorial-style displays viewed by many as thinly veiled propaganda glorifying Palestinian “resistance,” with no acknowledgment of Hamas terrorism or October 7’s atrocities. The garden’s leadership had until June 6 to vacate the site on Onderdonk and Willoughby Avenues — until Judge Hasa Kingo’s ruling intervened.

Jewish residents in the area, including Ridgewood local Sara Schraeter-Mowers, expressed outrage at the decision. Schraeter-Mowers slammed the court for even entertaining the garden’s defense, calling it “ludicrous” and out of touch with community concerns, the NY Post reported.

“This so-called sanctuary is nothing but a political outpost built on exclusion, hate, and glorification of violence against Jews,” said one local speaking to the NY Post who asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation.

The group, however, celebrated the judge’s decision in a news release that lauded it as “a crucial legal victory” and framed the garden as a “lifeline” for marginalized communities. They claimed the city was attempting to “erase a tribute” to trans activist Cecilia Gentili and “punish our righteous solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide.”

Critics pushed back hard against the garden’s claims. “This isn’t about inclusion. It’s about hijacking public space for radical politics and normalizing antisemitism under the guise of justice,” said one activist who attended prior community board hearings.

Despite already violating Parks Department rules, the garden leadership doubled down in their statement, vowing to fight on and keep the space as a “sanctuary for queer, transgender, black, indigenous, and people of color communities.”

“ It is fascinating how these mentally sick, deranged woke leftist maniacs, include trans and gay people in their antisemitic psychosis , I’m gay and want nothing to do with Hamas, the radical Islamist garbage and the phony Free Palestine movement and I love Israel, the only place where gay people are not slaughtered in the Midde East, this is a garden of woke mental illness, these people are mentally ill scum”, an outraged TJV reader from the area told our reporter.

The Parks Department fired back in a statement, calling the group’s conduct unacceptable: “It is unfortunate that this garden group continues to disregard the same rules upheld by every GreenThumb community garden, despite our repeated efforts to work with them. Our goal has always been to ensure that GreenThumb community gardens are managed responsibly and remain open and welcoming for everyone, regardless of their background.”

The legal battle continues next month, but for many in Ridgewood, the damage has already been done.