A hateful mob of anti-Israel demonstrators surrounded one of New York City's most historic houses of worship, launching blood-chilling chants such as "Globalize the intifada" and "Take another settler out" at Jewish worshippers.
Roughly 200 demonstrators aligned with the radical anti-Israel group Pal-Awda NY/NJ descended Wednesday night on Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation founded in 1889 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The protesters targeted a Nefesh B’Nefesh event that assists Jews relocating to Israel, prompting one demonstrator to declare, "We need to make them scared."
Videos showed protesters chanting "From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada" and other threats as drums beat in the background. Some participants yelled phrases that congregants described as "Kill the Jews" and "Destroy Israel."
Inside the Upper East Side building was Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the synagogue's senior rabbi for more than 60 years.
Schneier, 95, is a Holocaust survivor, internationally recognized diplomat, and Presidential Citizens Medal recipient for his global work promoting peace, tolerance, and interfaith cooperation.
To many Jewish New Yorkers, scenes of an anti-Israel mob threatening a Holocaust survivor at his own synagogue were especially chilling.
"The violent scene in front of Park East Synagogue is a reminder, a warning not to be silent," Schneier told the New York Post. "No house of worship should be subjected to this."
Park East cantor Benny Rogosnitzky called the demonstration "very disturbing," warning that community members "were very, very concerned" by the mob’s rhetoric.
New York leaders across the political spectrum condemned the rally, though some far more forcefully than others.
Mayor Eric Adams said the attack on the synagogue was "totally unacceptable no matter your faith or background," adding on X: "When you desecrate one house of worship, you desecrate them all."
Adams pledged to visit Park East upon returning to the city.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., blasted Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for offering only a tepid statement through a spokesperson.
"An antisemitic mob gathered outside Park East Synagogue… chanting 'Death to the IDF' and 'Globalize the Intifada,'" Stefanik wrote on X. "What New York’s Jewish community deserves is its future mayor's condemnation of antisemitism."
Mamdani, who has a history of anti-Israel rhetoric and has threatened to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York, criticized the protest’s "language" but simultaneously faulted the synagogue for hosting a Zionist event.
A Jewish counter-protest formed outside the synagogue, shouting back "You’re cowards!" as NYPD officers set up barricades to keep the groups separated. No arrests were reported.
Pal-Awda NY/NJ, which organized the rally, has openly praised the Hamas terrorists' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, calling it the "Palestinian Resistance… breaking the gates" of Israel.
For longtime congregant Paul Atler, 73, the threat is personal and deeply alarming.
"A mob can say antisemitic slurs in front of a synagogue… that’s very, very bad," he said. "I'm hoping the new mayor will stand up against antisemitism."
As the oldest Orthodox synagogues in Manhattan continue to face escalating hostility, Jewish leaders say Wednesday night’s events must serve as a wake-up call, not only for New York, but for America.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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