NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch apologized to Manhattan's Park East Synagogue after a hateful mob of anti-Israel demonstrators outside the building devolved into "turmoil" last week.
Speaking during Saturday services, Tisch said police should have established a "frozen zone" to keep entrances clear as roughly 75 protesters from each side confronted one another, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday.
The protest, organized by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation NY/NJ, targeted a Nefesh B'Nefesh event and featured chants like "Intifada" and "Resistance, Take Another Settler Out."
Israel supporters and Jews shouted back in defense against the antisemitic hate attack.
Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams condemned the antisemitic rhetoric, while a spokesperson for democratic socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he discourages such language but supports unobstructed access to houses of worship.
No arrests or injuries were reported, though Tisch acknowledged the scene became chaotic due to inadequate crowd-control measures.
Tisch received a standing ovation from congregants, who said her remarks showed sincerity and accountability.
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."
Newsmax writers Eric Mack and Charlie McCarthy contributed to this report.
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