Mamdani says NYC synagogue misused ‘sacred space’, but slams language used by protesters

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appeared to condemn the protests outside an Upper East Side synagogue on Wednesday, November 19, but also slammed the event inside as a misuse of a “sacred space."

The demonstration that was led by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation blew up outside Park East Synagogue.

Protesters hurled several insults, including chants of “death to the IDF” and “f—king Jewish pricks,” aimed at pro-Israel counter-protesters, per reports from the scene. Cops responded to keep protesters and counter-protesters apart.

Zohran Mamdani's camp offers a vague response

It seemed Mamdani’s press secretary, Dora Pekec, was trying to walk a political tightrope in a Thursday afternoon statement.

“The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” she said, adding that Mamdani “believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”

However, Pekec didn’t elaborate on what "activities" were conducted in this particular synagogue that violated "international law."

The gathering inside Park East was organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a nonprofit known for helping North American Jews move to Israel. The group works closely with the Israeli government, per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Their open house events promise attendees they can “get your questions answered, learn about the process, and discover what life in Israel could look like for you and your family.”

While Nefesh B’Nefesh doesn’t assign new immigrants to any specific community, it has showcased West Bank settlements (which critics consider illegal) in its events and on its website as possible destinations.

Protest organizers turn up the volume

The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation hyped up the demonstration on Instagram. 

“Nefesh b Nefesh is an affiliate of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency for Israel, mainly responsible for the recruitment of settlers to Palestine from North America. Since 2003, they have recruited over 80,000 settlers of which over 13,000 served in the IOF,”  the group declared, using the preferred acronym for anti-Israel activists, the “Israel Occupation Forces.”

They also labeled El Al “Genocide Settler Airlines.”

The group maintains that all Jews who move to Israel with Nefesh B’Nefesh are “settlers." It's worth noting that many critics apply that term to every Israeli, not just those living in the West Bank.

That said, the uproar is giving New Yorkers an early look at how Mamdani’s pro-Palestinian sentiments might shape City Hall. As a state Assemblyman, he pushed legislation aimed at blocking nonprofits from funding West Bank settlements.

Mayor Eric Adams chimes in, Rabbi Marc Schneier slams NYPD response

Mayor Eric Adams, who is currently on a diplomatic tour of Uzbekistan after a visit to Israel, called the rhetoric shouted at the protest “desecration” and promised to swing by Park East once he’s back in town.

“Today it’s a synagogue. Tomorrow it’s a church or a mosque. They come for me today, and you tomorrow. We cannot hand this city over to radicals," Adams posted on X.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, one of Mamdani’s sharpest critics and the son of Park East Synagogue’s longtime senior rabbi, was furious about how the NYPD handled the event.

“What I find most disturbing is that the police, who knew about this protest a day in advance, did not arrange for the protesters to be moved to either Third or Lexington Avenues,” he said. “Instead, they allowed the protesters to be right in front of the synagogue, which put members of the community at risk.”