Anti-Israel protesters staged another violent protest outside an American synagogue on Sunday, three weeks after a protest outside a Los Angeles synagogue devolved into a violent riot.
The latest synagogue to be targeted was Congregation Charm Circle in the Kew Gardens Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York. The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation New York and New Jersey (PAL-Awda) held a demonstration outside the congregation on Sunday evening to protest a real estate seminar that was scheduled to be held there. However, the seminar was held entirely online and not at the synagogue, according to Steven Saperstein, who organized the event.
New York State Assemblyman Sam Berger wrote on X, “The event changed venues but the protesters didn’t care, harassing Jews for the crime of going to pray."
Berger wrote in another post, "Carrying Hezbollah terrorist flags in a Jewish community and calling for the death of the Jewish people at an event where the venue was changed tends to put people on edge."
As Burger wrote. at least one Hezbollah flag was photographed being carried by the anti-Israel protesters, who chanted “We don’t want no Zionists here,” "Long live the Intifada," “We don’t want two states, we want ‘48,” From the water to the water, Palestine will be Arab.”
Protesters also carried signs cursing the US in addition to Israel. One protester was photographed wearing a mask of former US President Donald Trump covered in blood. It is unclear if this was at all motivated by the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania the day before.
Clashes broke out with Jewish counterprotesters, who carried American flags in addition to Israeli flags and chanted "USA! USA!"
Sunday's protest was reminiscent of another anti-Israel protest that was held at the Adas Torah Synagogue in the Pico-Robertson section of Los Angeles on Sunday where an Israel real-estate fair was taking place.
In that protest, anti-Israel activists prevented Jews from entering the synagogue and engaged in violence, leading to at least one man being injured.
Jewish leaders have called the Los Angeles protest a pogrom.
On at least two occasions, anti-Israel protesters have targeted synagogues in Teaneck, New Jersey that were holding Israeli real estate events.