Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday visited Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, days after anti-Israel protesters targeted the historic house of worship with chants of “globalize the intifada” and “death to the IDF.”
“We don’t back down in the face of hate - we show up,” Adams wrote on social media. He said he stood “proudly” with the synagogue’s rabbi, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, and synagogue members to “celebrate Jewish life and reaffirm our unshakable bond with Israel after last week’s antisemitic protests.”
“Neither antisemitism nor ANY other form of hate has any place in NYC,” Adams added.
Photos showed the mayor posing with Rabbi Schneier and speaking with congregants.
Last Wednesday, some 200 protesters organized by Pal-Awda NY/NJ gathered outside the synagogue, heckling attendees at an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that assists Jewish Aliyah to Israel. One protest leader told the crowd: “It is our duty to make them think twice before holding these events… We need to make them scared.”
Adams was abroad at the time, but First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro later said he was angered the NYPD failed to keep demonstrators away from the entrance. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch apologized to the congregation, admitting the department fell short.
On Sunday, the US Department of Justice announced it is investigating the protest.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said, “Every time we see violence around a house of worship, we take action,” noting that a federal investigation “is underway.”
She added that the DOJ has “zero tolerance” for obstruction “around any American house of worship.”
Last week’s protest was condemned by several local leaders. A spokesperson for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, while condemning the protest, also stated that Mamdani believes that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law", while failing to clarify what in Nefesh B’Nefesh’s activities can be deemed a violation of international law.
Data released by the New York City Police Department on the day before the mayoral election won by Mamdani revealed that Jews were the victims in 62% of all hate crimes reported last month, with 29 antisemitic incidents out of a total of 47.