Key Takeaways:
A protest outside a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday drew sharp condemnation from state officials after demonstrators clashed with police and used inflammatory language, an event that unfolded just as a new report highlighted a surge in antisemitic incidents across the United States.
"No one should be intimidated when entering their house of worship," Jen Goodman, a spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, said in a statement. "Hate-fueled antisemitic rhetoric has no place in New York and Governor Hochul will continue to call it out and confront it head on."
The demonstration at Park East Synagogue took place during a real estate expo promoting properties in Israel, including in West Bank settlements. The protest came as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released its annual report on May 6, documenting 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025. While total incidents declined from a 2023 peak, the report noted a new high in physical assaults, with 32 involving a deadly weapon.
The confluence of the protest and the ADL report underscores the heightened tensions and security concerns facing Jewish communities. The ADL report noted that of 32 antisemitic assaults with a deadly weapon in 2025, seven targeted victims for their perceived support for Israel, while 25 were attacks on Jews simply for being Jewish.
The protest of about 100 people, organized by the group Pal-Awda NY/NJ, featured chants such as "Intifada revolution" and "We don’t want no two states, we want all of it." Some demonstrators attempted to push through police barricades and were seen defacing an image of a prominent rabbi. The rhetoric drew a strong rebuke from several high-profile New York Democrats.
Attorney General Letitia James stated, "Antisemitism has no place in New York," while Council Speaker Julie Menin called the glorification of Hezbollah "horrific" and "intimidating." Menin highlighted a recently passed law she sponsored to create buffer zones around houses of worship to prevent intimidation, a measure enacted after a similar protest at the same synagogue in November 2025.
In contrast, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani focused his criticism on the real estate event itself, calling the promotion of settlements "illegal under international law." While a spokesperson later said some protestor rhetoric was "unacceptable," the mayor’s initial statement drew criticism for not denouncing the protest’s antisemitic elements. "Failing to speak out against those intimidating a Jewish congregation gives tacit approval," The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote.
The events in New York reflect a broader national trend detailed in the ADL's 2025 audit. The report documented a series of violent attacks, including the April 2025 firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence on Passover and the murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington D.C. in May 2025.
The ADL data provides a quantitative backdrop to the scene outside the synagogue, where protestors shouted "Nazis" and "baby killers" at counter-protestors. The report's finding that physical assaults hit a new high, even as overall harassment incidents declined from their 2023 peak, points to a more violent edge in antisemitic expression.
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