New York leaders condemn 'intifada' chants targeting a synagogue led by a Holocaust survivor

Protesters gathered outside a synagogue in New York City on Wednesday night to shout a slew of anti-Israel chants, drawing condemnation by New York leaders, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, whose history of anti-Israel statements sparked fear and concern in New York's Jewish community even before he was elected.

The "No Settlers on Stolen Land" protest took place outside of Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue, which was hosting an event by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a nonprofit that helps American Jews immigrate to Israel. The protesters called for an intifada — a term widely considered a call to violence against Jews — and for the death of Israel Defense Forces. They also chanted "We don't want no Zionists here."

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., condemned the protest as a "blatant attack on the Jewish community." 

"No New Yorker should be intimidated or harassed at their house of worship," Hochul said in a statement. "What happened last night at [Park East Synagogue] was shameful and a blatant attack on the Jewish community. Hate has no place in New York."

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Dora Pekec, spokesperson for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, told Fox News Digital that Mamdani has "discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so."

"He 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," Pekec added. 

During the Democratic mayoral primary, Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada" — arguing that he does not support policing language. He later relented that he would "discourage" others from using the phrase after conversations with Jewish New Yorkers.

Meanwhile, outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who is currently visiting Israel, also condemned the protests on Thursday and committed to visiting Park East Synagogue when he returns to New York City. 

"Houses of worship are where people go to heal, reflect, and respect one another. Church, mosque, synagogue, it makes no difference. Screaming vile language outside any of them isn’t 'protest' it’s desecration. It shows how sick and warped these agitators have become," Adams said, while urging New Yorkers that "we cannot hand this city over to radicals."

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Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, host of The Jewish World podcast, posted one of the several videos from the protest, amassing more than 2 million views.

"Antisemites have showed up outside Park East synagogue and are chanting for intifada," Poupko said in his post. "The Rabbi of the synagogue is a holocaust survivor who remembers vividly the horrors of Kristallnacht. Now, he gets to see the same human material that shattered the glass of synagogues in Berlin and Vienna in 1938, outside his own synagogue. This is not about Gaza and has never been about Gaza. This is an attack on the Jewish people."

Rabbi Arthur Schneier is the senior rabbi at Park East Synagogue. According to the synagogue's website, he was born in Vienna in 1930, survived the Holocaust in Budapest, Hungary, and arrived in the United States in 1947.

Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," refers to violent anti-Jewish riots that took place on the night of Nov. 9-10 in 1938 that marked a turning point in Nazi Germany’s rise to power and violence against Jews, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

New York City has faced a surge in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, which have sparked extensive protests across the city, including at Columbia University.

Throughout his mayoral campaign, Mamdani maintained his commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers, despite push back from Jewish leaders and his mayoral opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. 

Weeks before Election Day, a slate of prominent New York City rabbis joined more than 650 rabbis nationwide to sign "A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future," asserting that Jewish Americans "cannot remain silent" on discrimination against Jewish people and citing Mamdani's stances that are critical of Israel.

Mamdani has been widely criticized for a variety of his statements and positions on Israel, including his support for sanctions against Israel and his reticence to denounce Hamas in interviews. The pattern dates back to his college days at Bowdoin College, where he founded the Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter.

"Anyone who has paid attention over the course of the last two years knows that such rhetoric has sparked a rise in antisemitism and violence against Jews," Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson, Temple Emanu-El’s senior rabbi, told Fox News Digital.

Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.