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 region 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 public No New Yorker should be intimidated or harassed at their house of worship Hochul declared in a declaration What happened last night at Park East Synagogue was shameful and a blatant attack on the Jewish neighborhood Hate has no place in New York FOX NEWS ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER WILL NEW YORK CITY'S NEXT MAYOR HATE JEWS Dora Pekec spokesperson for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani notified 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 engagements 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 backing 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 presently 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 disclosed while urging New Yorkers that we cannot hand this city over to radicals NYC RABBI WARNS ZOHRAN MAMDANI 'POSES A DANGER' TO JEWISH COMMUNITY'S SAFETYRabbi Elchanan Poupko host of The Jewish World podcast posted one of the several videos from the protest amassing more than million views Antisemites have revealed up outside Park East synagogue and are chanting for intifada Poupko stated 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 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 survived the Holocaust in Budapest Hungary and arrived in the United States in Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass refers to violent anti-Jewish riots that took place on the night of Nov - in 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 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 Polling Day a slate of prominent New York City rabbis joined more than 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 advocacy 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 program 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 recounted Fox News Digital Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this statement