A historic Manhattan synagogue was the scene of a protest, where an anti-Semitic mob, allegedly promoted by Columbia University student groups, hurled bottles and sticks at a Jewish assembly, which included at least two Holocaust survivors.
The incident took place outside the Park East Synagogue on Wednesday, during an event hosted by Nefesh BNefesh, a nonprofit organization that aids Jewish immigration to Israel.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the synagogue's cantor, Benny Rogosnitzky, reported that approximately 200 agitators, clad in keffiyehs, gathered outside the synagogue. The projectiles they threw at a group of Jewish counter-protesters, roughly equal in number, resulted in at least one injury among the synagogue's members.
The Times of Israel reported that the agitators hurled derogatory slurs at the counter-protesters, labeling them as "rapists," "racists," and "pedophiles." Among the offensive remarks were "Fucking Jewish pricks" and "Youre part of a death cult."
The mob also chanted phrases such as "resistance is glorious," "intifada revolution," "death to the IDF," and "we dont want no Zionists here," while creating a cacophony with drums and whistles.
The protest was orchestrated by PAL-Awda NY/NJ, an organization that has previously lauded October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar as a "hero" and a "legend."
Columbia University Apartheid Divest and the Columbia chapter of Students for a Democratic Society publicized the event on social media. They shared a flyer that read "NO SETTLERS ON STOLEN LAND," accusing Nefesh BNefesh of conducting a "settler recruiting fair" at the Park East Synagogue, led by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor.
A spokesman for Columbia University, however, denied any affiliation between the university and these groups, stating that they do not receive university funding. He added, "Any organization that promotes violence or encourages disruption of our academic mission is not welcome on our campuses."
The incident comes as Columbia's student radicals appear to shift their protest activities off-campus, possibly in response to the university's crackdown on illegal demonstrations under pressure from the Trump administration. The protest also seems to tap into the fears of New York's Jewish community, who are concerned about the potential empowerment of anti-Semites following the election of Zohran Mamdani (D.) as mayor.
Mamdani, through his spokeswoman, suggested that Nefesh BNefesh's mission of facilitating Jewish immigration to Israel might be in violation of international law. "The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last nights protest and will continue to do so," stated Dora Pekec, Mamdani's spokeswoman. "He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law."
This stance seems to align with that of PAL-Awda NY/NJ, which accused Nefesh BNefesh of "recruiting settlers to Palestine from North America."
Rogosnitzky, who witnessed the nearly four-hour protest from the synagogue's doors, argued that the agitators were not merely protesting against Israel. "I could only describe it as a hateful mob," Rogosnitzky told the Free Beacon. "It wasnt just anti-Israel, anti-occupation. It was anti-Jewish."
He added, "They were just there to express unmitigated hatred. We obviously support the freedom of speech, but we cannot condone the expressions of just pure anti-Semitism and hatred that were expressed against Jews and the synagogue last night."
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