NEW YORK — Protesters assembled outside Park East Synagogue in Manhattan during a Nefesh B’Nefesh event and chanted slogans calling for an intifada, raising fresh alarm among Jewish leaders just weeks after Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoralty.
Video from the scene shows demonstrators shouting “Globalize the intifada” and “Death to the IDF,” according to media reports.
🚨🚨🚨 HAPPENING NOW OUTSIDE PARK EAST SYNAGOGUE
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) November 20, 2025
Antisemites have showed up outside Park East synagogue and are chanting for intifada.
The Rabbi of the synagogue is a holocaust survivor who remembers vividly the horrors of Kristallnacht.
Now, he gets to see the same human… pic.twitter.com/fFDtt8nOhV
Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a Holocaust survivor who leads Park East, has reportedly compared the demonstration to the hateful mobs of Kristallnacht. Witnesses say the presence of such chants outside his synagogue evokes painful historical parallels.
Jewish communal organizations and civic leaders swiftly condemned the rally. The Anti-Defamation League launched a “Mamdani Monitor” to track the incoming administration’s policies and future appointments. “We’re deeply concerned about what the next four years could augur for Jewish New Yorkers, the antisemitic language that he has promoted, the antisemitic policies that he’s championed,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
Critics point to Mamdani’s past statements on Israel and antisemitism. He has previously declined to categorically disavow the phrase “globalize the intifada,” describing it instead as “a symbolic call for Palestinian human rights.” In a later statement, he said, “That is not language that I use … The language that I use … speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights.”
Mamdani has also pledged to roll back New York City’s recognition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, a decision that has drawn fierce criticism. He argues that the IHRA definition can be used to stifle speech critical of Israel and has described his own approach as one “grounded in education, community engagement, and open dialogue.”
Some Jewish leaders see these controversies as deeply troubling. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, for example, warned during a sermon that Mamdani “poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community … Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination … these are … inseparable strands of my Jewish identity.”
In response to the synagogue protest, city officials expressed support for Jewish New Yorkers. The NYPD reportedly maintained a physical buffer between demonstrators and synagogue attendees, and several elected officials called for strong protections for houses of worship.
For many in the pro-Israel and Zionist communities, the event served as a stark warning. They argued that the chant for an intifada is not just a political protest but a refusal to reckon with how such language echoes past calls for violence.
At the same time, Mamdani has made some conciliatory remarks. During his campaign, he said, “It pains me to be called an antisemite … to be painted as if I am somehow in opposition to the very Jewish New Yorkers that I know and love … who are such a key part of this city.” And he has pledged significantly increased investment in anti-hate programming.
Still, for many in New York’s Jewish community, the demonstration outside Park East is a troubling test: whether their newly elected mayor will safeguard Jewish life and dignity, or whether his past words and positions will embolden hatred.
This article is based on verified information from Times of Israel, i24News, Fox News, Haaretz, and official statements and social media posts from New York City and state officials.