Tensions flared outside a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday evening as anti-Israel demonstrators faced off with police, while nearby pro-Israel supporters displayed Israeli and American flags.
Video from the scene captured New York City police pushing back the anti-Israel contingent, establishing a wide gap between the opposing groups. Approximately 100 protesters, some waving Palestinian flags and adorned in keffiyehs, loudly chanted, “Israel should not exist.”
Located just a stone’s throw from the Park East Synagogue, the anti-Israel demonstrators also vocalized, “Palestine will never die,” and demanded an end to “the sale of stolen land.”
The event was organized by Pal-Awda NY/NJ, known for orchestrating a similar protest at the same synagogue last November, as reported by the New York Post.
Protesters clashed with NYPD near a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Sam H, FreedomNewsTV)
Following the previous protest, the New York City Council enacted measures allowing the NYPD to erect barricades around synagogues to safeguard worshippers. Officers were observed enforcing these barriers during the Tuesday night confrontation.
The council passed the legislation with a veto-proof 44-5 majority, but NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to sign the legislation, instead dragging it out until an April 25 deadline when it automatically became law, the Post reported.
The Anti-Defamation League released an annual report on Wednesday morning that found 2025 “marked one of the most violent periods for American Jews.”
Pro-Palestinians gather at a ‘Stop the Sale of Stolen Palestinian Land’ protest against ‘Great Israel Real Estate’ event for Palestinian land sale at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 05, 2026, in New York City.
Assaults against Jews rose to 203 from 196 compared to the year before, and assaults with deadly weapons rose from 23 to 32.
The group did find that non-violent antisemitic incidents, including incidents of harassment and vandalism, were down 39% and 21% since 2024 respectively.
“Our 2025 Audit, which shows it was one of the most violent years for American Jews on record is a reminder of how dramatically the threat landscape has shifted. Numbers that would have shocked us five years ago are now our floor,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
Police are seen holding back anti-Israel agitators outside an NYC synagogue. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images))
The ADL audit includes both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment, vandalism and assault against individuals and groups as reported to ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations, and evaluated by ADL’s experts, the group says.
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