A prominent New York rabbi is calling on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to push for legislative action that would prohibit demonstrations from being held directly outside houses of worship.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding based in NYC, said he had a “productive” conversation with Mamdani less than two days after the headline-making, chaotic protest outside the Upper East Side’s Park East Synagogue on Nov. 19.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered that evening to oppose a scheduled event at the synagogue by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that assists Jewish immigration to Israel. The protesters uttered slurs such as “Globalize the Intifada” and “Death to the IDF,” leaving many Jewish and non-Jewish New Yorkers outraged. Days after the protest, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch apologized to the Park East congregation for her department’s failure to stop the demonstration effectively.
The mayor-elect had contacted Schneier, a global leader in interfaith diplomacy, as he was en route to meet with President Donald Trump on Nov. 21. The phone call came amid outrage from New Yorkers who called Mamdani’s initial response to the protest outside Park East Synagogue “weak” and deeply troubling.
Mamdani’s office transition team confirmed to amNewYork that the phone conversation took place last week, but did not elaborate further on the details.
During the phone call, Schneier suggested that the mayor-elect support legislation that would bar demonstrations directly outside houses of worship. Mamdani, the rabbi explained, responded positively to the idea.
“I said, ‘When you become mayor, why don’t you pass legislation that would forbid any protest or demonstration in front of a house of worship, whether it’s a synagogue, church, mosque,’” the rabbi explained to amNewYork. “He told me, ‘Rabbi, I love the idea and I can’t thank you enough.’”
Schneier, whose father, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, runs the Park East Synagogue, described Mamdani’s response to the demonstration as a “half-baked” condemnation.
Dora Pekec, Mamdani’s spokesperson, issued a statement that seemed to further fuel outrage over the protest. While she indicated that Mamdani “discouraged the language used,” she nonetheless implied that the event inside the synagogue promoted “activities in violation of international law.”
Pekec’s statement did not directly condemn the rhetoric used during the protest, and the implication of an international law violation only added to the anger many Jewish and non-Jewish New Yorkers felt over the episode.ged.
“Instead of condemning the protestors, Mamdani’s spokesperson victim-blamed the members of the synagogue by making the absurd claim that the synagogue program broke international law,” Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan said. “And she refused to condemn the protesters, only offering the vapid, mealy-mouthed thought that the mayor had ‘discouraged’ such rhetoric in the past.”
A possible meeting with Muslim leaders
Although the conversation between the two leaders was pleasant, Schneier did not shy away from addressing Mamdani’s past criticisms of Israel.
“I said to him, ‘Not only are you out of touch with the Jewish community, but you’re out of touch with the Islamic world,’” he explained. “I mentioned countries like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, they all support a two-state solution, ‘and you refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist.’”
Schneier also told Mamdani that he could introduce the Mayor-elect to several leaders in the Muslim world who have forged peace with Israel and those who are preparing to do so. He explained that private meetings could help him better understand Israel, anti-Zionist rhetoric and the impact such language has on Jewish communities, such as in NYC, home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel.
The rabbi said Mamdani appeared similarly interested in the idea of meeting with Muslim leaders as he was in supporting the proposed legislation barring protests outside houses of worship.
“I think it piqued his curiosity,” Schneier said. “I don’t think anyone has ever said that to him before.”
He added that meeting with Muslim leaders would “broaden [Mamdani’s] horizons” about relations between Israel and nearby Arab countries.
“I want him to go on a journey with me in terms of learning more about where the Muslim world is today when it comes to Israel, when it comes to a Palestinian state,” the rabbi said. “All these countries want to see a Palestinian state, but not at the expense of a Jewish state.”
State Sen. Liz Krueger, who represents parts of Midtown and the Upper East Side, said following the protest in her district last week that, “No one should feel attacked for their religion going into or out of their place of worship.”
According to a New York Times article, Krueger said she is considering introducing legislation similar to Schneier’s idea in Albany.
Meanwhile, since his conversation with Schneier, Mamdani appeared to change his tone slightly regarding the protest, at least according to his statement in the New York Times article.
“We will protect New Yorkers’ First Amendment rights while making clear that nothing can justify language calling for ‘death to’ anyone,” he said in a statement to the news outlet. “It is unacceptable, full stop.”
