The Synagogue Siege Is a Taste of Mamdani’s New York

“No settlers on stolen land.” That’s how the “anti-Zionist” organization rallied its supporters to protest what it called a “settler recruiting fair” hosted by New York City’s Park East Synagogue. In reality, what the “anti-Zionists” worked themselves up into a lather over was the partnership between that house of worship and Nefesh B’nefesh, an organization that helps American Jews who want to immigrate to Israel work out the logistics.

Maybe the agitators who surrounded the synagogue, harassing and intimidating the American Jews inside it, are too thick-headed to make any distinction between Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Israel proper. More likely, they see all of Israel proper as occupied territory. Either way, their menacing efforts to hound and intimidate worshipers in an expression of their hatred of others who share that creedal affiliation is the textbook definition of prejudice. And hound and intimidate, they did:

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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“No settlers on stolen land.” That’s how the “anti-Zionist” organization rallied its supporters to protest what it called a “settler recruiting fair” hosted by New York City’s Park East Synagogue. In reality, what the “anti-Zionists” worked themselves up into a lather over was the partnership between that house of worship and Nefesh B’nefesh, an organization that helps American Jews who want to immigrate to Israel work out the logistics.

Maybe the agitators who surrounded the synagogue, harassing and intimidating the American Jews inside it, are too thick-headed to make any distinction between Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Israel proper. More likely, they see all of Israel proper as occupied territory. Either way, their menacing efforts to hound and intimidate worshipers in an expression of their hatred of others who share that creedal affiliation is the textbook definition of prejudice. And hound and intimidate, they did:

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.