{"id":129256,"date":"2026-03-27T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=129256"},"modified":"2026-03-27T07:38:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T05:38:28","slug":"30-05-109","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=129256","title":{"rendered":"NYC Council approves buffer zones around houses of worships, schools as part of legislative package against Jew-hatred"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>NYC Council approves buffer zones around houses of worships, schools as part of legislative package against Jew-hatred<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Jessica Russak-Hoffman<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, speaks at a press conference at City Hall ahead of a vote on a package of bills that fight hate, including antisemitism, March 26, 2026. Credit: Will Alatriste\/NYC Council.William Alatriste<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The New York City Council passed legislation on Thursday that creates protective perimeters around houses of worship and schools during protests, part of a package designed to combat Jew-hatred and hate crimes across New York City following an uptick of antisemitism and a series of demonstrations outside Jewish institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am immensely proud of the legislative package the council passed today to combat hate, including my legislation to help protect safe access to houses of worship,\u201d stated Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council. \u201cThis is an urgently needed and carefully crafted bill that will ensure transparency, accountability and community engagement in NYPD plans to respond to protests\u2014three pillars to protecting both public safety and free speech rights alike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Measures\u00a01-B<\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0175-B<\/u><\/a><\/span>, which Menin advanced, empower the New York City Police Department to set limits on how close demonstrators can gather near entrances to synagogues, religious schools and similar institutions to ensure unobstructed and safe access.<\/span><\/p>\n

1-B passed with a veto-proof majority of 44 out of 51 members, but 175-B, which addresses educational institutions, passed with 30 to 19, making it subject to a veto by the mayor. Members who voted in favor of the package of bills but voted no on 175-B expressed concerns over legal issues and how it would affect student protests on campuses. Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor who has been a harsh critic of Israel and who has said, via a spokeswoman, that synagogues violated international law when they host pro-Israel events, has suggested he could be reluctant to sign the bill.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the vote, Menin said that there was a\u00a0182% increase<\/a><\/span>\u00a0in antisemitic incidents in the city in January, and that churches had been vandalized and that there was a 69% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2024. \u201cThe increase in hateful acts across the city is absolutely abhorrent and we have to do something about it,\u201d she said in a press conference.<\/span><\/p>\n

Left-wing groups, including the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, opposed the measure,\u00a0encouraging<\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0their members to contact city council representatives to \u201chold the line against this crackdown on our right to protest.\u201d During the vote, the New York Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of anti-Israel advocacy groups protested outside City Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Josh Joseph, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union, told JNS that \u201cwith record incidents of antisemitic violence and last week\u2019s targeted attack on preschool children at a temple in Michigan, the threats faced by synagogues and schools are not theoretical.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nSimcha Felder, a member of the New York City Council and of its Jewish Caucus, at a council meeting, March 26, 2026. Credit: Emil Cohen\/NYC Council.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Law enforcement needs the appropriate resources and laws to protect our community and our constitutionally guaranteed right to worship God according to our faith,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sydney Altfield, CEO of Teach Coalition, part of the OU that advocated for the legislation, told JNS it has been \u201cinspiring to see faith communities unite in support of this critically needed legislative package.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis legislative package reflects the reality that our institutions, synagogues, schools and houses of worship all require protection, ensuring safe access during protests without limiting the fundamental right to peaceful protest,\u201d Altfield said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mark Goldfeder, director and CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, told JNS that \u201creligious liberty means more than the theoretical right to pray.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt means the practical ability to walk into your synagogue, church, mosque or temple in peace,\u201d he said. \u201cNo New Yorker should have to run a gauntlet of intimidation just to enter a house of worship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Avi Posnick, executive director StandWithUs Northeast and New England, was present at the council meeting. \u201cThese are common sense pieces of legislation, rooted in law, that help protect the Jewish community and all communities while at the same time ensuring First Amendment rights,\u201d Posnick said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The buffer-zone bill \u201cis another step forward in protecting house of worship and ensuring our community is safe,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said that he presented a buffer zone plan to Mamdani shortly after the latter\u2019s election.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Eric Dinowitz, a member of the New York City Council and chair of its Jewish Caucus, at a council meeting, March 26, 2026. Credit: Emil Cohen\/NYC Council.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first told mayor-elect Mamdani at the time about this idea, he was completely on board,\u201d Schneier told JNS.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rabbi added that he is proud of Menin \u201cfor taking action so quickly, especially as it was clear the mayor once again flip-flopped when it comes to protecting New York\u2019s Jewish community and New Yorkers of all faiths.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo one should have to be worried about protesters harassing them when entering a house of worship,\u201d Schneier told JNS.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder and director of the Manhattan Jewish Experience on the Upper West Side, said that the measure means houses of worship \u201ccan remain safe spaces for people to gather and practice their religion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fundamental right to free speech must be balanced with the right to exercise one\u2019s religion,\u201d he told JNS. \u201cBoth are core constitutional values that deserve protection. Establishing an appropriate buffer zone is the one way to ensure that both rights are respected, allowing worshipers safe access to their places of worship while preserving the ability to protest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Legal advocates say protests have crossed from protected speech into targeted intimidation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jayne Zirkle, director of communications at the Lawfare Project, told JNS that \u201cwhat we are seeing outside synagogues, Jewish schools and community spaces is not peaceful protest\u201d and that \u201cit is targeted harassment fueled by dangerous anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Stu Smith, an investigative analyst at the Manhattan Institute, called the passage of the legislation \u201ca massive win on so many levels for religious Americans, for constitutional order and for simple human decency.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge Washington said the American government should give \u2018to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,\u2019\u201d Smith told JNS. \u201cThomas Jefferson wrote that no one should be \u2018restrained, molested or burthened\u2019 on account of religion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting people from harassment as they worship is squarely in that American tradition,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The package of measures passed today also included\u00a022-A<\/u><\/a><\/span>, which requires the city\u2019s education department to distribute materials to students about the risks of social media and online hate;\u00a0297-A<\/u><\/a><\/span>, which requires the mayor to establish an agency to provide religious and nonprofit institutions with support in establishing emergency plans; and\u00a0388-A<\/u><\/a><\/span>, which establishes a hot line for reporting discrimination.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Jessica<\/picture><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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<\/picture><\/span>Jessica Russak-Hoffman<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
Jessica Russak-Hoffman is a writer in Seattle.<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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NYC Council approves buffer zones around houses of worships, schools as part of legislative package against Jew-hatred Jessica Russak-Hoffman Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, speaks at a press conference at City Hall ahead of a vote on a package of bills that fight hate, including antisemitism, March 26, 2026. Credit: Will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=129256"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129280,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129256\/revisions\/129280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=129256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=129256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=129256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}