In a 44-to-5 vote, the council took decisive action against the intimidation of Jewish — and all — worshippers and students. Advocates, lawmakers, and community voices say the moment is historic, urgent, and long overdue.

Standing inside Park East Synagogue — a building that became a flashpoint for anti-Jewish harassment just months ago — New York City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, social media activist Aliza Licht, and Speaker Julie Menin spoke with unmistakable conviction: this is not a political moment. It is a moral one.

Courtesy: Aaron Herman

The New York City Council’s passage of two bills — one protecting houses of worship and one protecting schools and educational facilities from harassment, intimidation, and physical obstruction — landed with the force of a long-delayed reckoning. The final tally: 44 votes in favor, 5 against.

The scene at Park East was charged with history. Students filled pews. Interfaith leaders stood shoulder to shoulder. And three voices — a lawmaker, an advocate, and a speaker — framed a legislative milestone as something far more personal than policy.

Courtesy: Aaron Herman

ALIZA LICHT: ‘October 7th Changed Me Forever’

Aliza Licht did not set out to become one of the most prominent Jewish voices on social media. She was a marketer and an author — someone who understood how stories are shaped and sold. But after October 7th, she said, something shifted in a way that could not be undone.

“In my personal life, I’m always a proud Jew. Two children that went to Jewish day school, and granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors. October 7th changed me forever.”

That transformation, she explained, led her to redirect her social media presence entirely toward advocacy for the Jewish community and Israel — a decision, she acknowledged, that does not come without cost.

“There’s a lot of haters out there. A lot. It’s not easy to be a voice, to come out. But being an advocate for the Jewish community has become a real priority for me.”

Licht describes her approach to advocacy as rooted in what she calls a superpower: connecting the dots. A relentless consumer of news, she has built a........

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