NEW YORK — New York State Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday vowed new protections for synagogues this year, after two caustic protests outside New York City synagogues in recent months.

“In 2026, we’ll take new steps to protect our houses of worship against the rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia,” Hochul said in her annual State of the State speech in Albany, the state capital. “Just last week, protestors led pro-Hamas chants outside a synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills. That’s not free expression. That’s harassment, and targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism.”

“That’s why I’m proposing a ban on protests within 25 feet of the property line at houses of worship — so those who simply want to pray can do so without fear or harassment.”

Hochul also highlighted the $131 million the state has provided to organizations at risk of hate crimes in recent years.

The law proposal comes after two protests that alarmed many New York City Jews.

In November, protesters gathered outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan to protest an event held by Nefesh B’nefesh, a group that facilitates Jewish immigration to Israel. The protest saw demonstrators harass Jewish passersby with discriminatory rhetoric and chant “death to the IDF” and in support of an intifada. A protest leader told the crowd, “We need to make them scared.”

Last week, protesters gathered near a synagogue in the Kew Gardens Hills neighborhood in Queens, an area with a large Orthodox population. The protesters chanted, “We support Hamas,” causing an uproar.

The demonstration........

© The Times of Israel