NEW YORK — New Yorkers support legislation that would establish protected areas around houses of worship, a Monday poll found, as both supporters and opponents of the buffer zones prepared for a contentious City Council hearing on Wednesday.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a statewide bill that would implement 25-foot (7.6-meter) protective buffer zones around houses of worship and medical facilities, where police would not allow protests or interference with entrants.

Two recent anti-Zionist protests outside synagogues in the US city saw demonstrators chant in support of Hamas terrorists, harass Jews, use discriminatory epithets and make threats. The protesters said the demonstrations were political rallies targeting Israel-related events.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin proposed legislation that would establish buffer zones of up to 100-feet (30.5-meters) within the five boroughs.

After NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed “concerns” about the bill, the legislation’s text was revised, removing mention of a specific distance, and instead requesting that Tisch propose a plan for buffer zones to “contain the risk of injury, intimidation, and interference, while preserving and protecting protest rights, at places of religious worship.”

Anti-Zionist activist groups and leftist civil rights organizations are campaigning against the measures, calling them an attack on free speech, while mainstream Jewish groups are in support.

The poll was conducted by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Antisemitism Research on behalf of the UJA-Federation of New York, an umbrella group.

The pollsters read a description of Hochul’s proposal, saying it would bar protests, to respondents in New York State, and asked whether they supported the buffer zones.

For all respondents, 70% were in favor of the legislation, 14% were opposed and 16% were unsure.

Every group polled backed the legislation. For Jews, 83% supported the proposal and 7% were opposed; for Muslims, 76% were in favor and 14% against.

Seventy-three percent of both Democrats and Republicans supported the buffer zones.

In New York City, 69% were in favor, and for supporters of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, 74% backed the legislation.

The ADL queried a representative sample of 3,989 registered voters in New York State from February 6-11, the survey said. The margin of error was 1.7%.

On Wednesday, the New York City Council will hold a hearing on Menin’s proposal, part of her broader plan to combat antisemitism in the city, where Jews are targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined, according to NYPD data.

Menin is a moderate Democrat and the council’s first Jewish speaker. The role is a powerful position in the city government.

Groups that are both supportive of and opposed to the legislation have called on followers to attend Wednesday’s hearing to testify. Anti-Zionist groups have also announced a protest outside City Hall.

The survey asked respondents specifically about Hochul’s proposal for 25-foot buffer zones, while the City Council is debating the separate, but similar, proposal for buffer zones in the city.

A leftist lawmaker from the city has proposed statewide legislation that would establish 100-foot buffer zones around all health care facilities that offer abortions. That proposal has not drawn opposition from the activist groups.

The proposed buffer zones for houses of worship are a thorny issue because of conflicts between civil rights protections for free speech, free assembly, and freedom of religion, as well as Jewish community security.

Some protests outside synagogues in the US have become violent, and synagogues have been repeatedly targeted in attacks.

The synagogue legislation will likely present a challenge to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, putting him between his far-left allies and the City Council’s leadership and mainstream Jewish groups.

The proposed legislation will need to pass the City Council before going to Mamdani for approval. If the mayor signs the bill, it becomes a local law; if he vetoes the legislation, the council can override the veto with a two-thirds vote. Mamdani has not confirmed whether he will support or veto the bill.

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