Days after US pro-Palestinian protesters shouted chants including “Globalize the Intifada” and “Death to the IDF” outside an Upper East Side synagogue, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, apologized to the congregation during Shabbat services.

Tisch told congregants it was the police department’s duty “to ensure that people could easily enter and leave shul.”

“That is where we fell short,” Tisch said, according to media reports about the service. “And for that, I apologize to this congregation.”

The apology from Tisch, who said police allowed “turmoil” to take place outside a synagogue on Wednesday night, was, in its tone, far from the statement issued by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s team, which “discouraged” the language at the protest, while suggesting that the event being held there was a misuse of a “sacred space.”

The protest occurred outside Park East Synagogue, a prominent Orthodox congregation, while it hosted an event promoting immigration to Israel. The protest drew allegations of antisemitism from Jewish leaders and major Jewish organizations, as well as elected officials like Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.

But some also criticized the police response, saying they allowed the confrontation to unfold.

“What I find most disturbing is that the police, who knew about this protest a day in advance, did not arrange for the protesters to be moved to either Third or Lexington Avenues,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier, whose father is the longtime senior rabbi at Park East Synagogue, the day after the protest. “Instead, they allowed the protesters to be right in front of the synagogue, which put members of the community at risk.”

Tisch acknowledged on Saturday that police should have set up a “frozen zone” at the synagogue’s entrance. Because one was not set up, she said, “the space right outside your steps was chaotic.” Pens with barricades were set up for both the pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counter-protesters,........

© The Times of Israel