A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
🪧 Left-wing Jews oppose synagogue buffer zones
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A coalition of left-wing Jewish groups came out against a City Council bill to ban protests within 100 feet of synagogues on Monday.
- NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin, a centrist Jewish Democrat, proposed the buffer zone around houses of worship after Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a 25-foot buffer zone statewide. These moves followed two pro-Palestinian demonstrations outside synagogues that were hosting events promoting migration to Israel and real estate sales there.
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Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Economic and Racial Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City, IfNotNow NYC and the American Council for Judaism said in a statement that such legislation “undermines the open society we cherish here in New York City, which has allowed Jews to thrive for centuries.” JFREJ had previously criticized the legislation to our reporter Joseph Strauss, but the letter represents an escalation.
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“As Jewish organizations, we know the image of people protesting outside a synagogue can spark discomfort and even real fear,” the left-wing groups said. “But when houses of worship host non-religious political events, they are making a choice with the knowledge that they might be protested for doing so.”
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a staunch critic of Israel, has said that he is awaiting a legal review of Menin’s proposal.
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Mamdani has allied with progressive Jewish organizations, lending them political influence previously afforded to mainstream groups like UJA-Federation of New York and Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which have backed Menin’s bill. JFREJ, JVP-NYC and IfNowNow NYC endorsed Mamdani during the mayoral election.
- Buffer zone legislation has drawn opposition from pro-Israel conservatives in Canada who say it interferes with free speech.
🎯 Laura Loomer scrambles Bruce Blakeman’s ticket
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Bruce Blakeman, the Jewish Republican running for governor, has picked a new running mate amid revelations that his initial choice, an upstate sheriff, once filed papers to run against Donald Trump.
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Laura Loomer, the Jewish provocateur who is close with Trump, exposed the candidacy, which was never active, on social media on Monday.
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“Whoever told President Trump @POTUS to endorse Bruce Blakeman really screwed the pooch. Nobody in New York should vote for Bruce Blakeman,” tweeted Loomer, whose advocacy has led to firings from the Trump administration. “He is a sleeper cell pulling for the Democrats, clearly.”
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Blakeman has now announced a new pick: Todd Hood, a sheriff from another upstate town.
🗣 Backlash against health staffer group that accused Israel of genocide
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A chorus of NYC officials has condemned the “Global Oppression and Public Health Working Group” formed by a group of NYC Department of Health employees, reports The Algemeiner.
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The group, which held its first meeting last week, said it sought to better understand the impact of global oppression on health outcomes. One member said the group was “developed in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
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Menin called for an investigation into the group’s “use of taxpayer resources.” She added, “Hosting a meeting that promotes inflammatory accusations while ignoring antisemitism entirely only deepens and alienates Jewish employees and residents.”
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Councilmember Joann Ariola accused the staffers of “thinly veiled antisemitic activism.” Councilmember Lynn Schulman, who is Jewish, said she was “deeply troubled” by the group’s focus on “foreign political issues” while “New Yorkers face serious and urgent public health challenges at home.”
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Yael Halaas, president of the American Jewish Medical Association, said the group promoted “libel against the Jewish people.”
🎙️ Tisch praises new NYPD chaplains as ‘tzadik’
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Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, named Catholic and Black church leaders to helm the NYPD’s chaplains’ unit on Tuesday.
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“As I was thinking about who should fill this role, one Hebrew word kept coming to mind — “Tzadik,” a person of righteousness,” Tisch said to The New York Times.
