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.
🕍 Synagogue ‘buffer zones’ bill watered down
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Legislation to establish “security perimeters” around houses of worship is being softened in the New York City Council.
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Speaker Julie Menin initially proposed a buffer zone of up to 100 feet around houses of worship after two pro-Palestinian protests outside city synagogues. But her office has removed any reference to distance after feedback from the NYPD, reported Jewish Insider.
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A new draft of the bill simply requires NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to propose her own plan for “buffer zones” that she deems appropriately sized to “address and contain the risk of injury, intimidation, and interference, while preserving and protecting protest rights.”
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A recent poll found that 70% of voters and 83% of Jews statewide support buffer zones around houses of worship. Left-wing groups objected to the initial legislation, including Jews For Racial & Economic Justice, the American Council for Judaism, Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City and IfNotNow NYC, citing free speech concerns.
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Menin’s spokesperson said her proposal “does not limit protest activity,” merely directing the NYPD to protect the free entrance and exit of worshippers.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday night that he was still waiting for a legal review of the bill, which faces its first council hearing on Wednesday.
🚕 Taxi ads against antisemitism spurn Mamdani’s ‘free buses’
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JewBelong, a New Jersey-based group known for its tongue-in-cheek billboards about antisemitism, is targeting Mamdani through ads on 4,000 NYC cabs that say, “Not gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride.”
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The ads reference Mamdani’s plan to make buses free, along with his anti-Israel views. JewBelong, which has aligned itself with staunchly pro-Israel influencers, has also launched a physical billboard in the Bronx with the same message.
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“It’s about naming what too many Jews are feeling right now, that antisemitism has crept so deeply into everyday life that even simply existing openly can feel like a negotiation,” JewBelong founder Archie Gottesman said to The New York Post.
💰 55-foot-long sculpture in Long Island synagogue for sale
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A 55-foot-long, 16-foot-high Louise Nevelson wall sculpture with a built-in Torah ark will be leaving Temple Beth El on Long Island for a new home, according to ArtNews.
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Named “The White Flame of the Six Million,” the massive sculpture references the Jews killed in the Holocaust. Nevelson was born to a Jewish family in the Russian Empire before settling in New York.
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Temple Beth El, once the host of 1,500 families with a 500-family waiting list in 1980s Great Neck, now has only about 400 member families and will move to a smaller space. The synagogue is negotiating to sell its property, along with Nevelson’s sculpture.
🎨 Lee Krasner gets her dues
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Lee Krasner, the Jewish artist from Brookyln who was often typecast as Jackson Pollock’s wife, will get her dues in a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition about the couple, “Krasner-Pollock: Past Continuous.”
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The exhibition launching in October will show both artists in dialogue, starting from their early influences — which for Krasner included Hebrew calligraphy, according to The New York Times.
🍴 Michelin star restaurant goes kosher, briefly
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Blue Hill At Stone Barns, a farm-to-table restaurant in Tarrytown with two Michelin stars, is presenting a 100% kosher menu from March 17-19. The menu will be curated by celebrity chef Dan Barber.
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Tickets of $1,800 per person will benefit Our Place NY, which supports at-risk Jewish teens and young adults.
