UES Braced For Protest Outside Synagogue

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The New York City Police Department has set up barricades outside an Upper East Side synagogue on Tuesday evening as the neighborhood braces for protestors demonstrating in front of an Israeli real estate event.

The event, called "The Great Israel Real Estate Event," aims to sell real estate to Jewish people in Israel and the West Bank, and is taking place at Park East Synagogue on East 67th Street between Third Avenue and Lexington Avenue.

The protest in response to the event, organized by PAL-AWDA, is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

"They are protesting a group that has rented space from Park East; it is not an official Park East Synagogue event. Nevertheless, this naturally conjures painful memories of when people have been harassed while entering houses of worship," Upper East Side Councilmember Virginia Maloney said in a joint statement with Assemblymember Alex Bores.

This will be the first protest outside Park East since a similar protest at the shul, organized by the same group, sparked accusations of antisemitism in November, leading to City Council passing a bill to create security perimeters for protests outside houses of worship.

"Mayor Mamdani is deeply opposed to the real estate expo this evening that includes the promotion of the sale of land in settlements in the Occupied West Bank. These settlements are illegal under international law and deeply tied to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians," Sam Raskin, a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, told Patch. "Our administration has also been clear that we are committed to ensuring safe entry and exit from any house of worship, and that such access never be in question while all protesters are able to exercise their First Amendment rights."

This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.