UWS Synagogues To Host Prayers, Support Sessions After Israel Attacks

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY - Several Jewish worship spaces on Manhattan’s west side are inviting community members to evenings of prayer this week following surprise attacks on Israel by the militant group Hamas.

Ansche Chesed (251 W 100th St.) will be hosting an evening of prayer and song at 7 p.m. Monday with support from over a dozen other congregations. The event will also be livestreamed and broadcast over Zoom for those unable to attend in person.

Participating congregations are set to include:

• Ansche Chesed
• B'nai Jeshurun
• Congregation Habonim
• Congregation Rodeph Sholom
• Darkhei Noam
• Hadar Institute
• Kehilat Hadar/Shaare Zedek
• Kehilat Rayim Ahuvim
• Lincoln Square Synagogue
• Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
• Ohab Zedek
• Romemu
• SAJ
• Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
• The Jewish Theological Seminary
• West End Synagogue
• West Side Institutional Synagogue
• West Side Sephardic Synagogue

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan at 334 Amsterdam Ave. will also be hosting a space for reflection, conversation and support from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

A "community-wide gathering" is in the works for the coming days.

The UJA-Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York are set to host a rally on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Dag-Hammarskjold Plaza on 2nd Avenue and 47th Street, according to an X post shared by Upper West Side rep Gale Brewer.

Over the weekend, Mayor Eric Adams said there is "no credible threat" to the safety of any religious groups in the state, even as Jewish and Muslim worshippers may see more law enforcement around where they gather.

In a statement from the mayor's office, Adams said his administration is in touch with Jewish leaders across the city and the NYPD has been directed to deploy additional resources to Jewish communities and houses of worship citywide to “ensure that our communities have the resources they need to make sure everyone feels safe.”

“New York City has the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, and we stand side by side with Israel every day — but we do so with extra resolve tonight,” Adams wrote in an X post Saturday.

The New York Police Department’s Critical Response Command was deployed to “sensitive sites” around the city over the weekend, including the Israel Consulate in Midtown, the New York Post reported.

More than 800 Israelis and 500 Palestinians have been killed as of Monday, since Hamas launched a large-scale attack Saturday that broke the Gaza-Israel barrier. Israel formally declared war on Sunday.

More than 2,700 Palestinians and 2,200 Israelis have been wounded, according to their respective governments. At least nine American citizens have died, and an undetermined amount are missing and unaccounted for, the State Department said Monday.

The weekend's events also included a pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square on Sunday, which drew counterprotests from supporters of Israel and sparked a skirmish between the opposing sides.

Adams called the rally, which was supported by the Democratic Socialists of America, "disgusting."

"I reject this," he said in a statement. "New York City rejects this. Do not use our streets to spread your hate." Read more: Times Square Rally Over Israel Violence Draws NYC Condemnation

The Hamas attack came after months of clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, including confrontations in Jenin and at Al-Aqsa mosque that killed nearly 250 Palestinians and 32 Israelis.

Hamas — a militant, fundamentalist Islamic organization — has governed Gaza since coming to power during the last-held elections in 2006. Several nations, including the United States, have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The Gaza Strip — the smaller of the two Palestinian territories — has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007. With 2.3 million residents unable to enter or leave, critics of Israel often call the territory an open-air prison.