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Tisch challenges synagogue buffer zone bill
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch wants to change a bill that would severely restrict protests up to 100 feet from houses of worship.
The bill was proposed by NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin after two protests targeted synagogues hosting Israel-related events.
“Commissioner Tisch has concerns with the initial drafting of the bills, and she is working closely with the speaker’s office to ensure that the language of the bill maintains the NYPD’s flexibility to both protect houses of worship and facilitate First Amendment rights,” NYPD spokesperson Delaney Kempner said in a statement to City and State.
Tisch did not detail her concerns or say whether Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has said he is awaiting a legal review of Menin’s proposal, was involved in the response.
Both Tisch and Menin are Jewish. After a protest outside Park East Synagogue in November, Tisch apologized to congregants and said police efforts “fell short” on protecting their entryway. But she added that protesters “have the right to say things that are incredibly painful to hear,” saying, “I understand that pain, deeply and personally.”
Menin confirmed to City and State that she was working with the NYPD to amend the bill. She said the legislation “doesn’t restrict anyone’s right to free speech,” but does “restrict intimidation and harassment as someone enters or exits a house of worship.”
Four left-leaning Jewish groups have come out against Menin’s bill on free speech grounds.
Meanwhile, more than 30 left-wing groups have mobilized to oppose both Menin’s bill and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal of a 25-foot buffer zone around synagogues statewide. Their memo — whose signatories include PAL-Awda, an organizer of protests outside synagogues — said that “Zionist real estate and settlement agencies” hide their events in houses of worship, “relying on the fact that protests of their activities will be labeled as antisemitic.”
Mamdani appointmentsOcasio-Cortez says US aid to Israel ‘enabled a genocide’
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the United States should reevaluate military aid to Israel during a Munich Security Conference panel on Friday.
“The idea of completely unconditional aid, no matter what one does, does not make sense,” she said. “I think it enabled a genocide in Gaza, and I think that we have thousands of women and children dead that was completely avoidable.”
Ocasio-Cortez is seen as the heir-apparent to Sen. Bernie Sanders and a mentor to Mamdani, both of whom have also accused Israel of genocide. She is rumored to be considering a presidential run in 2028.
Lasher racks up endorsements
Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who is running to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, is collecting endorsements from former rivals.
State Sen. Erik Bottcher endorsed Lasher on Tuesday, following the example of Liam Elkind after both bowed out of the crowded Democratic primary. Nadler has also endorsed Lasher, who worships at a synagogue neighboring his on the Upper West Side.
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The post Synagogue protest ‘buffer zone’ legislation undergoing revision in NYC as police chief Jessica Tisch says she ‘has concerns’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.