In a show of unity, strength, and pride, more than a thousand New Yorkers braved the winter cold to stand with Park East Synagogue following a hate-fueled protest. The night was filled with music, messages of resilience, and a call to protect every house of worship.
A Night of Defiance, Faith, and Harmony
Under a steel-gray winter sky, the streets outside Park East Synagogue glowed with candles, flags, and song. More than 1,100 Jewish New Yorkers and allies gathered Thursday night, December 4, to send a powerful message of solidarity after an anti-Israel protest targeted the synagogue just two weeks earlier.
Bundled in heavy coats, attendees filled East 68th Street from Lexington to Third Avenue, waving Israeli and American flags and singing Hebrew hymns. Police cordoned off the block while volunteers from Hatzalah and the Community Security Service stood guard beside the NYPD, which was praised repeatedly throughout the evening for its strong show of protection.
“We gather outside this sacred space that was so vilely targeted a few weeks ago,” said Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York. “We affirm our values, defend our rights as Jews to worship safely, and support Israel’s right to exist as a state.”
Signs distributed by organizers read “Proud Jews. Proud Zionists. Proud New Yorkers.” — a phrase that quickly became the night’s unofficial anthem.
Rabbi Schneier: “United We Prevail, Divided We Fail”
At the center of the rally stood Rabbi Arthur Schneier, senior rabbi of Park East Synagogue and a Holocaust survivor. Though visibly shaken by recent events, his message was one of courage and unity.
“This was not just an attack on Park East Synagogue,” Rabbi Schneier told the crowd. “It was an attack on the Jewish community — an attempt to intimidate us. But we are not afraid. United we prevail. Divided we fail.”
He thanked interfaith leaders and public officials for standing alongside the Jewish community and urged lawmakers to consider banning protests directly outside houses of worship.
“Life and death are in the power of the tongue,” he said. “What we saw here was hatred — hatred of the Jews and hatred of every human and decent being. This hatred will unite us.”
The crowd responded with chants of “Am Yisrael Chai” — “The people of Israel live.”
Music, Spirit, and Frozen Hands Raised High
The emotional intensity of the speeches was matched by moments of warmth and joy. The Park East Youth Choir opened with a moving rendition of “Oseh Shalom”, their young voices rising through the icy air as the audience swayed together, many wiping away tears.
Then, to thunderous applause, Jewish musician Matisyahu took the stage. Wrapped in a blue-and-white scarf, he performed his signature anthem “One Day” — a song of hope and endurance.
Crowds sang along, their voices echoing off the brownstones:
“All my life I’ve been waiting for… for the people to say,
That we don’t wanna fight no more…”
The rally went beyond protest—it was a celebration of Jewish resilience and a statement that Jewish life in New York will not be silenced.
Over a thousand New Yorkers braved the winter cold in a show of unity – New York Jewish Travel GuideCivic and Community Leaders Stand Shoulder to Shoulder
The rally’s lineup reflected the broad coalition of Jewish leadership and civic support. Among the speakers were Rabbis Joseph Potasnik and Sara Hurwitz of the New York Board of Rabbis, Rabbi David Ingber of 92NY, and the CEO of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, who spoke movingly about her family’s immigrant journey.
“I am a proud third-generation New Yorker and a patriotic American,” she said. “We are not going anywhere. We will not step back from our values. Our pride in Judaism and our deep connection to Israel are foundational to who we are.”
New York City Comptroller-elect Mark Levine delivered one of the evening’s most powerful rebukes of the earlier protest:
“It is never OK to call for the death of anyone. It is not OK to obstruct and threaten people entering a house of worship,” Levine declared. “Not in this city. Not in our New York.”
The audience erupted in cheers, waving signs and flags as applause rolled down the block.
A City and Community United in Light
As the rally ended, the cold seemed to fade beneath the warmth of shared purpose. Snowflakes drifted gently over the crowd as hundreds of voices joined in “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem — a haunting, hopeful melody that carried down Lexington Avenue. In that moment, the city itself seemed to pause, listening.
Elected officials, clergy, and everyday New Yorkers stood shoulder to shoulder — not as partisans, but as neighbors. Police officers nodded in quiet respect as children waved miniature Israeli flags. For a community that has endured fear, isolation, and waves of hostility, the night became something deeper than a rally: it was an act of spiritual defiance.
“We’re not going anywhere,” said one participant, her voice breaking with emotion. “This is our home — our synagogue, our city, our people.”
The evening closed with the words of Rabbi Schneier — “Be strong and let us strengthen one another” — echoing through the winter air. The applause that followed was not just for him, or for Park East, but for the enduring strength of New York’s Jewish community — a people who, even in the cold and dark, continue to bring light.
By Meyer Harroch, New York Jewish Travel Guide
