New York State Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced new proposed measures aimed at protecting synagogues and other houses of worship from demonstrations, citing a sharp rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the state.
Speaking during her annual State of the State address in Albany, Hochul said stronger action is needed to safeguard religious institutions.
“In 2026, we’ll take new steps to protect our houses of worship against the rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia. New York has already invested $131 million to better secure these sacred places, but clearly, more must be done,” Hochul said.
The governor referenced a recent incident in Queens as an example of what she described as unacceptable behavior.
“Just last week, protesters led pro-Hamas chants outside a synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills. That’s not free expression. That’s harassment, and targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism,” she said.
Hochul then outlined a proposal that would restrict demonstrations in close proximity to religious sites.
“That’s why I’m proposing a ban on protests within 25 feet of the property line at houses of worship — so those who simply want to pray can do so without fear or harassment,” Hochul said.
The proposal is expected to generate significant debate as lawmakers consider how to balance public safety, religious freedom, and protest rights.
YWN readers should take a tape measure and see how far 25 feet is from your local Shul, and see how “safe” this major “25 foot ban” is.
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16 Responses
That’ll definitely give plenty of space I bet people will care enough to bring a tape measure
It is likely that this ban will not withstand legal scrutiny as it likely violates the 1st amendment. The greater the distance, the worse those odds get.
The admonition from the editor to: “YWN readers should take a tape measure and see how far 25 feet is from your local Shul, and see how “safe” this major “25 foot ban” is.” is unhelpful and unwarranted.
Let’s do what we can to improve things without being snide to those trying to help us.
It’s basically
a box truck..
or a minivan and a half..
it might me the frontal width of your shul property..
shorter than the line at your supermarket
..ah.. it is longer than social distancing.. now that’s a plus.
I vote go have fun and measure… it’s homework made into funwork…
“citing a sharp rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the state.”
I see Kathy got her talking points from Karine Jean-Pierre. You must always link Islamophobia, which doesn’t exist, to Anti semitism which is growing and growing.
I would think 4x that number would be more appropriate, but I think 25 feet from the property line is a good start, and she should be commended for at least doing that rather than these snarky juvenile comments about a tape measure.
fake news u are a joke and so is that empty suit in the video. you probably voted for her.
a 25 foot ban is a joke, nekudah.
“Let’s do what we can to improve things without being snide to those trying to help us.“
😂😂
@fakenews:
It wouldn’t violate the First Amendment because it is a time/place/manner restriction. You can still hold the same protest 26+ feet away from a shul.
Stop whining. It bans all protests in BP and Williamsburg where you can’t walk 15 feet without another shul.
In the video you can see the non-Jewish Neturei Kapo RODFIM waving their Fakestine flags with their Islamic jihadist brothers.
Whether one is a pro-Zionist, non-Zionist, or anti-Zionist, no Torah observant Jew would ever wave the Fakestine flag as it represents complete denial of Hashem’s Torah.
Only non-Jewish RODFIM wave the Fakestine flag, symbol of a fake non-nation invented by Romans and now exploited by Islamo-Nazis to steal the Land of Israel from its rightful owners, the Jewish nation.
micro,
You’ll be there rioting with the anti-Semites against Jews along with your NK – Nazi Kapo buddies so of course 25 feet is fine with you. I hope they run you through with a sharp pointy protest sign!
That comment by Not Getting Involved got me wondering: Could it be that Muslims get harassed here and there as well. So I asked AI: “Are you aware of any incidents of protests and/or harassment outside NY mosques?” The results I got back was a list of five incidents (Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens) between Jan. 2022 and Feb. 2024 למניינם. I followed up with a query for the same info re: synagogues and got back a list of nine incidents up to 2026, and the descriptions sounded a lot more severe. Is that about right? I don’t live in the USA so I don’t have a feel for how serious it is, other than what I read in the headlines.
@GadolHaDofi:
Still foaming at the mouth, cursing and accusing falsely.
Stop it. Repent. At least ask G-d to forgive you.
@RightJew (Wrong Zionist):
Wow. Total inversion of reality, as usual for Zionists.
The NK are Jews (who are misguided in some of their methods but) who are desperately trying to save Jews from Zionist-induced anti-Semitic hate by showing the gentiles that Jews are not responsible for anything the Zionists do. You should be thanking them for their efforts, even if most daas Torah would say they should convey that message differently.
The Zionists, on the other hand, are in many cases actual non-Jews, have been rodfim for over a century and, as you put it well but about the other fake flag, “no Torah observant Jew would ever wave the [Zionist] flag, as it represents complete denial of Hashem’s Torah.”
You could keep going with that, too:
“Only non-Jewish RODFIM wave the [Zionist] flag, symbol of a fake non-nation invented by [Zionists] and now exploited by [Zionists] to steal the [title to the] Land of Israel from its rightful [owner, G-d].”
See how inverted is the reality which Zionists delude themselves into believing.
I don’t understand what your problem with this is. How is a 25-foot zone not enough to ensure the physical safety of people going in and out? What danger do protesters pose, from a distance of 25 feet?
A zone any larger would clearly be aimed not to protect people from physical harm but from having to hear the protesters’ foul language and evil message — and that would be unconstitutional.
Pekak, if it were really true that a 25-foot zone would prevent protests in an entire neighborhood, or even in just a small area, then it would be unconstitutional. Protesters absolutely MUST be allowed to get close enough to the people going in and out to ensure that they can effectively convey their message, i.e. that we should all be stuffed in ovens. That is their right, and any law that would prevent them would automatically be invalid. Fortunately, though, it’s not true even in Borough Park. A 25-foot zone around each shul’s entrance would still allow them to protest from across the street, or from one house away, while allowing people to access the shuls safely.
micro,
You’re the hateful NK – Nazi Kapo who must repent but won’t, since you worship the false god of anti-Zionism.
What sort of sick individual posts that they prefer Jews to be in ISIS captivity? If it’s fine for others then it should happen to you!