Push to ban protests outside houses of worship in New York City, Suffolk County

With Nassau County already imposing protest restrictions near houses of worship and Suffolk County considering doing the same, the New York City Council on Wednesday weighed its own legislation to restrict demonstrations. One of the city bills also would cover educational institutions.

The legislation would grant the NYPD discretion to decide how far away each particular protest must be. Demonstrators would still be allowed within the "sight and sound" of the protested-against facility, the NYPD’s top lawyer, Michael Gerber, told the council’s Committee to Combat Hate on Wednesday.

The legislation comes after sometimes raucous pro-Palestinian protests held outside Jewish institutions — such as synagogues and yeshivas — that, according to The New York Times, had been hosting events inside to sell real estate in Israel and the occupied West Bank, and to encourage American Jewish immigration to Israel.

Supporters of the legislation argue it’s necessary to protect worshippers from intimidation and interference with religious rights, while opponents counter that the legislation suppresses dissent and free speech.

An earlier version of the legislation would have set the protest buffer zone at 100 feet, although the language was changed this week to give the NYPD discretion to decide, Council Speaker Julie Menin said on Tuesday, when the legislation was introduced before the council.

In Nassau, no one is allowed to demonstrate, distribute pamphlets or engage "in oral advocacy, or other forms of expressive or symbolic conduct" within 35 feet of a house of worship an hour after or before services, under legislation signed this year by County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Also prohibited: coming within 10 feet of a person exiting or entering a religious site.

Nearly identical legislation, introduced Feb. 3, is pending before the Suffolk Legislature with a public hearing on March 10, Mike Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine, told Newsday.

Martino declined to say whether Romaine supports or opposes the bill but said: "County Executive Romaine will always support the freedom of an individual’s practicing their faith and religion without fear or hate surrounding their houses of worship."

In Nassau, there has been at least one demonstration related to the Israel-Palestinian controversy — in 2024 at Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, which hosted a real estate expo to encourage Jewish people to purchase land in Israel and the West Bank. Demonstrators on both sides of the controversy attended protests.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed banning protests within 25 feet of a religious institution’s property line. If the state passes her proposed law, there would be a statewide minimum buffer that municipalities could extend.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not said whether he supports the council's legislation. At an unrelated event earlier Wednesday, Mamdani did not say whether he backed the bill, but added: "I look forward to seeing the hearing today and to seeing whatever the final version is of that legislation."

Before becoming mayor, Mamdani, an avowed supporter of Palestinian rights and critic of Israel, participated in protests about the cause, though not outside synagogues.

The legislation regulating protests outside religious institutions is supported by Menin and has 30 other co-sponsors.

The NYPD — which Mamdani oversees — supports the latest version of the legislation, Menin has noted.

Weeks after Mamdani was elected, there was a turbulent demonstration outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan — one of the city’s most well-known modern Orthodox shuls — which had rented space to a group that promotes immigration to Israel as well as settlements in the occupied territories.

At a demonstration in Queens last month outside a synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills — by a real estate company promoting investment by Americans in Jerusalem, some parts of which are considered by much of the world to be occupied territory — one group of protesters chanted in favor of Hamas. Some of the pro-Israel counterdemonstrators shouted racist and homophobic slurs.

"Chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city," Mamdani wrote on social media.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.