As Nassau looks at no protest zones, state lawmakers make a move

Daily Point

Synagogue safety becomes issue for Blakeman, Hochul

Just days after Nassau Republicans filed the Religious Safety Act in the county legislature, state Democrats have followed with their own legislation regarding protests outside houses of worship.

The state legislation sponsored by State Sen. Sam Sutton and Assemb. Micah Lasher would amend the penal law to prohibit demonstrations within 25 feet of places of worship. The bill also applies to reproductive health care facilities.

The Point first reported on the county’s efforts Monday.

Both efforts emerge just weeks after demonstrators confronted congregants entering Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, shouting “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada” and “We don’t want no Zionists here.”

Mary Studdert, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County legislative majority, told The Point that the legislation was sponsored by Legis. Mazi Melesa Pilip. Abraham Hamra, a friend and constituent of Pilip’s, came up with the idea, Studdert said. The day after the Park East Synagogue confrontations, Hamra started a petition regarding a potential buffer zone. His idea became the basis for both Pilip’s legislation and Sutton’s, according to Studdert.

“So, yes, we are very happy the state picked up on our proposed legislation,” Studdert said.

The bill in Albany differs from the proposal in Mineola in several notable ways. It suggests prohibiting demonstrations within 25 feet of religious institutions, rather than the county legislature’s 35 feet. And it does not include the county’s additional provision that would prohibit protesters from getting closer than 10 feet to anyone entering a place of worship “before, during and after services.”

The state’s effort seems to directly nod to the Park East protest, which came in response to an event about migrating to Israel. A news release about the bill noted that it “would also make clear that New Yorkers entering a house of worship would receive the protections of law without an inquiry into the purpose of their entry” — an apparent reflection on comments from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who, through a spokesman, said that “these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”

And while the state bill specifically includes reproductive health care facilities, the clear emphasis is houses of worship.

“New York must always be a place where people can both exercise free speech and express their religious identity without fear or intimidation, and that balance broke down outside Park East Synagogue," Lasher said in a statement. “This bill will help our city government and other localities across the state ensure that New Yorkers are able to enter houses of worship without having to run the gauntlet of hate speech.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday said she’d be “supportive” of the state bill. In discussing the Park East Synagogue protest, Hochul said she disagreed with Mamdani’s spokesman, adding: “The individuals trying to attend events at their synagogue were subject to abhorrent behavior.”

Both bills come as Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is contemplating a run for governor against Hochul, while Lasher is seeking the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler in Congress. It may be just a matter of time before New Yorkers see multiple campaign ads featuring candidates signing or sponsoring legislation that protects Jewish congregants and synagogues.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com and Rita Ciolli rita.ciollii@newsday.com

Pencil Point

The gift that keeps on giving

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Final Point

What prompts a new NY remapping bid?

The only New York City Republican in Congress is Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. That puts her latest reelection bid front and center for a GOP that now holds a very thin majority in the House.

Currently, Democrats represented by the national party’s leading redistricting attorney, Marc Elias, have filed a lawsuit claiming that her Staten Island district was illegally racially gerrymandered.

But seasoned Brooklyn political veterans suggest to The Point that the lawsuit might be rooted in Democratic concerns less transparent than simply turning Malliotakis’ 11th CD seat blue. Specifically, Rep. Dan Goldman, representing the Brooklyn-Manhattan 10th CD, might see a benefit if the case succeeds.

“NY-10 is my home, and I will be running for Congress in my home district. If Staten Island is drawn into my district, then I will be ready to step up and take the fight for democracy and a Democratic House majority to Nicole Malliotakis’s doorstep,” Goldman told New York magazine.

That might be a strategic bit of personal bravado. Goldman is expected to face a Democratic primary challenge in whatever CD10 looks like from Brad Lander, the city comptroller, an ally of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, whose support could help him in the race. New York City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés is also said to be exploring such a challenge. If Elias is successful with his lawsuit, Lander would likely be the 10th District nominee.

Goldman is seen disparagingly by those in the party’s ascendant “progressive” wing as just a “traditional liberal.” But being seen as moderate could boost Goldman more than his challengers in Staten Island’s middle class North Shore neighborhoods.

The latest redistricting case — coming amid a multistate gerrymandering competition between the major national parties — is far from a slam dunk for Elias and his Democratic complainants. Some observers wonder how wholeheartedly House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who’s often front and center on voting rights issues, is backing this effort, given the rippling shake-up of other districts that remapping CD11 and CD10 during the midterm election cycle could cause.

The rest of Jeffries’ caucus may not welcome that as the drama plays out. Most recently, respondents in the case, Williams et al v. NYS Board of Elections, are seeking to have the state Supreme Court justice, Jeffrey Pearlman, recuse himself. In the past he has represented Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins in election law cases and worked as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s chief of staff.

In this decade, redistricting controversies always seem to come home to roost no matter whether the calendar says it’s time.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

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