Hezbollah Flags Wave Amid NY Synagogue Chaos

A mob of anti-Israel protesters chanting “Israel should not exist” and waving Hezbollah flags clashed with police outside a historic Manhattan synagogue, exposing deepening divisions that threaten religious freedoms and public safety for all Americans.[1][2][3]

Story Snapshot

Approximately 100 protesters from Pal-Awda NY targeted a Jewish real estate event at Park East Synagogue on May 5, 2026, chanting calls for violence against Israel and its military.[1][2][3]
Clashes with New York Police Department (NYPD) officers resulted in at least three arrests and two officers injured after protesters pushed barricades.[1][2][4]
Protesters displayed Hezbollah flags and Hamas-associated inverted red triangle symbols, alongside verbal abuse toward police and counter-protesters.[2][3]
Counter-protesters waved Israeli and American flags, holding signs like “Antizionism is a hate movement,” highlighting escalating tensions.[2][3]
This marks the third such incident at the synagogue by the same group since November 2025, amid a national rise in protests at houses of worship.[3]

Protest Targets Real Estate Event

Pal-Awda NY organized the demonstration outside Park East Synagogue on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan on May 5, 2026. The group protested an Israeli real estate forum inside the historic Modern Orthodox shul, hosted by Tivuch Shelly. The event promoted property sales in Israel and the West Bank, areas beyond the 1967 Green Line. Protesters chanted “Stop the sale of stolen land” and “Settlers settlers go back home.”[1][2][3]

About 100 keffiyeh-wearing demonstrators waved Palestinian flags. Several hundred more gathered nearby on Third Avenue near Hunter College, surrounding the site. Counter-protesters across the street numbered fewer but held firm with Israeli and U.S. flags.[2][3]

Violent Chants and Terror Symbols Emerge

Protesters shouted “Israel should not exist,” “Death to the IDF,” and “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.” Others chanted in Arabic, “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab,” rejecting Israel’s existence. One demonstrator wore a yellow Hezbollah hat, and a Hezbollah flag appeared in the crowd. Several formed inverted red triangle hand symbols, linked to Hamas targeting of Israelis.[2][3][1]

Hamas and Hezbollah are U.S.-designated terrorist organizations. Protesters also yelled “Palestine will never die” and “We don’t want no two states, we want all of it.” These chants extended beyond settlement critiques to existential threats against Israel.[3][2]

Clashes with Police and Arrests

NYPD deployed around 100 officers, creating a frozen zone with metal barricades on East 67th and 68th Streets. Protesters pushed through barricades, screaming at officers as “pieces of shit” and “pedophile protectors.” Footage shows shoving matches, with police forcing separation. Two officers sustained injuries, and at least three arrests occurred among the anti-Israel group.[1][2][4]

Mass protests erupted in Manhattan outside Park East Synagogue over a controversial real estate event marketing properties in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Organisers called for the event to be shut down, saying it promotes the sale of land stolen from… pic.twitter.com/qOlxAWNuSV

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 6, 2026

Protesters called counter-protesters “Nazis,” “pedophiles,” “baby killers,” and told them “Go kill yourself.” Counter-protesters responded with signs reading “Antizionism gets Jews killed.” This exchange escalated personal hostilities beyond policy debate.[3][2]

Broader Pattern of Synagogue Targeting

Pal-Awda NY previously disrupted events at Park East Synagogue in November 2025 (Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah session) and a Queens yeshiva in January 2026. The Anti-Defamation League reports 47 U.S. synagogue protests tied to Israel events from 2022-2026, with 31% featuring extreme rhetoric. Protests at houses of worship rose 23% nationally from 2020-2025 per Pew Research.[3]

These incidents reflect frustrations across political lines with government failures to protect core freedoms. Conservatives decry unchecked immigration and violence; liberals lament perceived discrimination. Yet both sides increasingly see elites prioritizing power over citizens’ safety and the American Dream of secure communities. Mayor Zohran Mamdani opposed the real estate event for promoting West Bank sales but affirmed First Amendment rights.[4]