- His U.S. visit ignited mass protests in New York, Brooklyn, and New Haven against his fascistic, barbaric and violent statements about Palestinians.
- Major NYC synagogues rejected extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir’s event requests, some cancelling appearances despite being Zionists.
The Park East and Safra Sephardic synagogues in New York declined to host Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during his visit, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported on Wednesday. Ben-Gvir had requested use of one of the synagogue halls, but local members staunchly refused.
One community member observed that the extremist minister was “facing difficulties finding a synagogue to host him,” despite both congregations’ “pro-Israel stances.” Notably, each has previously welcomed released captives freed by Hamas as well as visiting Israeli officials.
Similarly, his Thursday appearance at Young Israel of Woodmere was cancelled amid public outcry, Israeli media reported. Long Island congregants and synagogue leaders criticised the invitation on social media, and the synagogue informed members by email that the Saturday event had been called off.
Ben-Gvir’s trip has provoked intense backlash in the U.S., with pro-Palestinian activists denouncing his presence. In New York, U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler joined a rally, calling Ben-Gvir “a racist, terrorist and Jewish supremacist bent on enacting Meir Kahane’s vision.” Kahane—an ultra-nationalist rabbi and politician—was arrested over 60 times in Israel for hate-crime–related offenses, including plotting a 1980 armed attack on Palestinians. Ben-Gvir leads the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, whose ideology is rooted in Kahane’s views.
On X, Nadler said that Ben-Gvir had “prevented hostages from coming home and pushed for an unending war in Gaza,” where over 51,400 people have been killed in the past 18 months. He also labelled him the “inciter-in-chief” of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, which has surged alongside the Gaza genocide.
During a Manhattan speech on Thursday, a pro-Palestinian protester interrupted Ben-Gvir, shouting, “Get the f*** out of New York. We know who you are. We know how this will end. You will be remembered as a Nazi, and Palestine will be free.” Security guards then removed the heckler, who continued chanting “Palestine will be free” as he was escorted away. Ben-Gvir appeared to smirk in response.
In his address, Ben-Gvir endorsed former President Donald Trump’s proposal to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement “voluntary emigration” immediately—“not tomorrow, but yesterday,” he said. The event reportedly drew only 25 attendees, while hundreds of protesters gathered outside.
Also on Thursday, hundreds of pro-Palestine activists marched through Brooklyn as Ben-Gvir visited the Lubavitch Hasidic movement’s world headquarters. The NYPD arrested at least six demonstrators, and, according to Nerdeen Kiswani of pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, some protesters were assaulted by counter-demonstrators.
This is the national security minister’s first U.S. visit, and it has been met with fierce opposition due to his genocidal and murderous statements on Gaza, as well as his advocacy for expanded West Bank settlements, and vile remarks about Palestinians.
On Wednesday, his invitation to speak at Yale University’s private Jewish society Shabtai prompted hundreds of demonstrators in New Haven, Connecticut, to hurl water bottles and chant slogans such as “Free Palestine,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Yale, your hands are red.”
