As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, American pro-Palestinian demonstrations are becoming more extreme, including antisemitic chants and slogans inciting violence. Some of the most serious incidents took place at protests led by the Within Our Lifetime Organization, aimed at “freeing Palestine.”
In footage from a protest held at Union Square in Manhattan, New York last Saturday, one of the organization’s activists, Abdallah Aqel, is seen passionately addressing the crowd and inciting provocative chants. Aqel and the surrounding protesters voiced praise for Hamas military wing spokesperson Abu Obaida, and called to "attack Tel Aviv."
Rabbi Daniel Friedman, from the Jewish Center of Teaneck in New Jersey, recounted, "They come to the city every week, hold protests, and parade with Palestinian flags to pressure the Jewish community. Massive protests have been held against synagogues these past three weeks. Hate marches. They shouted at us that we need to go back to Auschwitz."
The same pro-Palestinian organization led a demonstration outside a synagogue in Teaneck this week where an event involving IDF members was held. The protest included an attempt to deny the atrocities committed by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on October 7.
"We had people from the IDF, who do sacred and true charity work, and they came to speak at the community’s synagogue,” Rabbi Friedman said Wednesday in an interview with Ynet. “Protesters arrived, most of them being outside Teaneck, to demonstrate against what they call 'ZAKA's lies.’”
The Within Our Lifetime organization is led by anti-Israel activist Nerdeen Kiswani, who has been arrested several times by the New York Police Department. Meta removed the organization's and Kiswani's popular Facebook and Instagram accounts in February due to their support for the October 7 massacre and their call for resistance "by any means necessary against Israel.”
"We are a community of religious and very Zionist Jews," Friedman explained. "Since the start of the war, there are people who wanted to sow cause chaos and arrange all sorts of protests and events to pressure us. We’re resilient and full of determination, and we won't let them intimidate us," he said.
"We need to distinguish between two things. There’s a phenomenon where someone can threaten you and say the worst things about you, like saying that ZAKA is lying, but that doesn't mean we should feel threatened. Jews here aren’t afraid, and we also have non-Jewish friends who stand by us. We’re resilient, and we want to send a message to our brothers and sisters in Israel that we stand with them until their victory."
Do you feel like things being said by U.S. and Biden administration officials incite these pro-Palestinian protests?
"We know that nothing exists in a vacuum, and if there is one, people will try and fill it. We’re very disappointed by the United States, and we don't want to get into politics, but what's important is that we stand together with Israel and worldwide Jewry. We know unity’s what's important now, standing with all our brothers and sisters shoulder to shoulder."
Antisemitism is on the rise in the U.S. Are community members not afraid?
"We know what resilience and determination are, and we know, people will always come after us. We’re people of faith, and a person needs to believe in the righteousness of his way and know what’s good and evil."
Do you expect local U.S. authorities to act against these pro-Palestinian protesters further?
"We have very strong ties with local law enforcement and security forces, and we know that we have rights as a community under the First Amendment. We also know to always act without violence and without being afraid. We're not running anywhere and we're not weak, we can and know how to stand firm."
You say you’re resilient, but aren’t there some in the community thinking of making Aliyah to Israel?
"We always support Aliyah, we believe it's a great commandment, but again, we need to separate these issues: we don't want people who have no experience to do it out of weakness or out of a feeling that we’re a poor people. Whoever wants to make Aliyah, we strongly support it and think it's very important, and we want people to do it based on the right principles.