It will now be a crime target or harass congregants heading to and from houses of worship or parochial schools — under a new state law crafted in response to soaring antisemitic incidents.
The new law, tucked in a massive budget bill, establishes a new penalty for “criminal interference with access to a place of religious worship” — a class B misdemeanor with a penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a maximum $500 fine.
The law, backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, would establish a 50-foot buffer zone around houses of worship, including synagogues, churches, mosques or other religious centers.
The language also includes educational institutions such as parochial schools, including yeshivas.
“Every New Yorker should be able to enter their house of worship and practice their religion without fear,” Hochul said.
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“As we’re witnessing an alarming rise in hate-fueled attacks and blatant antisemitism, I’m grateful our buffer zones legislation has passed and New Yorkers will be safer because of it,” she added.
Rabble rousers could be charged with a crime if they intentionally engage in a course of contact that makes congregants have “reasonable fear for their safety.”
The measure comes after months of hostile anti-Israel protests, including outside of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan and the Young Israel Synagogue in Midwood, Brooklyn. It follows city Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoing a local bill that would have created “buffer zones” around educational institutions.
“This state intervention is not only necessary, it has become critically urgent following the veto by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani of the City Council’s school safety perimeter transparency and reporting bill,” said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein (D-Brooklyn).
“If New York City fails to take the necessary steps to protect vulnerable New Yorkers, the State of New York must act. This is precisely what we are doing with the passage of today’s 50-foot buffer zone bill.”
The City Council issued a revised bill last week that narrows the no-protest zones to cover elementary schools, high schools and nurseries, but excludes colleges and universities to try to satisfy Mamdani’s objections.