Photo by Nino DeNino.
(New York, New York) – A protest outside Park East Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side spilled several blocks away Tuesday night, ending in a heated confrontation between demonstrators and residents outside an apartment building on Second Avenue.
The protest began near the synagogue, where demonstrators gathered to oppose a real estate event tied to property sales in Israel and the West Bank. A heavy NYPD presence kept protesters away from the synagogue area, and by the time 77 WABC arrived at the scene, the crowd had moved from Third Avenue to Second Avenue.
That is where the dispute shifted.
Residents said the protest had nothing to do with their building and accused demonstrators of bringing the confrontation to their front door. Video from the scene showed protesters yelling toward people who lived in the building, while residents pushed back and demanded they leave.
One resident said she was inside her apartment when she heard yelling and commotion outside.
“I hear people screaming,” she told 77 WABC reporter, Nino DeNino. “I said to my husband, what the hell is going on? This is my apartment, my private time.”
Protesters defended their presence, saying they were unable to demonstrate closer to the synagogue because of police barricades and buffer zones. One protester told 77 WABC the group ended up a few blocks away after being “hounded” by NYPD throughout the evening.
When asked what the apartment building, its owner, or its residents had to do with the real estate event, the protester said he did not lead the route and claimed the group was on public property. Residents disputed that, saying protesters had moved into the building’s driveway area while yelling at people who lived there.
The confrontation quickly escalated, with residents telling protesters to go home and demonstrators insisting the issue should matter to people living nearby.
Another resident said he supports the right to protest, but not when it makes New Yorkers feel unsafe outside their own homes.
“People should protest whatever they believe in,” he said, “but they should not encumber other people to be uncomfortable, to feel unsafe, and to jeopardize safety of all New Yorkers.”
The protest came after Park East Synagogue hosted another event connected to real estate sales in Israel and the West Bank, drawing criticism from pro-Palestinian demonstrators who argue such sales involve disputed or occupied land. One protester told 77 WABC the event should not have been held inside a house of worship.
A clip from the confrontation later went viral after Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy reposted 77 WABC’s video. One protester involved in the exchange then pushed back online, accusing 77 WABC of leaving out context before the full story had been released.
But the full scene showed both sides of the dispute: protesters explaining why they were demonstrating against the synagogue event, and residents questioning why their apartment building became part of the protest at all.
By the end of the night, the central issue had moved beyond the real estate event itself. On Second Avenue, the question became where the right to protest ends — and where residents’ right to feel safe at home begins.
