Chaos outside a Manhattan synagogue Tuesday night sparked outrage from actor and outspoken commentator Michael Rapaport, who blasted New York leadership and demanded accountability after anti-Israel demonstrators flooded the area.
“HALLOWEEN SPRING FLING, Now right now in NYC, lunatics dressed in Halloween terra costumes are outside of…. You guessed it a Synagogue in NYC,” Rapaport wrote on X alongside video from the scene.
The actor then took direct aim at Kathy Hochul.
“@GovKathyHochul, you’ve had 3 years to do a mask mandate & see if this stops the bulls—, you did nothing. RESIGN in SHAME,” he added.
HALLOWEEN SPRING FLING,
Now right now in NYC, lunatics dressed in Halloween terra costumes are outside of….
You guessed it a Synagogue in NYC@GovKathyHochul you’ve had 3 years to do a mask mandate & see if this stops the bullshit, you did nothing.
RESIGN in SHAME pic.twitter.com/wGUq2sGneB— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) May 6, 2026
The heated demonstration unfolded outside Park East Synagogue, where anti-Israel protesters and pro-Israel counter-demonstrators squared off as police rushed to keep the groups apart.
Video from the scene showed officers with the New York City Police Department forming barriers and physically pushing back crowds as tensions escalated.
Roughly 100 demonstrators gathered less than a block from the synagogue, according to reports from the scene. Protesters carrying Palestinian flags and wearing kaffiyehs chanted, “Palestine will never die” and “Stop the sale of stolen land.”
At one point, chants of “Israel should not exist” could also be heard.
Across the street, pro-Israel demonstrators waved Israeli and American flags while officers worked to prevent the confrontation from spiraling further.
The protest was organized by Pal-Awda NY/NJ, the same group that staged a similar demonstration outside the synagogue last November.
