A mob of roughly 200 anti-Israel protesters swarmed outside a historic Manhattan shul Wednesday night, chanting violent slogans and urging demonstrators to intimidate Jews attending an event promoting aliyah inside the building.

The rally targeted Park East Synagogue, a 135-year-old Upper East Side institution, during an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a nonprofit that assists Jews who choose to immigrate to Israel. Protesters, led by the group Pal-Awda, advertised the demonstration as a campaign to stop “settler recruiting,” despite the organization’s programs not directing immigrants to disputed areas.

Videos show protesters banging drums while chanting: “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada!” Another chant — “Resistance, you make us proud, take another settler out!” — echoed through the street as attendees entered the shul.

One protest leader repeatedly called for intimidation, shouting into a megaphone: “We need to make them scared. We need to make them scared. We need to make them scared.” The agitator added that it was activists’ “duty to make them think twice before holding these events.”

A small group of Jewish counter-protesters formed near the building’s entrance, shouting back “You’re cowards!” and condemning the demonstrators for protesting at a shul rather than a political venue.

NYPD officers separated the groups using metal barricades. Police confirmed no arrests were made.

Despite the hostile scene outside, Nefesh B’Nefesh continued the event inside. Volunteers greeted attendees at the entrance as the program proceeded under police watch.

The Park East Synagogue has been led for more than 50 years by its 95-year-old senior rabbi, Holocaust survivor Rabbi Arthur Schneier.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)