We're joined by two leaders of last night's 30+ activists and constituents who successfully shut down a 92nd Street Y event featuring Congressmen Ritchie Torres of the Bronx and Mike Lawler of Westchester, demanding a permanent ceasefire, an end to US support for Israeli war crimes, and a Free Palestine.

Protesters staged various interruptions, including chants of “blood on your hands,” “genocide is not peace,” and “free Palestine,” throughout the event. The venue’s security staff forcibly ejected the protesters and, in some cases, tried to wrest away their banners and signs. At least one protester was pushed down the stairs by security, and many others were roughly grabbed and shoved. 

Constituents of NY-15 and NY-17 voiced frustration with their representatives for abandoning community members and ignoring their needs while tirelessly promoting bipartisan efforts to continue the Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

Rep. Torres has been called “Israel’s loudest House supporter.” In 2022, Torres received $141K in funding from AIPAC. He serves the poorest Congressional District in the U.S., but in public statements made since taking office in 2021, he mentions Israel 236% more than he mentions poverty. 

“As a constituent in one of the poorer sections of District 15, I denounce Rep. Ritchie Torres for ignoring the needs of those most underserved while serving the capitalist class objectives of greed and genocide. The Bronx does not support genocide and we call on this government to force the Israel settler-colonial state to cease its attacks on Occupied Palestine now.” 
— Foxy Jazzabelle, NY-17 Constituent

Thursday’s disruption came a week after the U.S. House of Representatives passed  Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler’s bill to create a new “special envoy” for the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords, introduced by the Trump administration in 2020, have been widely criticized for offering a one-sided peace plan: Israel gains new recognition by Arab states like the UAE, while Palestinians gain no hope of statehood.

Rep. Lawler has repeatedly denounced calls for a ceasefire, emphasizing Israel’s “right to defend itself” and “the right of the Jewish people to live peacefully” on what he calls “their native land.” Lawler’s Congressional district has one of the highest populations of Jewish people in the U.S. and outside of Israel. Yet six weeks ago, he endorsed a Rockland County legislator, James Foley, who has a documented history of antisemitism. 

“As a Jewish constituent of Rep. Mike Lawler, it is appalling to watch him defend a genocide under the guise of Jewish safety and survival.”
 – Ilana Zaken, NY-15 Constituent

The 92NY, which hosted the disrupted event, made headlines in October for canceling a talk by the professor and novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen because he signed a letter calling for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation. A public outcry ensued, and 92NY halted their remaining literary events for the season.

“I have watched 92NY time and time again suppress important voices that have extended support for the Palestinian struggle. This type of McCarthyism has no place at a beloved New York cultural institution.” 
– Jason Rosenberg, former employee of 92NY’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Life 

The grassroots coalition of Jews and constituents of NY-15 and NY-17 who disrupted Thursday’s event share a commitment to freedom for all people. Jewish values are not to be weaponized and our spaces are not to be compromised. New Yorkers deserve and demand better from our elected officials and our historic institutions.

Shutting Down 92nd St Y for Gaza

Host of Beyond The Pale on WBAI 99.5 FM New York