Hundreds of progressive Jews gathered outside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-Ny.) home on Tuesday to demand an end to America's alliance with Israel.
Police made over 100 arrests at the large protest, which blocked traffic near Schumer's home in Brooklyn.
Schumer was away in Washington at the time to help pass billions in foreign aid for Israel's military.
The protest was labeled a "seder in the streets," referring to the Passover meal that commemorates the deliverance of the ancient Israelites from slavery. In the protesters' version of the Exodus narrative, the ones being oppressed are Palestinians in Gaza who are being killed in a Zionist "genocide."
"This will not be a Seder as usual. These are not usual times," Morgan Bassichis, a member of the progressive group Jewish Voice for Peace, told the crowd.
“This is the Passover that we take our exodus from Zionism. Not in our name. Let Gaza live.”
New York has been a hotbed of anti-Israel unrest in recent days, with protests at Columbia University and New York University grabbing national attention.
Schumer, the most prominent Jewish politician in the country, took Washington by surprise last month with a speech on the Senate floor calling for new elections in Israel.
Despite his criticism of Israel's war in Gaza, Schumer celebrated the passage of a $95 billion foreign aid package that included billions for Israel's military, and which President Biden signed Wednesday.
Beth Miller, the political director for Jewish Voice for Peace, criticized Schumer as a hypocrite during Tuesday's protest.
“Senator Schumer just very recently spoke very harshly about prime minister Netanyahu on the Senate floor,” she said.
"For him to do that with one hand, and then on the other hand reward prime minister Netanyahu by pushing forward this military funding package, shows that he is not serious about actually shifting US policy to leverage change.”
Schumer shared a Passover message Monday that was focused on the plight of Israeli hostages being held in captivity by Hamas.
At our Seder table, we remember the story of Passover, the pain of bondage, the resilience of the Jewish people.
As we observe this Passover, our thoughts are with the hostages even now in bondage.
We will not stop working for their release and safety.
Chag Pesach Sameach!
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 22, 2024
