Predominantly Jewish Boro Park is on edge, as Israel haters plan huge protest for tomorrow

A planned pro-Palestinian demonstration in Brooklyn's Boro Park has heightened tensions in one of New York's largest Jewish communities. The protest, organized by PAL-AWDA under the banner "Palestine is Not For Sale," is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM ET on Tuesday, February 18, at Lumiere Hall on 50th Street.

This is what a pro-Palestinian group published on instagram:

"On Tuesday, 2/18, Zionists in Brooklyn are hosting another real estate event where they will attempt to sell land in occupied Palestine, as part of their ongoing effort to ethnically cleanse the land of its indigenous inhabitants.

In the face of Trump’s outrageous plans to force Palestinians out of the Gaza strip and in the wake of the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank in the past month, it is more important than ever that we show up in the masses to oppose the sale of stolen land, especially when it is happening in our own backyards!

Bring your friends, flags, signs, loud voices, and kufiyehs [sic]."

The choice of location has drawn particular attention as Boro Park houses the largest concentration of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel. Community organizations and law enforcement have mobilized to address safety concerns, with an emergency meeting on Sunday bringing together NYPD officials, school representatives, and local leaders to coordinate security protocols.

NY State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger expressed strong opposition on social media platform X: "Hamas terrorists plan to storm our community on Tuesday. NYPD can and must stop this. We've seen these violent thugs storm other Jewish neighborhoods throughout NYC. PD knows their tactics and must stop these terrorists."

The protest location at Lumiere Hall, 1358 50th Street, sits in the heart of this historic Jewish community. Local organizations have issued detailed advisories about potential road closures and traffic disruptions, with particular emphasis on maintaining access to medical facilities and elder care services.

In response to the planned protest, author Natan Slifkin published a detailed historical analysis on February 17, 2025, examining the irony behind the demonstration's slogan. Drawing from David Fromkin's work, Slifkin highlights how early Jewish settlement in Palestine was largely accomplished through legal land purchases, often at inflated prices.

Slifkin quotes historical records showing that "far from being forced by Jews to sell, Arabs offered so much land to Jews that the only limiting factor on purchases became money: the Jewish settlers did not have enough money to buy all the land that Arabs offered to them."

Particularly noteworthy, Slifkin points out, was the role of Palestinian leadership in these transactions: "Not merely non-Palestinian Arabs but the Palestinian Arab leadership class itself was deeply implicated in these land sales that it publicly denounced. Either personally or through their families, at least a quarter of the elected official leadership of the Arab Palestinian community sold land to Jewish settlers between 1920 and 1928."

The NYPD is expected to maintain a significant presence during Tuesday's demonstration, with community leaders advising residents to stay updated on any changes to the situation and follow guidance from local authorities.

Yeshiva World News and Rationalist Judaism contributed to this article.