Nakba 2026 Washington Sq NYC

 May 15, 2026 - Washington Square-NYC. the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, or ''catastrophe'', when over 750,000 Palestinians were ''ethnically cleansed'' from their homes and countless villages; they claim they were wiped off the map during the establishment of Israel.

The 'Pali" version of  the so called Nakba also claims that since  1948, the Israeli government has continued the Nakba by carrying out a policy of occupation, apartheid, and genocide enabled by U.S. weapons.

Nerdeen Kiswani's excerpted speech gives a look-see at the reasoning behind Within Our Lifetime's lock-step version of 1948. (she actually spoke for a full 15 minutes)

The rally and march in Washington Square were organized by New York-based Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, with contingents led by groups like the Muslim American Society and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Also in attendance were members from Brooklyn Against War, Al-Awda, and the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as a contingent of "Orthodox" Jewish (aka Neturei Karta) protesters led by Rabbi Dovid Feldman. [https://fightbacknews.org/articles/new-york-hundreds-rally-at-washington-square-park-to-commemorate-al-nakba-day]

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a national organization of revolutionaries fighting for socialism in the United States. "Our home is in the working class."  ... This Muslim Socialism connection includes New York's Mayor Mamdani.

Nerdeen Kiswani then asked in the chant video, "Will they stand with the 'palestinian' revolution or look away and make things look as normal." She continued, " The people of Gaza have let us know there is no normal. Normal died on October 7th." (The only reference heard regarding the murders of innocent Israels on October 7th)) Flickr Slide Show

  

. "The Nakba lives in every bombing campaign … but the struggle also continues to live with every resistance fighter, with every Palestinian mother who continues to bear children." Nerdeen Kiswani

“The state of Israel and Zionism must be abolished.”

Before the very public Asr prayers, heard the speaker refer to Islam as a "Living Tradition". (Did some research on that near the end of this post.)

 
.Should be obvious what they are protesting for and against in the Flickr slideshow

.NEXT a look at the pro-Israel counter to the anti-Israel rally

The police were forced to re-locate a pro-Israel table that had been surrounded by the anti-Israel protestors. But the anti-Israel protestors followed the pro-Israel contingent to where the NYPD relocated them. And continued harassing them. Near the end of photos is anti-Israel protestor, Emily Marnell. She seemed to start the whole kerfuffle with the police earlier causing them to be moved.

Flickr Slide Show  

Conclusion of my coverage of protest in Washington Sq
Did not follow the march thru NYC streets**

A final note on what is a Living Tradition

ISLAM: a Living Tradition

Nov 26, 2025 —  This perspective re-frames Islam as a living tradition, deeply intertwined with local cultures and histories, while also engaging universal human questions of meaning, beauty and transcendence.

... to understand Islam beyond doctrine and law ... a book that will not only be useful to students embarking on the study of Islam, but will also help foster inter-religious understanding.”

The Institute of Ismaili Studies [https://www.iis.ac.uk/news/2025/november/ali-asanis-new-publication-living-islam/]

What is the living tradition?

... the living tradition ... it’s something .. done by a large group of people and passed down through generations. For example the Amal of Ahlul Madinah

The ʿAmal of Madinah (Practice of the People of Madinah)

 Ahuhl: translates to "people," "family," or "household."

Amal: Meaning:Hope; Labour, hard work; Pure.

 The ʿAmal of Madinah is The Original Way of the Salaf.

Salaf (Arabic for "predecessors" or "ancestors") refers to the first three generations of Muslims.... the Companions of Prophet Muhammad, 

Sunnah refers to the teachings, sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad.

Is this something that’s used as a source of sunnah?  ... something they use to establish things not found in the Quran,  like how to pray.

Mutawatir (Arabic: متواتر, "successive") is an Islamic term for a highly corroborated transmission of knowledge.

And is the living tradition related to Mutawattir? ... when a practice is mass transmitted such as salat?

Salat (or Salah) is the daily ritual prayer performed by Muslims,

Core Expressions of the Living Tradition

• The Five Pillars: The foundational acts of worship that create a rhythmic connection to God daily, annually, and across a lifetime.
  
  • Shahada: The declaration of faith.
  • Salah: The five daily prayers.
  • Zakat: Charity and almsgiving.
  • Sawm: Fasting during Ramadan.
  • Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ismailis are a branch of Shia Islam who believe in the absolute unity of God and the finality of Prophet Muhammad.  ... the spiritual successors to Prophet Muhammad—who provide ongoing moral guidance and interpret the faith for contemporary times.

[https://www.amazon.com/Islam-Middle-East-Living-Tradition/dp/140511603X]

Mayor Mamdani ... follows the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, the one that forms the basis of Iran’s Islamic Republic.

Is Zohran a product of the Academia’s Iran Lobby

The Joint U.S.-Israel Attacks Against Iran in 2025 and 2026 Have Exposed Some of the Most Egregious Pro-Iran Academics to the General Public

What drives the members of Academia’s Iran lobby is equal parts hatred of Israel and U.S. foreign policy. Throw in a measure of Netanyahu and Trump Derangement Syndrome, and the combination becomes an academic Iran lobby that the regime couldn’t purchase even if it was selling millions of barrels of oil every day.

Most members of academia’s Iran lobby don’t really care about Iran or the Iranian people. Their main concern is the Islamic Republic’s status as the leading state sponsor of terrorism, especially terrorism targeting Israel. If the Islamic Republic falls, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis will likely follow.

The Islamic Republic of Iran provides ideological sustenance to its academic lobby. Without its actual “resistance,” the academic pretend “resistance” would have no role models.

Published originally on May 28, 2026.
[https://www.investigativeproject.org/9451/academia-iran-lobby]

New York City, home to the largest Jewish population in the world ... outside of Israel...  ELECTED this anti Semite. What were they THINKING?

[Where indicated pictures and videos property of Pamela Hall-VSB]

May 5, 2026 Synagogue Great Israel Land Sale

“The Great Israel Real Estate Event.”

 

 For the second time in six months, protesters gathered outside Park East Synagogue, which was holding an event to promote real estate sales in Israel. A heavy police presence kept the two groups apart. ...as the acrimonious  conflict in the Middle East once again spilled over into its streets. Dozens of pro-Israel counter-demonstrators also assembled at the site.[NY Times] 

 

PAL-Awda NY/NJ [@PAL_Awda]

ALL OUT TO PROTEST the "Great Israel Real Estate Event" Tues, May 5 6:30 pm 163 East 67th Street New York, NY 10065 All out to protest the illegal sale of #StolenPalestinianLand! We will not be silent as ethnic cleansing is being actively promoted in our neighborhoods.

FYI: The HISTORICALLY correct names for the "West Bank"  are JUDEA and SAMARIA. "West Bank" is anti-Jewish agitprop.

From our Muslim Commie Mayor ....

''Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the event on Tuesday. Sam Raskin, his spokesman, said Mr. Mamdani was “deeply opposed” to the event because it “includes the promotion of the sale of land in settlements in the Occupied West Bank.”... “These settlements are illegal under international law and deeply tied to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians,”   

In January- AFTER his election

The Mayor has struggled to earn the trust of segments of the Jewish community because of his criticism of Israel and his history of pro-Palestinian activism. But he also won the votes of many Jews who said they were inspired by his campaign and either unbothered by or supportive of his views on the Middle East. He has repeatedly vowed to protect the security and celebrate the contributions of Jewish New Yorkers, and has been endorsed by many progressive Jewish public figures and groups.[ny times]

1 short video -The anti Zionists. Doing their usual 
(Lost my pro Israel vids. Camera malfunction.)

 

2  FLICKR slide shows Pro Israel FIRST.

 

 

Them- the anti Israel protestors 

 

 

Outside the Park East Synagogue a "clueless" Nazi storm trooper . 

Officer Motolla told him ''you are on the WRONG SIDE'

Walter Masterson - a Street Theatre provocateur- was not confused
 [https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAuFG2ODF5/] 
Officer Motolla is GREAT. 

 

"I stand with Empire" was his game for the day

 [https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAuFG2ODF5/]

The event at Park East on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, was organized by Tivuch Shelly, a firm that markets real estate in Israel and the West Bank to English speakers.: The “Great Israeli Real Estate Event” [https://www.tivuchshelly.com/]

The NYPD established a large security perimeter, blocking streets around the synagogue, which restricted access for both protesters and potential attendees.

Hundreds of protesters gathered to oppose the sale of land in Israel and the occupied ''West Bank'', causing chaotic scenes.

They chanted, “We don’t want no two states, we want all of it,” “End the settler Zionist state,” “Death to the IDF,” and, “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”[Times of Israel]

" ... the protest was “intended to create fear in the hearts of Jewish New Yorkers and stigmatize our community.” “This is part and parcel of the rising antisemitism that we are facing,” .... 

HENCE: The “buffer zone” 

“I’m not familiar with the Park East Synagogue. And having been standing where both protesters and counter-protesters were standing, you would not know where it was,” Bernstein said. “I’m actually still figuring out where the synagogue is because the buffers are so large that it’s impossible to know.”

A Jewish couple was surrounded and harassed last night outside the Park East Synagogue event. Masked individuals shouted. "You rape men, you rape children. "You f**king sociopath, I see it in your eyes." Jews are starting to feel the danger of the Mamdani leadership.[@canarymission]

“These people are harassing Jews,” said Tim Rosen, 44, a lawyer from Queens. “They’re targeting Jews at a synagogue, it’s disgusting and vile and something I never thought I’d see in New York City. These people don’t want to free Palestine. They want to target Israel and kill Jews.” [NY Post]

“Whatever your politics, whatever your views, this is not the New York way and should be condemned.” [NY Times]

[https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/us-news/hateful-anti-israel-mob-descends-on-historic-nyc-synagogue-clash-with-cops-in-chaotic-protest/]

It’s Time to Dismantle the Apparatus Terrorizing American Jews. [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-last-straw/]

The terrorizing of Jews attending a real estate discussion at New York City’s Park East Synagogue last week must be the last straw. Every few weeks, there’s another incident. Another synagogue surrounded by protesters chanting “we need to make them scared.” Another Jewish worshipper put in a chokehold. Another commercial event forced to cancel because organized mobs showed up to intimidate attendees. Another neighborhood placed under siege while elementary schools lock their doors early. And every time, the response follows the same script: politicians condemn it, community leaders call it unacceptable, a few arrests are made for disorderly conduct, and then — nothing. The organization that planned it moves on to the next event. No more. It’s time that we took action to ensure that the organization that was responsible for organizing the terror campaign is bankrupted and dismantled. ... We need to stop pretending these are isolated incidents. They are not. They are part of a coordinated national campaign. What they are doing is illegal and it is long past time to use the laws on the books to end their campaign of terror.

 

 

Former President, Bill Clinton - “I killed myself trying to give them a State for the Palestinians. I had a deal that they rejected that would have given them all of Gaza and 97% of the West Bank. Whatever. They rejected it all.” The Palestinians never wanted peace.

They do not want PEACE.
 Not with the Jews

... Mr. MAYOR Mamdani released a statement on the Israeli interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters, “These settlements are illegal under international law and deeply tied to the ongoing displacement of Palestinians.” [NY Times] So, what can the future possibly hold if even the Leftist NY Jews continue to ELECT the likes of  Zohran Kwame Mamdani  as MAYOR of NYC.

PEACE will not be possible.

-30-

Post Script/Addendum: 
The following week there were
 NO BUFFER ZONES

Karen L LichtBraun Herut New York City

The chaos in Midwood yesterday was due to permitting the anti-Zionists to protest in the street without a permit. Until laws for protesting are enforced, we will continue to see harassment of Jews and physical violence. It will escalate because the Jew haters know there is no enforcement.

There was a huge turnout from the Midwood community and beyond. The unity was amazing. We had each other’s backs. It made a difference. A message was sent from the Jewish community at the Midwood protest 

“No Fear Here”

HORROR IN NYC: Masked Muslims Assault Jewish Children Outside Synagogue in NYC, Terrorize Jewish Neighborhoods

 

Where indicated, pictures and videos Pamela Hall-VSB