New York State has passed new legislation creating 50-foot buffer zones around houses of worship following months of hostile anti-Israel protests outside shuls across New York City.

The law, included in the state budget and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, goes significantly further than Hochul’s original 25-foot proposal. It allows law enforcement to establish protective perimeters around shul entrances and extend them farther when necessary. Intentionally obstructing access to a house of worship is now a Class B misdemeanor.

The legislation follows a wave of increasingly aggressive demonstrations outside Jewish institutions, where protesters shouted support for Hamas, waved Hezbollah flags, screamed at Jews entering shuls, and chanted calls for “intifada.” At one recent protest in Manhattan, masked agitators were photographed ripping down a picture of the Rebbe from a traffic light before throwing it away.

One officer was hospitalized after protesters attempted to break through NYPD barricades during another anti-Israel protest outside a Manhattan shul.

The push for stronger protections gained momentum after repeated incidents in which Jews attempting to enter or leave shul were harassed and intimidated by hostile crowds gathered directly outside the entrances.

Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein spoke in favor of the legislation on the Assembly floor, saying, “No New Yorker should ever be forced to choose between their personal safety and attending religious services.”

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber of Agudath Israel welcomed the bill’s passage, calling it “historic legislation establishing clear buffer zones around houses of worship, schools and other institutions.”

He also thanked Gov. Hochul and legislative supporters including Sen. Sam Sutton, Assemblyman Micah Lasher, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, and Assemblyman Sam Berger for “making this happen.”

UJA-Federation of New York praised the legislation as “decisive action to protect New Yorkers,” saying the measure would help safeguard the right to worship free of harassment and intimidation.

The new state measure comes after Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed a separate City Council bill that would have required similar safety planning around schools and educational institutions, including yeshivos.

Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Rita Joseph, whose districts include parts of Crown Heights, voted against the school protection bill, which fell four votes short of a veto-proof majority in the Council, as detailed in Hudson, Joseph Help Mamdani Block School Safety Bill.

Multiple states in recent months have also moved to strengthen protections for houses of worship, passing laws making it a criminal offense to disrupt religious services. Lawmakers in states including Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas advanced these measures following incidents of harassment and intimidation outside places of worship.