Despite Violent Protest, Israeli Minister Ben Gvir Speaks at 770 (2025)

By COLlive reporter

Anti-Israel protesters who gathered in front of 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights on Thursday evening enraged local residents, who say the police stood by and did nothing as they disturbed the peace and blocked residents from attending the Shul or heading to shop or home.

The demonstration gathered at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters just before 9:30 PM as protesters rallied against an appearance by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who was visiting the neighborhood. He attended a Siyum HaRambam event in the 770 Shul in the evening, attended by hundreds of Jewish men.

“What happened tonight in Crown Heights was outrageous and deeply disturbing,” Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, community activist and Director of the Jewish Future Alliance, wrote on X. “A group of antisemitic protesters gathered at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue—the very heart of this heavily populated Jewish neighborhood—spewing hateful, inflammatory rhetoric at innocent passersby, myself included.”

The protesters stood at the busiest intersection of the Jewish community in Crown Heights, and shouted antisemitic slogans like “We don’t want Zionists here,” and genocidal chants such as “We don’t want two states, we want all of it,” and “Resistance is justified.”

“How dare you come into my neighborhood—where I’ve lived for over 40 years—and tell me I don’t belong? I absolutely belong here. My family, my neighbors, and my community belong here,” Behrman wrote.

“Your hatred and your slogans weren’t directed at a political figure—someone most people in the community didn’t even know was here—but at all Jews: those going to synagogue, shopping in the area, passing by, or simply out for an evening walk.

“Let’s be clear: this was not about free speech or peaceful demonstration. This was an antisemitic, Hamas-supporting rally. It was meant to intimidate, to provoke, and to spread fear.

Your hatred has no place here. Not in Crown Heights. Not anywhere.”

One resident angrily described being unable to cross the street near his home, and said an officer grabbed him and pushed him aside, even though he was only walking around in his own neighborhood.

VIDEO:

Another resident described witnessing a protester picking up a bike from the sidewalk on Eastern Parkway and violently throwing it at Jewish passersby. The witness told COLlive that the unprovoked act of violence frightened him, and he called 911 to report the incident.

He said he witnessed the NYPD officers standing by as the protesters acted in a violent manner and did nothing to stop them. When one Jewish bystander grabbed at one of the protesters’ signs, however, 4 or 5 cops immediately chased him down and arrested him.

U.S. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik expressed outrage about the violence in Crown Heights, stressing that “Jewish Americans must never feel unsafe in their own communities. There is no place in our country for hate-fueled violence against the Jewish people.”

Stefanik called for an immediate federal investigation into these dangerous organizations and their funding networks.

“The heinous violence last night outside the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn is horrifying and unacceptable. Pro-terrorist antisemitic anarchists violently targeted one of the holiest Jewish sites in America, shouting vile antisemitic death chants and attacking Jews as they gathered in peace.

“This wasn’t a protest—it was a violent attack. Six arrests were made, including criminals charged with assault and harassment. One violent radical even stormed inside during an address by Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, further escalating tensions. This vicious destructive antisemitism is part of a disturbing and growing trend across our country. I have been warning about these extremist, anti-American groups for years—they have no morals, no respect for civil discourse, and they resort to dangerous violence when confronted with truth,” she said.

What happened tonight in Crown Heights was outrageous and deeply disturbing. A group of antisemitic protesters gathered at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue—the very heart of this heavily populated Jewish neighborhood—spewing hateful, inflammatory rhetoric… pic.twitter.com/9zFD2ZwnlJ

— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) April 25, 2025

VIDEO: Ben Gvir addresses crowd in 770