New York State's Safe Worship Zone Law: Know Your Rights
New York State has a new law that makes it a crime to block, intimidate, or threaten people who are entering or leaving a synagogue, religious school, Jewish community center, or other place of religious worship.
What the Law Covers
The law protects synagogues, religious schools, Jewish community centers and other houses of worship – including their entrances, exits, parking lots and driveways.
It creates two new prohibited forms of conduct:
- Blocking access: Deliberately obstructing or interfering with an entrance or exit to make it unreasonably difficult or dangerous for any person seeking to enter/exit.
- The 50-foot zone: Engaging in threatening or intimidating conduct within 50 feet of the building – roughly the length of a school bus – that causes someone entering or leaving to reasonably fear for their safety.
What to Watch For
This law may be violated if someone near your place of worship is:
- Blocking or obstructing a doorway, gate, or driveway.
- Shouting threats and slurs directly at people entering or leaving.
- Following, surrounding, or menacing congregants or students near the entrance.
- Engaging in any course of conduct that makes a person seeking to enter/exit afraid for their safety.
What to Do
- Contact law enforcement if anyone is being threatened, blocked, or made to feel unsafe.
- Document everything and note the time, location and exact words used.
- Get a report number from the responding officer before they leave.
- Report to ADL so we can track the incident and connect you with support.