"Behind Sacred Doors"

A sacred sanctuary became a scene of terror, exposing a frightening truth: hatred grows when political rhetoric, public indifference, and fear become dangerously intertwined.

As a native New Yorker and a proud member of the Jewish faith, I woke up this weekend with a heavy heart and a profound sense of dismay. Central Synagogue is not some distant landmark to me. It sits just blocks from my front door.

This is my neighborhood.

These are my streets.

And yet I did not learn about the terror unfolding practically in my own backyard from a news alert or a morning broadcast.

At 7:45 Saturday morning, my phone lit up with a text from my boss, John Catsimatidis, the owner of WABC Radio, the home of my Sunday 5:00pm radio show, “When You Know…You Know.” John asked if I was out in the Hamptons. By complete coincidence, I was staying out in Watermill with close friends to celebrate two milestone occasions.

Then John asked if I could step in and speak at his morning roundtable event at 75 Main Street in Southampton.

The scheduled speaker, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, had been forced to cancel her appearance to deal with the horrifying aftermath of what had happened at Central Synagogue.

Standing on the East End, far from the chaos of Manhattan, I found myself thinking about something that should be unthinkable in America:

What does it say about our city when people can no longer assume that a house of worship is a sanctuary?

That question should disturb every American, regardless of religion or political affiliation.

I believe in the absolute, sacrosanct right of every person to worship without fear, intimidation, or harassment. I don’t care whether you pray in a synagogue, a church, a mosque, or anywhere else.

Faith should never require a security detail.

A person should be able to walk through the doors of a house of worship, close their eyes, pray, and believe they are safe.

That isn’t a liberal value.

It isn’t a conservative value.

It is an American value.

It is one of the fundamental freedoms that makes this country exceptional.

And that is precisely why what happened at Central Synagogue should shake us to our core.

During Friday night’s Shabbat services, congregants gathered seeking peace, prayer, and community. Instead, they were plunged into panic.

According to the account of the incident, Larry Montes entered the sanctuary and initially sat quietly for roughly ten minutes. He then moved toward restricted areas. When confronted, he allegedly struck at two sacred silver candles used to welcome in the Jewish sabbath.

Then everything changed.

As security attempted to escort him out, chaos erupted.

Screams filled the sanctuary. Worshippers scrambled for safety after hearing a loud pop and fearing the absolute worst; that a gunman had entered their holy space.

A 63-year-old woman was physically attacked and suffered injuries, including a cut to her lip and injuries to her arm. Security officers who intervened were reportedly spat upon, headbutted, and subjected to racial slurs before they ultimately restrained him.

Think about that.

People went to synagogue to observe Shabbat.

They went there expecting peace.

Instead, they found themselves wondering whether they were about to become victims.

That is heartbreaking.

And it cannot become normal.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was quick to condemn the incident, promising that his administration would use every available tool to protect Jewish New Yorkers.

I hope he means it; though I am exceptionally skeptical.

But here’s where I believe the conversation has to go deeper.

More police may be necessary. Better security may be necessary. Stronger protections may be necessary.

But if the answer is ultimately to transform synagogues into fortified compounds surrounded by barricades, armed guards, and layers of security, then we have treated the symptom while ignoring the disease.

A synagogue should be safe because society respects the people inside it; not because it resembles a military installation.

And leadership matters.

Words matter.

The political climate matters.

I am not suggesting that Mayor Mamdani personally caused what happened at Central Synagogue. That would be irresponsible and intellectually dishonest.

But elected officials have an obligation to understand that rhetoric has consequences. That his rhetoric has consequences.

When political language repeatedly crosses the line from legitimate criticism of a government into rhetoric that delegitimizes Israel, or makes Jewish New Yorkers feel as though they must answer for the actions of a foreign government, the consequences can be dangerous.

You cannot spend your political capital positioning yourself as an international activist and then ask New Yorkers to trust you as the mayor responsible for protecting their neighborhoods.

At some point, leadership requires remembering the job you were elected to do.

You are the mayor of New York City.

Not the president of the world.

Your responsibility is to every New Yorker.

And that brings me to what may be even more disturbing.

We are watching anti-Semitism creep into places where it once would have been socially and professionally radioactive.

The danger isn’t merely the extremist screaming on a street corner.

It is the gradual normalization of contempt.

It is the moment when people stop being shocked.

It is when prejudice becomes fashionable, excusable, or politically convenient.

Consider John Galliano.

In 2011, the legendary fashion designer was caught on video making a series of anti-Semitic and racist remarks. The fallout was immediate. Dior fired him. Galliano was convicted in France of making public racial and religious insults. His career, at least for a time, appeared finished.

But time passes.

Memories fade. People become numb to what appears to be a never ending barrage of anti Semitic and racist remarks.

And society has an extraordinary ability to rehabilitate people when doing so becomes convenient.

Galliano eventually returned to fashion. And now comes the part that should make every one of us stop and think.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, by and through AnnaWintour, the global editorial director of Vogue and Met Gala co-chair, has announced that its Spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition will be devoted to Galliano. John Galliano: Horizons will examine his career, his extraordinary creative influence, and, according to the Met, the darker chapters of his story as well. The accompanying 2027 Met Gala will take its theme from the exhibition.

Maybe Wintour should finally take off those blacked-out sunglasses, assuming she can even find her face under all that studied indifference, and look at who she’s propping up.

This is not some minor fashion-world footnote.

The Met Gala is one of the most prestigious events on the cultural calendar, an extraordinary gathering of the fashion elite, celebrities, designers, and cultural power brokers. The Met has chosen Galliano to become only the third living designer to receive a solo Costume Institute exhibition, following Yves Saint Laurent and Rei Kawakubo.

And yes, Galliano has apologized. He has spoken publicly about his addiction, his recovery, and his remorse. Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, have acknowledged his efforts at reconciliation. The Met says the exhibition will confront rather than erase his troubled history.

But I still have to ask the uncomfortable question:

What message does it send when someone whose own words once helped unleash anti-Semitic hatred is ultimately welcomed back into the highest circles of cultural prestige?

I am not arguing that people cannot repent.

I believe profoundly in redemption.

But redemption and remembrance are not the same thing.

Forgiveness does not require forgetting.

And accountability should not have an expiration date simply because the person involved happens to possess extraordinary talent.

That should make us uncomfortable.

Because prejudice doesn’t disappear simply because the headlines do.

And Jews know this lesson better than most.

History has taught us what happens when hatred becomes ordinary.

First comes the language.

Then comes the rationalization.

Then comes the indifference.

And eventually, people look around and ask how they allowed it to happen.

I refuse to wait for that question.

Friday night shattered the peace of Shabbat for the people inside Central Synagogue. But it also delivered a warning to the rest of us.

Rabbi Andrew Kaplan Mandel was right when he reminded us that we cannot allow anyone to steal our spirit.

I agree.

But courage isn’t pretending we aren’t afraid.

Courage is acknowledging what is happening and refusing to look away.

I am a proud Jew.

I am a proud New Yorker.

And I am a proud American.

I will defend the right of every person in this country to worship freely, without fear.

But I also believe we have reached a moment when our political leaders need to stop polishing statements for social media and start confronting the culture that allows hatred to become normalized.

Because when people are afraid to enter a synagogue, a church, or a mosque, something fundamental has already been lost.

And if we aren’t careful, the greatest danger won’t simply be the person who walks into the sanctuary.

It will be the society that slowly becomes accustomed to being afraid when he does.

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