At a Met Council breakfast Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law that creates a buffer zone around places of worship, forcing protesters to remain 50 feet from the perimeter of these institutions.

The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty is the largest Jewish charity in America that fights poverty. The organization distributes not only free kosher food to Jewish people but also halal food to Muslims.

At the breakfast, which drew several notable New York Jewish politicians, such as City Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, honorees included the first Jewish speaker of the City Council, Julie Menin, and Mark Levine, the city comptroller. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch was also recognized at the event.

The breakfast was held at Cipriani 42nd Street in the morning before the Israel Day Parade was set to take place.

In her remarks, Hochul condemned the actions of protesters at places of worship.

“Being assaulted verbally and sometimes physically in a state built on the premise that it should be a refuge for people, especially after Oct. 7, is shocking to me as the governor of this state, the hate that it unleashed in our home,” she said. “Now it is up to us not just to condemn it but to take action against it.”

“It will now be a criminal act to harass people at a place of worship,” she said.

Violations of the bill will be defined as a Class B misdemeanor, with penalties that may include jail time, probation, fines and a permanent criminal record.

“It should not be controversial that congregants have the right to freely enter and exit their house of worship without intimidation, harassment or injury,” Menin said in her talk. “In addition, it should not be controversial for students to enter and exit their respective school without intimidation, harassment or injury.”

Recently, a bill to protect places of worship with a buffer zone passed in New York City with a veto-proof majority, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed a bill that would similarly protect schools.