Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there are no specific or credible threats against New York City at this time, but officials are taking additional precautions because of the significance of the Sept. 11 anniversary and ongoing concerns about antisemitic threats.
"Your safety during these sacred days is of the utmost importance to our administration," Mamdani said, addressing Jewish New Yorkers ahead of the High Holy Days. "We will work tirelessly to ensure you can observe the holiday securely."
Tisch said the NYPD, U.S. Secret Service and federal, state and local partners will deploy a large security presence around the National September 11 Memorial & Museum as family members, dignitaries, former presidents and other invited guests gather to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
"You will see a massive security operation in place," Tisch said. "There will be layers of security that are highly visible, and others that the public will not see."
New Yorkers can expect to see uniformed officers, counterterrorism personnel, heavy weapons teams and counter-drone units throughout Lower Manhattan.
The ceremony is not open to the general public.
Traffic restrictions begin at 6 a.m.
Beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, major traffic restrictions will take effect in Lower Manhattan.
Officials said no vehicular traffic will be allowed south of Canal Street to Battery Place, between Broadway and West Street.
Broadway will remain open to southbound traffic, but trucks will be prohibited.
The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel will remain open, and motorists will still be able to exit southbound for access to the FDR Drive.
Security fencing will be installed around the memorial site and along portions of the West Side Highway.
For invited guests attending the ceremony, security screening entrances will be located at:
Greenwich Street and Vesey Street
Greenwich Street and Liberty Street
Pedestrian crossings will remain open at:
Church Street and Barclay Street
Church Street and Liberty Street
West Street and Murray Street
West Street and Albany Street
Officials also reminded attendees that firearms are prohibited at the event.
Mayor Mamdani urged New Yorkers to avoid driving in Lower Manhattan during the commemoration because of expected traffic disruptions.
As the Sept. 11 ceremonies conclude Friday, another citywide security operation will begin with the start of Rosh Hashanah at sundown.
Officials acknowledged growing concerns within New York's Jewish community amid a rise in antisemitic incidents.
"Too many of our neighbors have been the victims of anti-Semitic hate crimes, and too many are understandably afraid to come together and celebrate openly," Mamdani said.
According to the NYPD, confirmed hate crimes citywide are up 16% through the first eight months of the year, while antisemitic hate crimes have risen 9%. Tisch said more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in the city target Jewish New Yorkers, who make up roughly 10% to 12% of the population.
The commissioner cited several recent incidents, including an assault during Shabbat services at Central Synagogue and the stabbing of a Jewish man outside an Upper West Side synagogue.
Tisch said the NYPD will increase its presence at synagogues, yeshivas and Jewish cultural institutions throughout the High Holy Days.
Additional measures will include increased uniformed foot patrols, dedicated house-of-worship patrols, enhanced intelligence and counterterrorism monitoring, coordination with synagogue security teams and religious leaders, and traffic enforcement around houses of worship.
"As of today, there are no specific credible threats directed at High Holy Day celebrations in New York City," Tisch said. "But we remain vigilant."
She said the department's Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau continues to monitor threats both domestically and internationally and is working closely with law enforcement partners to identify emerging risks.
Mamdani called the level of antisemitic victimization in New York City "unacceptable."
"Whether it be for the High Holidays or whether it be for any day, it is our responsibility to ensure that they are safe," the mayor said. "We are going to use every single tool at our disposal to deliver exactly that."
NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said the terrorism threat landscape has changed dramatically since Sept. 11, 2001.
"The threat is quite different from where it was 25 years ago," Weiner said, describing today's dangers as more decentralized, ideologically diverse and often driven by individual actors rather than organized terrorist groups.
She said the NYPD has adapted its counterterrorism strategies to address threats ranging from foreign terrorist organizations to extremist ideologies, conspiracy theories and anti-government violence.
Tisch said security deployments for both the Sept. 11 anniversary and the Jewish High Holy Days will be larger than in previous years.
"Our deployment this year at the World Trade Center for Sept. 11 will be larger than it has been in previous years," she said. "As will be our deployment this year for the High Holy Days at shuls and yeshivas and Jewish cultural institutions, based on the realities of the world that we live in today."
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