Security Measures of Presidential Proportions

If you have been down around the Museum in the past couple days, the scene to the right will look familiar. Battery Place starting at the Ritz-Carlton (directly across the street from MJH) is currently blocked to cars (the ones you see in the picture are cop cars) and barricades line the sidewalk. During certain times of the day, even pedestrians are asked to clear the area, re-routing their paths away from the street and sidewalk. Why, you ask? President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is a guest at the Ritz and is in New York for the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. Needless to say, extra security measures were deemed necessary. This should not effect your visit here at the Museum: in the worst case scenario, you will simply be asked to take the "scenic route" around by the water instead of straight along the sidewalk. However, I have not had an issue walking my usual way since the measures were set in place on Sunday. But it's just a good thing to keep in mind--you may want to allot for a little extra time. 

The Iranian president's stay in New York in 2007 garnered much criticism, protest, and controversy: particularly his appearance at Columbia University. In his article about Ahmadinejad's current stay in the States, Gabe Pressman of WNBC says:

[The city of New York] should extend [Ahmadinejad] an invitation to visit the Museum of the Jewish Heritage down at the Battery. This Museum tells the tragic story of the Holocaust, in stark terms. Ahmadinejad need go no further than the southern tip of Manhattan to see proof that there was the Holocaust he denies.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments.