Maplewood Township: Statement From The South Orange Board Of Trustees And Maplewood Township Committee Regarding Antisemitism

Press release from the Maplewood Township:

July 19, 2021 - 11:15am

We are proud to live in and serve the South Orange and Maplewood communities. The diversity of our towns add to their richness and, for many of us, was one of the reasons we were drawn to these communities. 

Living in diversity brings with it not only blessings but also responsibility. We have not been immune to the increased bias and hate that has taken root in our nation in recent years. We are grateful that time and time again, when those who seek to sow seeds of hate by targeting one group or another, we have lived our responsibility to make clear that “Hate Has No Home Here”.

When transgender patriots serving our military were the focus of discrimination, we gathered to hoist a transgender flag in the center of town.

When violence against people of color reared its ugly head, we joined in solidarity to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

We stood in solidarity with the Muslim American community, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, and any other group being targeted.

In recent months, we have seen a surge in antisemitic incidents across our nation including a hateful hashtag celebrating the Holocaust. To our dismay, the vitriol on social media has been accompanied by a marked increase in antisemitic incidents as well. A recent study by the Anti-Defamation League noted that antisemitic incidents more than doubled in May 2021 vs May 2020 and that trend has continued in the months since.

This rise in anti-Jewish hate coincided with the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. In the weeks since, some have attempted to link, and even justify, the increase in antiJewish rhetoric and behavior in America to this period of violence. In communities as diverse as ours, there will be and are a variety of perspectives on the conflict. We acknowledge the differing perspectives as part of our diverse communities, and we recognize that the emotions surrounding it runs deep. For many in our towns, particularly those of us who support Israel’s right to exist in safety and security and those of us who are committed to supporting the national aspirations of the Palestinian people, this conflict is personal.

That noted, we roundly reject any attempt to justify hate that is directed toward any members of our community – full stop. Events in the Middle East deserve our attention but in no way do they justify hate and violence directed toward any resident of our town.

Therefore, we affirm that we, the undersigned elected officials of South Orange and Maplewood:

When our two towns gathered virtually for the Holocaust Remembrance Service this past spring we heard the phrase, “Help us to stand up, speak out and protect the vulnerable”. We are committed to living what we say in every way possible.

In peace and solidarity,

Village President Sheena Collum                                   Mayor Frank McGehee    

Trustee Bobby Brown                                                          Deputy Mayor Dean Dafis

Trustee Donna Coallier                                                        Committeewoman Nancy Adams

Trustee Bill Haskins                                                              Committeeman Greg Lembrich

Trustee Karen Hilton                                                            Committeeman Victor De Luca

Trustee Summer Jones

Trustee Bob Zuckerma

This press release was produced by the Maplewood Township. The views expressed here are the author’s own.