Summit Declares 'No Home For Hate' At Menorah Lighting

SUMMIT, NJ - Summit Council President David Naidu had been to Temple Sinai, his synagogue, and participated in menorah lightings many times in the past, but Tuesday he said the event felt different.

"This menorah lighting is indeed different for me," Naidu said. "For, it is to make a statement about who we are as a community in 2018."

The difference in tone, experienced by the hundreds assembled in the chill night air, was due to the hate-laden graffiti found at both Summit Middle School and Summit High School over the past two weeks.

"Recently, I was here at Temple Sinai to assist in the dedication of the new Holocaust Remembrance Center. It was directly after the killings in Squirrel Hill," Mayor Nora Radest said. "At that time, I said that it was hard to imagine what it would be like to be the Mayor of a community that suffered such a hateful act. The events of last week have sadly brought those words closer to home than I could have imagined. The swastikas and hate language and symbols found in our schools do not nearly rise to the level of the tragedy in Pittsburgh. Still, there is an obvious connection between damaging words and damaging deeds. If we do not make it crystal clear, right now, that our community will not tolerate hate, we allow hate to fester."

Radest said that every time a hateful word is uttered or a loathsome symbol is drawn, each and everyone in Summit is wounded and the community as a whole is wounded as well.

"These are not just words and symbols on a wall, they are attacks on fellow students, friends and neighbors," Radest said. "They are not abstract attacks. They are personal."

According to Superintendent of Schools June Chang, all students at the middle school and high school were addressed, and were informed that hatred will not be tolerated or accepted at the school.

"Acts of hate of any kind in the Summit Public Schools will not be tolerated. We take pride in our continual efforts to make the Summit Public Schools a safe and welcoming place for all of our students and staff," Chang said. "We value our diversity, and are serious about promoting kindness, acceptance, and understanding within our community."

For his part, Naidu said that Summit is a community that condemns the use of hateful symbols and speech, the ideologies that underlie them, and the individuals who seek to maliciously use them to sow fear and division.

Chang said disciplinary action will be taken against anyone involved.

"But, more importantly, we are a community that will not sit idly when this happens," Naidu said. "For history teaches us, evil flourishes when good people are silent. Well, we will speak out, we will educate, we will show compassion, we will punish those responsible, and we will act."

Radest said that the acts ran contrary to the Summit community, where people
depend upon one another—for volunteering and carpools and neighborhood favors. She also noted that, fundamentally, they depend upon one another to create a place that they can be proud of.

"To my profound sorrow, I know I cannot protect the people of our city from the hate in this world. But I promise to call out hate and bias and make sure that our community addresses it head on. Gathering to show support for each other tonight is a meaningful step," Radest said. "We must all continue to talk with our children and our neighbors about the very real impact of hurtful words and images. We must also redouble our efforts to come together and share our life stories with one another. I truly believe the best way to fight hate is through shared experiences."

Radest said that the Holocaust Center at Temple Sinai will be open to the public and school groups and encouraged the entire community to attend. Radest also noted the Interfaith Council sponsors Dialogues on Race, at which issues of bias are honestly and respectfully discussed.

"I continue to encourage wide participation," Radest said. "I am proud of the resources that we have here in Summit to shine light on the darkness of prejudice and hate. Now we need to make sure they have an impact."

Radest said that she hoped the menorah lighting would bring light to all in Summit, no matter their religious background. Sentiments that were shared by Naidu.

"By lighting this menorah, we act symbolically and we proclaim: Hate Has No Home Here," he said.

(Photos courtesy of the City of Summit)

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