Commissioners Slam Celebrities For Promoting Antisemitism In Wake Of NJ Threat

CAMDEN, NJ — Non-Jewish people need to "speak up and be an ally" to their Jewish friends and neighbors in Camden County, officials said, while calling out public figures for contributing to antisemitic attitudes.

Commissioners Jeff Nash and Melinda Kane criticized celebrities who have been promoting antisemitic messaging, saying their words have galvanized anti-Semites to threaten violence against Jewish people and institutions. On Thursday, the FBI sent out an alert that there was a "broad threat" to New Jersey synagogues. Officials arrested a suspect Friday morning.

"It shocks the conscious that in 2022, the Jewish community is once again the target of baseless, senseless violence and hatred for no other reason than being Jewish," Nash and Kane said. "But unfortunately, this is our reality."

The threat came amid growing concerns of antisemitism rising throughout New Jersey and the nation. As Nash and Kane alluded to, some celebrities have been promoting anti-Jewish attitudes and storylines on social media.

The Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving for five games Thursday after the NBA star Tweeted out a link to an antisemitic film, as Patch reported. Rapper and fashion mogul Kanye West also made bigoted remarks about Jewish people and has since been dropped by multiple sponsors. Combined, tens of millions of people follow Irving and West on social media.

"Recently, high profile celebrities who shall remain nameless because they deserve no attention or recognition, have been spreading antisemitic messages to their millions of fans and followers, which in turn have created viable threats to the Jewish community across New Jersey, the country and the world," Nash and Kane said.

The commissioners said those who believe in the "poison" of hatred and antisemitism are not welcome in Camden County.

"We will not idly stand by while threats are leveled at the Jewish community," said Nash and Kane in a written statement. "To the non-Jewish community, now is your time to speak up and be an ally to those who are being threatened. The Board of Commissioners stands firmly with our Jewish brothers and sisters and we will do everything in our power to make sure that antisemitic violence does not fester in our communities."

Camden County is home to a number of Jewish community centers, organizations and places of worship. In Cherry Hill, Police Chief Robert Kempf said officers were stationed at schools Friday as an extra precaution. The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey also said local police increased patrols of the area and synagogues Thursday night.

"We are deeply troubled by the recent increase in antisemitism across our nation, and we condemn hate speech in all its forms," said the Federation, which serves Jewish people across southern NJ. "We are fortunate to live in a thriving Jewish community and in times like this, we stand together."

State officials reported 298 anti-Jewish bias incidents in 2020 and 347 last year. Bias incidents against any demographic tend to be undercounted though, as they hinge on the population's willingness to report matters to law enforcement and any barriers they may face in reporting.

New Jersey was home to one of the nation's deadliest antisemitic attacks in recent years, when two assailants targeted a Jewish grocery store in Jersey City. Five people were killed at the store, including both gunmen, during the Dec. 10, 2019, attack. The assailants also killed Det. Joseph Seals, a Jersey City police officer, at a nearby cemetery.

Jewish communities also recently acknowledged the four-year anniversary of the Tree of Life mass shooting, which killed 11 people on Oct. 27, 2018. The shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue is believed to be the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in U.S. history.

Patch's Josh Bakan contributed to this report.