Graffiti, Protest At South Orange Synagogue Sparks Outcry

This article was updated at 8:40 p.m. on Jan. 27

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — “Terrorists This Way.” That was the message scrawled on the driveway outside a synagogue in Essex County last weekend, officials say – an incident that has spurred a police investigation and accusations of antisemitism.

The war between Israel and Hamas has temporarily cooled in Gaza with a recent ceasefire agreement. Tensions surrounding the devastating conflict – which has claimed thousands of lives on both sides and caused heart-wrenching misery for others – are still boiling across the world, however, including in North Jersey.

On Sunday, a group of pro-Palestine activists gathered on the sidewalk outside of Oheb Shalom on Scotland Road in South Orange to protest an event that the synagogue was hosting. The topic? Unit 669: the combat search and rescue unit of the Israeli Air Force.

According to a statement from South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, the activists acted within the limits of their First Amendment rights at first. But someone allegedly crossed the line when they defaced the driveway with a “hateful” message – “Terrorists This Way” – along with an arrow pointing toward the synagogue.

Collum said the South Orange Police Department and the special victims unit of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office have launched an investigation.

“The incident is being treated as a biased crime, and the authorities have already identified an individual(s) of interest,” she said.

“This act of intolerance is deeply disturbing and has no place in our community,” Collum wrote. “We must come together, united in our commitment to stand against hate, bigotry, and discrimination in all forms. This is not just an attack on one group; it is an attack on the values that bind us all as neighbors.”

“I ask that we all remain vigilant and continue to foster an environment of respect, inclusion and support for one another,” the mayor continued. “In times like these, our strength lies in unity. Let’s stand together against acts of hate and ensure that our community remains a place where everyone feels safe and valued.”

The incident took place less than 24 hours before International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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A social media post from SOMA for Palestine offered a different viewpoint about what happened, however:

“Today a local synagogue in South Orange, Oheb Shalom, hosted a soldier who participated in a genocide. Multiple respected human rights organizations: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, preeminent holocaust scholars and institutes: Lemkin Institute for genocide prevention, as well as the International Court of Justice have all said what is happening in Gaza is genocide. Shame on the organizers of this event. Shame on those pretending that people protesting this event were there to persecute the local Jewish community. Genocide is not a Jewish value. Religious institutions should not be used to provide political cover for a potential war criminal – that is the crime Sheena Collum. Where’s the outrage about the genocide, war crimes. Just outrage about fake blood on the sidewalk Sheena Collum.”

“We didn’t get any heartfelt messages about Islamophobia from the mayor when we were called terrorists and a guy yelled 9/11 at us repeatedly,” the group added.

Collum wasn’t the only local official in the area to denounce the incident.

On Sunday, Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams issued the following statement on behalf of the Maplewood Township Committee, Deputy Mayor Malia Herman and committee members Vic DeLuca, Dean Dafis and Deborah Engel:

“Maplewood stands in solidarity with Oheb Shalom Congregation and our entire Jewish Community, which was targeted by protesters on Sunday with hateful antisemitic graffiti on the synagogue’s property. We join with the elected officials in South Orange and with the clergy of all our synagogues to strongly denounce these acts, and to offer our support. Rights of free speech and protest do not give anyone the right to deface property or make threats against the Jewish community. Whether these acts were committed by residents of South Orange or Maplewood or from people outside of our community, our message to you is clear. We stand together to resist and reject your intimidation and disrespect of the Jewish residents in our towns. An act of hate toward one is an act of hate toward all of us.”

POLICE UPDATE

South Orange police said about 9 to 10 demonstrators were present outside the synagogue for the protest.

Police said they are investigating four allegations:

• "Graffiti written with chalk, on the driveway of 170 Scotland Road as well as red liquid poured on sidewalk"
• "An interaction with a passing motorist resulting in a protestor throwing a red liquid onto said driver’s vehicle"
• "An interaction with a resident who reported being harassed"
• "An interaction with a resident who reported being harassed and blocked from entering the driveway of 170 Scotland Road"

The red liquid involved in the protest wasn't blood or anything "biological in nature." The graffiti was written with chalk and not paint, police said.

No assaults were reported as of Monday, police added.

‘OUR TENT IS A LARGE ONE, BUT IT HAS WALLS’

Rabbi Abigail Treu of Oheb Shalom has also issued a statement in the wake of Sunday’s protest, which can be seen here. She noted that a “caring neighbor” came by the synagogue to wash the graffiti away after the protesters left.

Nobody was in danger at any point, and the program wasn’t interrupted, the rabbi said.

“More than anything we pray for peace between Israel and its neighbors,” Treu asserted.

She continued:

“As in all things, we are a diverse community. We do not insist that we all keep kosher the same way or have identical prayer lives or ways of celebrating shabbat and holidays. So too we do not require a set of beliefs around Israel, domestic politics, or any other issue. Since October 7 we have offered an array of programs that seek to reflect the diversity of the Oheb community in how we hold our connections to Israel. We have held Listening Circles to hear from each other, heard from West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers speaking together on our bimah, and we pray daily for Israel and for peace. The program this morning featured an elite rescue unit of the Israel Defense Force, whose sole mission is search and rescue. This unit has saved the lives of people in Israel and around the world, including from natural disasters in countries such as Turkey and Haiti. Ironically, as protesters outside were calling those driving past ‘baby killers,’ those attending the program were hearing firsthand accounts of infants and children rescued around the world – including civilians in Gaza during this war.”

Treu noted that future events are planned at the synagogue, and they may leave room for “lots of questions, grappling, ideas and opinions.”

“However, there are limits to even the widest of tents,” Treu added. “People who stand outside our building, calling us terrorists, making us feel threatened or on the defensive as we undertake the peaceful work of joining in local community, do not have a place here. Not at Oheb, and I know not at our neighboring synagogue partners, either.”

“Our tent is a large one, but it has walls,” the rabbi said.

Treu said she will be traveling to Israel this week with a group of interfaith clergy members.

“This summer I will take the mantle of leading this group in our on-going, year-round work of building relationships and mutual understanding,” she concluded. “For me, this feels like the perfect response to [Sunday] morning’s protest.”

Essex County has seen several confrontations between supporters of Israel and Palestine since the latest escalation of the long-running conflict erupted in October 2023.

• See Related: One Of Nation’s Longest Pro-Palestine Protests Ends At Rutgers-Newark
• See Related: Thousands Pack NJ Temple On Anniversary Of Oct. 7: Israel-Palestine
• See Related: West Orange To Verona: Students Hold Walkout Over Israel-Palestine War
• See Related: Pro-Palestine Protester Faces Controversial Charges In South Orange
• See Related: Palestine, Israel Supporters Have Tense Confrontation In Essex County

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