Last Thursday evening, with little to no warning, a residential street in suburban Bergenfield became an unrecognizable no-drive zone with crowd control barriers erected by police. Multiple streets were blocked off before dark, disrupting evening activities for local residents. Homeowners returning from work and students coming home from school found themselves unable to park or get dropped off in their own driveways. Instead, cars had to be left outside the barriers blocks away.
What was all this for? Protesters from American Muslims for Palestine-New Jersey, NJ Cars for Palestine, WOL (Within Our Lifetime), NJ Cars for Palestine and others were, once again, objecting to an Israeli real estate information meeting, this time a small event held at a private home.
One resident had to maneuver her child’s wheelchair over uneven ground across many blocks, and return to her car again to take the child to an evening physical therapy appointment. “This placed significant physical and emotional strain on the family and highlighted the disruption caused to residents,” said the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee (BCJAC).
As darkness fell, a defiant crowd of Jewish residents who strongly objected to the presence of outside agitators surged from inside the neighborhood and from residential areas a few blocks away in Teaneck, with air horns and megaphones piercing the night air. Late in the day, the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County and BCJAC had publicized a counterprotest and encouraged residents to come and support their neighbors.
“We will not stand by when agitators harass our people living peacefully in our country,” said the RCBC in a press release.
According to BCJAC, “Counterprotesters maintained a peaceful presence, using music to drown out the disruptive sounds of horns and antisemitic chants from the pro-Hamas group. The counterprotesters demonstrated resilience and maintained good spirits throughout the event despite the deeply unsettling display of hatred that was allowed to unfold in their own neighborhood.”
Bergenfield officials appeared to focus entirely on preventing violence after not having made any attempt to prevent the protest from occurring. Cameras were put up on streets that were monitored by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office. A hastily created command center was placed in the nearby Bergenfield High School. The Bergenfield Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator Ryan Shell and Bergenfield Police Captain William Duran were assigned to monitor and oversee response from the school. Bergenfield was assisted by the prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s office. The Bergen County Rapid Deployment Force was on standby and other surrounding towns had officers on standby available for assistance if it was called for.
“After speaking to both the prosecutor’s office and our attorneys, they advised us that we could not stop the protest,” said Bergenfield Council Member Ora Kornbluth. “We also don’t have any ordinances in our town that could have stopped such a protest.
“That being said, none of the council was happy with the hate that was spewed. We pride ourselves on being one community. These were outside agitators and they don’t represent what Bergenfield stands for,” said Kornbluth.
The protesters, who did not have a permit, held up pictures of Hitler alongside their ubiquitous Free Palestine flags. As they marched toward their designated protest spot, they chanted slogans like “There is only one solution, Intifada revolution,” and “Globalize the Intifada.” The 75 to 100 protesters included members of the Neturei Karta, an anti-Israel sect of people who dress like observant Jews. The counterprotest was double that number or more.
That the Bergenfield protest occurred on the same evening that Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans were hunted, attacked, stabbed and run over in Amsterdam was a chilling and grotesque reminder of what the directive “Globalize the intifada” means. The fact that few public officials weighed in to support the Jewish committee was noted and indicated that there is much work to be done to prevent “the Intifada” from unfolding on the streets of towns like Bergenfield.
In the early evening when the police and barricades were in place, Bergenfield Mayor Arvin Armatorio, Kornbluth and Borough Administrator Cory Gallo released the following statement: “We are aware of the situation in your area and understand the concerns regarding a protest in a residential neighborhood and its potential impact on our residents and our community. Please note that the Borough of Bergenfield did not issue any permit nor encourage anyone to stage such a protest against a private activity.
“Given the many events occurring throughout the county and nation on similar issues, we have received guidance from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office on managing this sensitive matter. Since hearing about this planned event, we are proactively coordinating with the prosecutor’s office, county sheriff, our local police department and adjoining town police departments. Together, we have put a comprehensive security plan in place to protect our residents in nearby areas.
“Our foremost goal is to ensure the safety of our community. We are fully committed to preventing disruptions to residents’ peaceful activities and will not allow anyone to create danger or harm to the community. Please rest assured that we are taking every possible measure to keep you and our community safe.”
Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey made a statement of support, standing with the Jewish community of Bergenfield, “following last night’s antisemitic and hate-filled protests targeting Jews and Israelis in a residential neighborhood. Every individual should feel safe gathering in their own home and be free from harassment, intimidation, and chants of intifada which is nothing more than a call for violence against Jews. There should be no place for hate in our towns. We call upon community leaders and law enforcement to protect the innocent civilians being targeted solely because of their Jewish identity.”
One lone local official, Assemblyman Chris Tully, showed up at the counterprotest to support his fellow Bergenfield residents. “It’s vital we stand against the scourge of antisemitism, especially when directly affecting our friends and neighbors,” Tully told The Jewish Link. “The conflicts unfolding in the Middle East should never lead to the targeted harassment of a private residence on our neighborhood streets. As an elected official and Bergenfield resident, it was important [for me] to show support for our Jewish community.”
“Once we realized we could not stop the event, we sprang into action to make sure it was as peaceful as possible. And the fact that there were no arrests, no injuries, no vandalism or violence speaks for itself,” Kornbluth told The Jewish Link.
Various community members have begun to send letters to local officials, in particular to the Bergen County prosecutor’s office and the sheriff’s office, requesting that these types of protests in residential neighborhoods be deemed illegal and for those protesting in this way in the future to be arrested. “Jewish residents attended last night to peacefully counterprotest and to send a message that this kind of hate is not welcome in our community. What did these residents find? Protesters held up their phones to show images of attacks; there were calls for intifada; and even some yelling ‘we will kill you.’”
Future events involving Israeli real estate information sessions have also been affected. A West Orange parlor meeting intended to be held in a private home was moved to a communal building with better security.
Kornbluth added that Bergenfield beefed up security at all three shuls over this past Shabbat, to ensure that no other violence or disruptions would be allowed.
