Last Shabbat, a newly completed mural in Highland Park was defaced with spray painted Jewish stars, after having been defaced the previous Thursday evening with scrawls of “USA.” The Vaad HaRabanim of Raritan Valley issued a statement on Sunday that read: “We, the rabbis of the Vaad HaRabanim of Raritan Valley, unequivocally condemn the defacing of the new mural recently installed in Highland Park. Furthermore, we condemn the use of Jewish imagery to do so. Supporting diversity and fostering the legitimate expression of opinions strengthens all of us, and we must not let this act of vandalism sow division within Highland Park.”
The ROC OF NJ (The Raritan Valley Orthodox Jewish Community Association) also issued a statement: “The ROC of New Jersey strongly condemns the vandalism used to deface the mural that was recently painted on Raritan Avenue. … Refugees are the backbone of America and the Jewish community too is appreciative of the welcome we received when our forefathers and foremothers arrived at these shores. We hope that those that vandalized the mural will be caught by law enforcement and dealt with accordingly by the legal system. In the meanwhile, we stand together with the men and women of all faiths residing in Highland Park in asking that we all respect each other, and work together to bring tolerance and harmony to our community.”
Over the weekend and the next week, local Jewish community members continued to discuss the mural, its defacement, and the divisiveness they have raised.
The mural is on the side of a commercial building on Raritan Ave in Highland Park, located near one of the main entryways into town. It was arranged with CoLAB in New Brunswick (an artists’ collective that advocates for art in public spaces) to commission an original mural to be painted by a CoLAB-affiliated artist on the building.
As one of the leaders in CoLAB later explained in a Facebook post: “The mural’s name is “Home is Where We Make It,” and it was co-sponsored by Interfaith-RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment). The three portraits in the mural represent individuals served by their work, from areas of Northeast Africa and the Middle East around the Red Sea. The mural displays native flowers and the constellation orientation visible from the area between Eritrea and Syria.”
As the painting of the mural was nearing completion, Highland Park’s mayor, Gayle Brill Mittler, praised it in a Facebook post in late April and related the message of the mural to the immigrant experience many local residents or their families had experienced.
Around the same time, the CoLAB artist painting the mural, Amrisa Niranjan, reported that while she had received praise for her work from different residents, she had also been approached by a few people who called her a racist or a Nazi for the work. She stated that she felt unsafe and sought support from the community. The police increased their drive-bys of the mural location but CoLAB, along with the Black Community Watchline, Antiracism in Action, and the Middlesex Black Jewish Coalition (local advocacy groups) issued press releases stating that the mayor and council had failed to respond to Niranja’s safety concerns and had failed to publicly denounce the racism she experienced.
The mural was completed on Thursday, April 28. On Friday morning, a resident reported to the Highland Park Police Department (HPPD) that the mural had been defaced overnight with graffiti, with the letters “USA” spray painted near the face of the Muslim woman in the mural and the signature of the artist and the name of CoLAB were spray painted over. The police announced that they were investigating the matter.
On Shabbat day, the HPPD received reports that the mural was defaced again, this time with two Magen Davids drawn on the face of the Muslim woman. This second act of defacement drew a public condemnation from the pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, Seth Kaper-Dale, who termed it a ‘hate crime,’ and condemnations from many residents in a Home News Tribune news story and Facebook posts.
Community members and groups involved in commissioning the mural held a rally early Saturday night to denounce the defacement of the mural, attracting over 100 attendees. Most Jewish community members, however, only learned about the second defacement and the Jewish implications after Shabbat ended, when they turned on their cellphones.
CoLAB and the three local activist groups called for an interfaith vigil against racism by the mural on Monday night, May 2, to denounce the defacement and rally the community in opposition of hatred. A dense crowd gathered in the parking lot and sidewalk near the mural to participate in the vigil, including many members of the local Jewish community.
Other speakers included Reverend Seth Kaper-Dale of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, Reverend Karen G. Johnson of the Unitarian Congregation of East Brunswick, Gihane Jérémie-Brink of the Black Community Watchline, and Dr. Alex Kharazi, the director of Masjid-e-Ali Mosque in Somerset, New Jersey.
