First and foremost, thank you to all of our residents who came out on Tuesday night to let us know how you feel about what is happening in Teaneck.

I have something I would like to say to the residents of Teaneck.

Over the course of my life, and I’m only 47 years old, I have always found that one of Teaneck’s greatest strengths is our diversity, and no matter what our individual backgrounds might be, we have always put Teaneck first.

We have always been a community that has been able to come together, more often than not. And while it wasn’t unanticipated that events around the world could impact us right here in our hometown, the degree to which they have has been unprecedented and alarming.

On October 7, our community and the world changed. Our hearts broke in real time as members of our community lost family and friends at the hands of Hamas, which chose to start this war with their actions on that terrible day.

Hamas is a terrorist organization that was founded in hate, and Hamas has stated repeatedly that their mission is to make sure that Israel no longer exists—by any means necessary. And that cannot be allowed to happen.

In addition, there are still more than 100 hostages whose fate is yet to be determined, including six Americans who have direct ties to Teaneck and to Bergen County as a whole.

This terrible war has resulted in thousands of lives lost, including innocent men, women and children, about which there can be no other feeling than that of sadness and empathy.

I personally look upon my 8-year-old son and see in his eyes an innocence that only a child can possess, who has not yet experienced the full dangers of the world that we live in, and I cannot begin to fathom what it would feel like if I were to ever lose him, let alone during a war.

However, I do not sit on this dais and represent Israel or Gaza; I represent Teaneck. And as I have said before, Teaneck has always taken great pride in our diversity, but lately it doesn’t feel like the Teaneck that I grew up in.

The dialogue has shifted to a polarizing alarming state, and sadly right now it is hard to envision a day when we can all come together again like it used to be. Because Teaneck will never be the same. We will never be the same.

And I am appalled by the reactions and comments I have gotten from community members and those outside of our Teaneck boundaries, especially through social media, because there have been threats of violence made against me, there have been threats of violence made against my 8-year-old son, there have been threats of violence made against other members of my family, there have been threats of violence made against countless members of our community, and there have been threats of violence made against the township.

This has to stop. And just a few weeks ago, a council member’s house was broken into. That too has to stop.

While I understand the passion of those who are protesting, I cannot condone violence or threats of violence in any shape or form, and when you threaten my 8-year-old son and my family, it is nearly impossible for me to hear your message. And I denounce and condemn the use of symbols of hate such as the Nazi salute.

Also, because people keep asking me, personally, I believe in a two-state solution, but that is just my humble opinion. I am not an expert in foreign affairs or Middle Eastern affairs and I am quick to admit that.

But as members of our Teaneck community going forward, we need to find common ground, and common bonds, to talk to each other like neighbors, like we used to, because we cannot escape the reality that antisemitism and Islamophobia are at an all time high, and we must do everything in our power to protect our neighbors, to protect our hometown and to not add fuel to the flames of hate.

And lastly, to the folks on social media who have threatened my 8-year-old son because of these protests, I have taken steps to protect my son and my family online and in person. So I have hidden some messages on social media threatening my family and my hometown, but we can see everyone who is making those threats. And all of those threats have been reported to the police and to the FBI and are currently being investigated.

Mayor Michael Pagan
Teaneck