Israel-Hamas war fuels more local incidents as tensions rise in North Jersey

In the weeks after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, communities across North Jersey have mourned, rallied, and raised money and awareness about Israeli hostages being held by Hamas, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the deaths of thousands on both sides of the conflict.

But as more time passes, tempers are rising and an international crisis is playing out across communities in North Jersey.

On Tuesday, there were two incidents as local governments were convening:

• At the Passaic City Council meeting over Zoom, a group of disruptors were speaking racial slurs and antisemitic comments. During Mayor Hector Lora's remarks just a few minutes into the meeting, they began talking over Lora, shouting racial expletives and untruths regarding the Sept. 11 attacks. Three of Passaic’s seven council members are Orthodox Jews.

• More than 700 people were protesting — on both sides — outside the Englewood City Council meeting, Mayor Michael Wildes said. At issue was a resolution the council passed two weeks ago standing in solidarity with Israel against Hamas. As the confrontation between the groups grew heated, officials decided to shut down the meeting early, and several arrests were made outside, Wildes said. “It was clear there was a different dynamic outside the meeting than inside,” he said. “It was getting violent. When it seemed that things would be out of control, it was suggested we shut down the meeting, and we heeded the call.”

Three men from Irvington, Paterson and Wayne were arrested during the protest and charged with riot and disorderly conduct, according to Englewood police. Another two men from North Bergen and Paterson were arrested and charged for riot, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Last week in Teaneck, large groups of demonstrators waved Israeli and Palestinian flags, shouting, chanting and singing while the Township Council debated a resolution condemning the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

After hours of emotional statements from both sides, the council unanimously approved a resolution that largely focused on Israeli victims of the Oct. 7 attacks, as well as the trauma and fear felt by Jewish residents in Israel and Teaneck. A second resolution proposed that night, denouncing the Hamas attacks but also devoting more language to Palestinian suffering, was tabled, with council members saying they hadn't had enough time to review it.

"The reality is that people are saying they don't feel comfortable leaving their homes and haven't left their houses in over a week," said Councilman Elie Y. Katz, who helped organize a safety meeting with the Bergen County sheriff, the county prosecutor and FBI officials. “Many are watching videos of protests and antisemitic violence around the country. Nobody should have to live in fear."

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Both sides are hurting

Meanwhile, hateful sentiments had been allowed to fester as Palestinians were cast in dehumanizing ways, vilified as terrorist supporters and ignored as civilians and victims, said Selaedin Maksut, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations of New Jersey.

“The CAIR-NJ office has not received this many calls for help since the Muslim ban in 2017,” Maksut said, referring to a Trump-era ban that upended travel and visas for thousands of Muslim travelers.

In Clifton, the Palestinian American Community Center hired a security guard after receiving dozens of harassing phone calls, including one from a man in Texas who boasted of the guns he kept at home.

Police have increased patrols at the center, and staff members are keeping front doors locked and declining to answer anonymous calls, said Basma Bsharat, the center’s Palestine education director.

“Honestly, it has been very scary, especially with the story of Wadea,” Bsharat said, referring to the child killed in Illinois because he was Muslim. “My son is 5 years old. This could have been us.”

Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, said he has been receiving calls and e-mails from Jewish community members about increased harassment of Jews in the area since the Oct. 7 attack.

"It’s appalling to see the aggressive and violent nature of attacks against Jews and Americans by pro-Palestinian and Hamas sympathizers," Shames said. "The manner in which Israelis were slaughtered is disgraceful, and seeing people here in America embrace and celebrate that is disturbing. We are deeply appreciative that elected officials and law enforcement support our rights and recognize that there is no moral equivalency between the two."

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Trying to bring people together

With tensions running high over the war between Israel and Hamas, young people in Teaneck have launched initiatives to help foster dialogue and understanding between people with different views of the conflict.

Rawda Elbatrawish and Liora Pelavin, students at Teaneck High School, organized a youth talk on Wednesday called "Through a Deeper Lens" that invited young people to openly discuss events in Palestine and Israel.

And a trio of Yeshiva University students, including Ezra Seplowitz of Teaneck, launched a movement this week aimed at creating a better world through kindness, in response to the violence and hate they’ve seen since the attack in Israel. They invited people to perform an act of kindness and share it on social media, as a way to combat the prevalence of angry, fearful and toxic messages.

Staff Writers Matt Fagan, Deena Yellin and Hannan Adely contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Israel-Hamas war protests, arrests throughout North Jersey