The rabbi of Oheb Shalom has issued a statement regarding the incident of an Israeli flag being removed from the front of the synagogue, as South Orange police continue to investigate the incident that occurred over the July 12-13 weekend.
Senior Rabbi Abigail Treu’s statement comes after elected officials in both South Orange and Maplewood issued a joint public statement condemning both the incident and antisemitism in general.
The elected officials stated, “We condemn antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. It has no place in South Orange, Maplewood, or anywhere else. To our Jewish neighbors, please know that you are valued, you belong here, and you have the unwavering support of both of our communities.”
“…As elected officials, we reaffirm our commitment to the safety and inclusion of our Jewish neighbors and to fostering neighborhoods where people of all faiths can worship freely, where every resident feels they belong, and where hate has no home,” the elected officials’ statement read. “We will continue working together to ensure that South Orange and Maplewood remain communities defined not by acts of intolerance, but by compassion, respect, and our unwavering commitment to one another.”
RELATED: Read the Elected Officials Full Statement Here
According to the police report, on the morning of Sunday July 13, police were called to the synagogue on a criminal mischief report of the missing flag, which was approximately 10 foot by 15 foot. The report states that security camera video shows that at 1:46 a.m. on Saturday, July 12, a group of people were walking past the synagogue (southbound) on Scotland Road and one of them “runs/walks” to where the flag is located and then “proceeds to run/walk” back to the group and they continue on their way.
While the report states that the footage does not show the individual removing the flag, it shows a shadow of a flag moving while the individual is the area of the flag. Police are still investigating and have passed the information to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
In her statement on Friday, Treu expressed gratitude to the leaders of both towns for their “remarkable” statement.
“There was a several decades in American life in which it would have been no big deal for elected officials – especially in politically progressively towns – to name their support for the Jewish community, to publicly state that they are ‘united in condemning the disturbing removal of the Israel flag’ from the exterior of one of the town’s synagogues, and to condemn antisemitism,” Treu wrote in her statement. “But in 2026, such statements are, sadly, remarkable. They are a very big deal, and are deeply appreciated by the Jewish community and, I hope, the broader communities of South Orange and Maplewood as a whole.”
Read Rabbi Treu’s full statement here:
Last week’s public statement condemning the removal of the Israel flag from the exterior of one of our town’s synagogues was one visible example of the often unseen work our elected officials do on behalf of our community.
In another era, it would have been unremarkable for town officials to write a public letter condemning vandalism that many members of the Jewish community experienced as an act of intimidation or hate, regardless of what investigators ultimately determine about motive.
There was a several decades in American life in which it would have been no big deal for elected officials – especially in politically progressively towns – to name their support for the Jewish community, to publicly state that they are “united in condemning the disturbing removal of the Israel flag” from the exterior of one of the town’s synagogues, and to condemn antisemitism.
But in 2026, such statements are, sadly, remarkable. They are a very big deal, and are deeply appreciated by the Jewish community and, I hope, the broader communities of South Orange and Maplewood as a whole.
Increasingly, public officials choose language that condemns hate in general while avoiding naming Jews specifically, particularly when the incident involves Israel. Naming a community that has been targeted, expressing understanding that the flag taken down is a “symbol of Jewish faith and identity,” does not diminish anyone else’s suffering. It tells that community that it has been seen, and is valued and supported.
There are loud voices pulling us toward division in our beautifully diverse community. Some wish for stronger public responses. Much of the work elected officials and law enforcement do, however, necessarily happens outside public view. Others see the conflict in the Middle East as their primary lens. But local government has a different responsibility, and so do we as friends and neighbors.
Our task here in Maplewood and South Orange is not to resolve the Middle East crisis. Our task is to decide how we treat one another as neighbors here, in this little corner of New Jersey.
How grateful we all should be that our elected officials care enough about each of us to do the work—seen and unseen—to make South Orange and Maplewood a place where not only hate has no home, but where shared values of tolerance, peace, and relishing differences are a source of strength, pride, and celebration.
Rabbi Abigail Treu
Senior Rabbi, Oheb Shalom Congregation
South Orange
