On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the South Orange Village Council spent the majority of it’s 2.5-hour Council meeting Monday night hearing from its police chief and from the public regarding Sunday’s antisemitic incident at Oheb Shalom Congregation.
Police Chief Ernesto Morillo outlined the incident that occurred Sunday, Jan. 26, saying 9 to 10 protesters were at the synagogue, where someone wrote “Terrorists This Way” in chalk on the driveway and drew an arrow pointing toward the synagogue. Inside the synagogue were both children attending Hebrew school and a program featuring an elite rescue squad from the Israel Defense Forces. Morillo said there’s video footage and witnesses that say some of the protesters were blocking the driveway and calling members of the congregation “baby killers” and “terrorists” and one threw red liquid meant to look like blood at a passerby who got into an argument with a protestor.
Both South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams denounced the incident on Sunday. At Monday’s meeting, Council Member Jennifer Greenberg read a statement, saying “As a Jewish woman, this pain is deeply personal. Each day, I am reminded of ALL the suffering that has unfolded in the wake of October 7, and my heart breaks —not just for the ALL lives lost, but for the many communities torn apart by hatred.”
RELATED: Mayors, Police Chief Respond to Antisemitic Incident at Oheb Shalom Synagogue
Greenberg urged the Council to find solutions to ensure that everyone in the community feels safe and to “take concrete steps to safeguard the diverse, inclusive communities we cherish.”
“The pain and fear that these acts create cannot be underestimated,” Greenberg said. “In these challenging times, we cannot allow intolerance to take root. We must call it out loudly whenever it surfaces. Every protest should remain peaceful and respectful; this protest was neither.” (Read the full statement below.)
Chief Morillo said that the Police Department is investigating the case and working closely with the special victims unit of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, which is reviewing it as a possible bias incident. South Orange is also receiving assistance from the New Jersey State Police and the Office of the Attorney General, he said.
“Obviously we’re taking this very seriously,” Morillo said. “We’re making sure that we’re able to identify everyone that may have been involved in this, and so far from the people that we’ve been able to identify, no one is from South Orange or Maplewood.”
Numerous Jewish residents from South Orange, one from Livingston and one from Millburn as well as a council member from Teaneck, said they felt the incident was an escalation of the kinds of antisemitic remarks and rhetoric such as “globalize the Intifada” that they’ve been hearing since the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel by Hamas and the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza that ensued. As a result of this incident, they said, many are feeling unsafe.
David Murray, whose 8- and 9-year-old children were attending Hebrew school at Oheb the time of the incident, asked what the Village is going to do to show that “this is not something that will be tolerated.”
Collum and Morillo reiterated that the police are working diligently on the investigation and working closely with prosecutors, and Morillo and is meeting with the rabbis off all the congregations in town this week to discuss making sure the police know ahead of any special programming so they can prepare ahead of any protests that might occur and provide extra security when needed.
Some said it was particularly unsettling that it happened in South Orange, where diversity and inclusion are valued.
“We pride ourselves on our values of tolerance and equity and respect and ‘hate has no home here,’ and yet, time after time, the Jewish people do not seem to merit that consideration,” said resident Daniel Caplan. “The people at the synagogue yesterday had nothing to do with governmental policy about what’s happening in Israel, whether U.S. or Israeli policy, and it was really just disgusting to see what was going on. … I hope that this can be a turning point for the community, and we can move forward, protecting everybody, all minorities in this town, that need it.”
Resident Elizabeth Payne, who said she is not Jewish and was relieved to know that the protesters that police have identified are not from South Orange or Maplewood.
“Thank you, Chief, for telling us that it is not the neighbors that I run into in Stop & Shop or at the Post Office or walking down the street, or at Starbucks, Sonny’s bagels and all the other places that we visit,” she said, adding she is concerned for her friends and neighbors. “I’m looking for ways to help support my neighbors that are all feeling very lost and very unsafe in our community right now.”
A few members of the public encouraged the Village to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism to provide guidance to police. South Orange already adopted a resolution to define and denounce antisemitism — in 2021, because of a rise in incidents across the country at that time. And after the Oct. 7 attacks, both towns joined together to condemn antisemitism.
RELATED: South Orange, Maplewood Leaders Issue Joint Statement Condemning Antisemitism
Statement from Councilwoman Jennifer Greenberg Regarding Anti-Semitic Activity in South Orange
On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day…
It is with a heavy heart that I speak to you today as both a Councilwoman and a member of this community. Growing up in South Orange, I have always believed in the strength of our diversity, the richness of our shared values, and the deep bonds that unite us. Our town has always been a place where we respect each other’s differences, learn from one another, and work together to create a more inclusive world. It is precisely that spirit of unity that makes the recent wave of anti-Semitic activity so painful—and, frankly, so shocking.
Since the tragic events of October 7, I have watched with a heartbroken sense of helplessness as acts of hatred against the Jewish community have multiplied, not just in Israel, but here, in our very own neighborhood. As a Jewish woman, this pain is deeply personal. Each day, I am reminded of ALL the suffering that has unfolded in the wake of October 7, and my heart breaks—not just for the ALL lives lost, but for the many communities torn apart by hatred.
Yesterday, at Oheb Shalom in South Orange — hateful actions – including protestors shouting antisemitic chants and vandalizing synagogue property – took place. This has no place in SOMA. The fact that this happened on a Sunday, while young children were in Hebrew School, makes it even more heartbreaking. This is not just an attack on a building; it is an attack on our values, on the very fabric of who we are as a town. It is an assault on the sense of peace we’ve worked so hard to build together since the October 7th terrorist attacks.
The pain and fear that these acts create cannot be underestimated. In these challenging times, we cannot allow intolerance to take root. We must call it out loudly whenever it surfaces. Every protest should remain peaceful and respectful; this protest was neither. As local leaders, we must unite in condemning acts of hate and take concrete steps to safeguard the diverse, inclusive communities we cherish.
Our children, the future of this community, are now faced with the reality that hate exists in the spaces they once felt safe. And that reality extends beyond our Jewish community — it ripples out, affecting all of us. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
But we will not let fear and hatred define or divide us. SOMA has always been a place where we rise above, where we stand together. In these difficult moments, we must show up for each other, support each other, and refuse to let hate take root in our community.
As your Governing body, we are committed to working with community leaders, law enforcement, and local organizations to strengthen our town’s response to hate and discrimination. We will not stand idly by. I urge each of you to take action: not only to educate yourselves and your families about the importance of tolerance, respect, and understanding but encourage ALL our leaders to stand together to stand together in this fight. Participate in community dialogues. Support our local synagogues, churches, and places of worship as they continue to be sanctuaries of hope and healing in challenging times.
The work we do now will have a lasting impact. It will shape the future of SOMA, and it will set the tone for the kind of community we want to be. We are working behind the scenes to find solutions, so we can live in a town where every individual feels valued, safe, and supported, no matter their faith, race, or background.
In times like these, it is easy to feel helpless. But let me be clear: we have the power to change this. We have the power to make a difference. And we have the power to build a future where the values of love, peace, and acceptance triumph over fear and division.
I am deeply grateful for the support I have already seen from so many of you. Let’s keep this momentum going. Let’s show that together, we are stronger than hate.
Councilwoman Jen Greenberg
