Teaneck’s crossroads: confronting deadly antisemitic lies in our council chambers

At the heart of any community lies a shared responsibility and an obligation to protect, defend, and uplift one another in the face of adversity. On August 22, 2024, during a Teaneck Council meeting, that responsibility was tested, and what happened next demands our attention.

On March 10, 2024, a crowd of 1,000 people gathered to protest outside Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck, spurred by an informational real estate event designed for anyone, Jewish and non-Jewish, interested in learning about purchasing property in Israel. It was one of the darkest days in our community. As a Jew standing in my town, I heard chilling chants that “Hitler was right” and calls for us to “go back to Auschwitz.” We were branded as baby killers, and my friend was viciously slandered as a pedophile. Another protester screamed, “Your hostages are dead.” Amidst the chaos, a man carrying an Israeli flag was tackled by the protesters, who tore the flag in half and repeatedly drove over it. Councilmember Mark Schwartz and I stepped in to rescue what was left of the flag — the flag of Israel, torn and defiled, yet still a symbol of resilience.

All of this violence and hatred stemmed from a viral video of a Good and Welfare session at a Teaneck Council meeting. A speaker’s incendiary words sparked outrage, inflaming tensions that led to this tragic day. The same individual who incited those protesters to storm our house of worship returned to the council on August 22. With anger and conviction, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “The Jews of Teaneck want antisemitism. They are the poster children for antisemitism.”

It is easy to dismiss this as just another outrageous comment and not give it attention. However, this statement is far more than offensive. It is dangerous. It taps into one of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic conspiracy theories. The idea that Jews somehow “want” antisemitism, or that they thrive on it, is a profoundly insidious narrative. This lie has been used throughout history to justify discrimination, violence, and the Holocaust.

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Heinrich von Treitschke was a 19th-century German historian and politician whose antisemitism profoundly impacted the development of such dangerous ideas. Treitschke famously declared, “The Jews are our misfortune,” a phrase that became a rallying cry for antisemitic movements in Germany by Joseph Goebbels himself. He argued that Jews were harmful to society, suggesting that they were responsible for their own persecution. The narrative that Jews were not just different but actively harmful laid the groundwork for the antisemitic policies and attitudes that later would culminate in the Holocaust. It fed into the broader conspiracy theories of the time that Jews benefited from or even instigated the hostility against them. This is eerily similar to the claim made at our council meeting that Jews “want” antisemitism.

These dangerous narratives are precisely what President Biden’s Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt, warns against. As she explains, “One of the most insidious forms of antisemitism is the inversion of reality” — the idea that Jews are the architects of their misfortune, that they somehow bring hatred upon themselves. When someone says that “the Jews of Teaneck want antisemitism,” they are not just making a provocative statement — they are invoking a narrative that has been used for centuries to justify the persecution of Jews. This isn’t just words; it’s a harmful conspiracy theory that distorts reality and perpetuates hate. Words matter. Words like these require constant vigilance and a willingness to confront hate in all its forms, especially when it’s staring us in the face.

This is why it’s so important to speak out — not just in Teaneck, but everywhere. Rejecting this kind of rhetoric isn’t just about protecting one community — it’s about safeguarding the fabric of society as a whole. It’s about ensuring that our towns, cities, and nations remain places where everyone — regardless of their background — can feel safe, valued, and respected.

When Heinrich von Treitschke spread his toxic ideas in 19th-century Germany, many dismissed them as mere academic musings. But those ideas took root and flourished, eventually becoming part of the foundation for the horrors of the 20th century. Today, we cannot afford to be complacent. We cannot allow the seeds of antisemitism to be sown under the guise of free speech or differing opinions. The price of silence is too high.

Hillary Goldberg, a lifelong resident of Teaneck and founder and editor-in-chief of the Teaneck Tomorrow email newsletter, was elected to her hometown’s Township Council in 2022. After October 7, she wrote a resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel that council adopted unanimously.