By Scott Richman and Richard T. Smith
This shooting in Jersey City three years ago was a tragedy that never should have happened, and one that only further strengthened the formal partnership between our two organizations — the NAACP of New Jersey and ADL’s New York/New Jersey Region — to fight hatred and bigotry of all kinds.
This is why we are coming together this Thursday afternoon in front of city hall in Jersey City, to speak out against racism, antisemitism and all forms of hate, and to underscore that no community can be safe until all of us are safe.
This message has become increasingly important in recent months. Current forces — with loud voices and large platforms — seek to drive a wedge between us, but we must ignore these distractions and focus on our common ground. Our constituents have a long history of collaboration and, especially today, we want to shine a light on our partnership to fight the insidious hatred that is threatening to boil over in our country.
Our work together is urgent, as our communities are increasingly vulnerable to hate crimes and bias incidents. According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office’s Bias Incident Report, anti-Black and anti-Jewish hate crimes were the most frequently reported hate crimes in 2021.
Last year, the ADL documented 370 antisemitic incidents in New Jersey – the second-highest number of antisemitic incidents anywhere in the country. On college campuses, swastikas, Nazi symbols, racial slurs, and bigoted graffiti are frighteningly commonplace; hateful rhetoric hurled at Jewish, Black, and Asian students constantly makes headlines.
Both of our organizations have mobilized in response. In April, ADL worked closely with the Lakewood community and county prosecutor following a series of violent attacks that culminated in the stabbing of an Orthodox Jew. In November, a dangerous threat to New Jersey synagogues resulted in the arrest of a young person who held extremist views.
In February, an altercation between two teens at a Bridgewater mall resulted in the Black teen being handcuffed and pinned to the ground while the other teen, who appeared to be white, sat on a nearby sofa. This past October, in Caldwell, a white man called 911 on a “little Black woman” he claimed was scaring him; that “little Black woman” was a 9-year-old girl protecting trees from lanternflies.
And, of course, there was Buffalo — the May 2022 mass shooting by a gunman who espoused violent white supremacist, racist and antisemitic views.
In the midst of this rise in both antisemitism and racism, recent statements from public figures — trafficking in antisemitic tropes and Holocaust denial — promote conspiracies that seek to divide us. Words spewed to millions of followers have real-world consequences. Kanye West’s antisemitism inspired white supremacists to display banners from expressway overpasses in cities from Los Angeles to Westchester, and it has also contributed to the glorification of Hitler and the Holocaust.
The noise of hate ignores the diversity within our communities and the fact that we are, as Michael Eric Dyson says, “in the same ship facing the ferocious headwinds of bigotry and hatred.” The hate mail recently sent to multiple New York City businesses, containing offensive racist and antisemitic caricatures of Black and Jewish people, makes it abundantly clear — we cannot tolerate a society riddled with prejudices and hatred of the other — as we are both “the other.” Antisemitism and anti-Black racism are inextricably intertwined.
We must reenergize our long-standing civil rights partnership, work together to uphold our values, and oppose every form of bigotry. And we must speak up and show up for each other — highlighting what unites us instead of what divides us.
How can we do this? Join us at city hall at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8 to shine a light on antisemitism and racism in our communities and beyond. Get involved with ADL, your local NAACP chapter, or their partners to show support; attend ADL and NAACP-sponsored events and volunteer your time. Register and show up to vote.
The time is now. There is no us versus them. We must unite against all forms of hate and together commit to combat antisemitism and racism in all their manifestations. Only together can we eliminate discrimination and secure justice and fair treatment to all.
Scott Richman is the regional director of ADL/New York New Jersey.
Richard T. Smith is the president of the New Jersey NAACP.
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