Threats and Attacks

By James Hickey

With crime and domestic terrorism a major concerns of voters, North Jersey was the site for a Congressional hearing seeking ways to combat violent extremism, global and domestic terrorism, and antisemitic threats. 

Held at the Teaneck Municipal Hall Oct. 3, Rep. Josh Gottheimer hosted the House Homeland Committee hearing in the 5th District for a two hour plus discussion with expert witnesses who helped to connect the activities of hate groups at the center of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys to the rise of bias crimes in New Jersey and nationwide. 

“Over the last years, we’ve witnessed an alarming spike in activity from domestic extremist groups threatening our communities with violence and hate—in person, online, and deep in our communities,” said Gottheimer. “These domestic terrorists have seeped into our communities—putting our families in danger, pitting our neighbors against one another, further dividing our country.”

House Hearing

Testimony from the experts alternated between their personal experiences in confronting antisemitic, how to better combat the increase of bias groups, holding national figures accountable when they use racist and threatening language and expanding anti-racism education to inoculate young people against radicalization.

With two of the most significant Jewish holidays being observed in a week’s time, witnesses detailed how synagogues are taking more security precautions and the steps Jewish students are taking to conceal symbols of faith out of fear of being attacked.  

Panic Buttons at Synagogue

Scott Richman, the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) regional director for New Jersey and New York, detailed the new normal as he prepared for Rosh Hashanah services at his synagogue. Richman was chosen to wear a device with a panic button around his neck to alert authorities in case of an attack.

“Like so many worshippers, I spent the service distracted by the fear that our synagogue could be next—the next Colleyville, the next Jersey City, the next Tree of Life,” said Richman, reciting recent attacks at Jewish houses of worship. “As Yom Kippur begins, I urge you to remember the way that these threats tear at the fabric of our communities, our democracy, and our country. Now is the time for action.”

The ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in the U.S. recorded 2,717 acts of assault, vandalism, and harassment in 2021—an average of more than seven incidents per day. Of that, 370 were reported in New Jersey.

Campus Antisemitism

In her role as interim executive director of Rutgers Hillel, Rabbi Esther Reed detailed the issues at the state university where the Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, was vandalized for a second time in the last year. Eggs were thrown at its house on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, last week. 

Reed was critical of Rutgers for its lack of a high profiled response and the U.S. Department of Education for not doing more to protect the rights of Jewish students, saying “dozens” of cases of antisemitism remain open that go back 12 years.

“Many of the other pending complaints are also over a year old and have yet to be investigated,” she said. “Every week that goes by is another example of Jewish students’ rights to equal opportunity not being protected.”

Trump’s Racist Comments

Lawmakers and witnesses noted the increase was a result of the mainstreaming of theories that would have not been given consideration years ago. 

Rep. Al Green (D-TX) argued words have power, especially when used by leaders of political parties, and those that use language that is antisemitic and racists must be condemned.

Green cited a recent online message from Donald Trump when he attacked his former Cabinet member Elaine Chao and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, including the line McConnell “must immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!”

“That is a racist statement, that is a racist statement from the former president of the United States,” said Green. “This is the same president who said that there were very fine people in Charlottesville….At some point, silence becomes betrayal. We all have a duty to speak up regardless of where it emminents, especially if it is the highest office in the land.” 

Mainstreaming Hate

“A former president of the United States of America has recently indicated that the Majority Leader of the Senate has a ‘death wish’ because he supported legislation sponsored by Democrats. That can cause harm,” continued Green, who noted the historical relation between the Black and Jewish community in fighting hate. “Mr. McConnell and I do not agree on much, but I am going to stand up for him…and his wife.”

Susan Corke, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, said the normalization of the political rhetoric fosters an environment where the White supremacists’ Great Replacement Theory narrative that originated in antisemitism and gets pushed by conservative commentators like Tucker Carlson.

“This racist conspiracy, which says there’s a systematic, global effort to replace white European people with nonwhite foreign populations, provides a central framework rooted in antisemitic ideology for the White supremacist movement,” Corke said. “The theory has motivated many deadly terror attacks.” 

Responsibilities of Big Tech

Rep. Tom Malinowski argued that while antisemitism and extremism are not new, the the speed at which it spread has increased expentitonaly and said he is focused on holding tech companies accountable for their amplification of hateful rhetoric that leads to offline violence.

“These hateful ideas spread (due to) the growing weakness of our institutions in countering them,” said Malinowski. “One of the central reasons for this is that we all get our information filtered through social media platforms—if antisemitism is the virus, Facebook is the wind.”

Committee Vice Chair Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15), who chaired the meeting, added “What is said on social media does not stay on social media.” 

AAPI Community Targeted

The attack on Chao led Gottheimer to put a spotlight on the dramatic spike in hate crimes targeting religious, LGBT and ethnic groups, including Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism report found that anti-Asian hate crime increased by 339% last year compared to the year before.

“I know that the rise of racially-charged attacks against the AAPI community has many no longer feeling safe,” he said. “I hear stories of residents having to carry pepper spray around town and fear letting their kids go out to play. This shouldn’t be their new normal.”

The Bergen County lawmaker offered a key component to deal with these crimes was ensuring funding for law enforcement, citing his Invest to Protect bill that was recently passed by Congress. 

FASTER Act

“As we are seeing a rise in extremism and hate crimes across the country, it’s critical that we take steps to invest in—not defund—law enforcement to keep families and communities safe,” he said. “We must combat all forms of hate wherever it exists and ensure our communities and law enforcement have the resources they need to stay safe and secure.” 

To that end, Gottheimer announced the introduction of the bipartisan the Freezing Assets of Suspected Terrorists and Enemy Recruits Act (FASTER Act). The bill proposes to help law enforcement freeze the assets of ISIS-inspired, lone-wolf terrorists or other domestic extremists that are arrested on U.S. soil and implement a National Homegrown Terrorism Incident Clearinghouse for all levels of law enforcement to collect and share information. 

“We simply cannot run the risk of funds being used by an ISIS-inspired terrorist or other extremist to carry out another attack by friends, family, or unknown accomplices operating in a small cell,” he said  “Unfortunately, the extreme actions and radical ideas of domestic extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys go beyond January 6th.” -North Jersey News