By Fern Sidman & Jared Evan
A protest is planned for this Shabbos in Lakewood over the death of George Floyd and the organizers include a high school teacher who believes there will no change until “bloodshed” arises and reportedly posts anti-Semitic screeds on his Facebook page.
“We are preparing with the help of our community liaisons, so that we can handle any situation that may arise. It is our priority to maintain the safety of the community we serve, while allowing and respecting the right to a peaceful demonstration,” Lakewood Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith explained in a message to the Yeshiva World News web site.
“We ask that you keep all of those affected by the events in Minnesota and around the country, in your thoughts and prayers,” the statement said.
The local Jewish community does not seem too confident that this will be a peaceful event, knowing what has been going on across America during the last week of these violent protests. Twelve people have been murdered, police have been stabbed, attacked and shot, while synagogues and Jewish businesses have been looted and vandalized nationwide Lakewood police seem to understand this could be a disaster as they have also requested business remove all valuables & board up their storefronts.
“This protest was organized by Marquis Oliver, a 2013 graduate of Lakewood High School with the full support of Aaron Kotler (CEO of Beth Medrash Gavoha) and Michael Inzebluch, Attorney for the Board of Education,” said Abraham Sharabi, a Lakewood resident and prominent community activist who granted the Jewish Voice an exclusive interview.
He added that, “The Board of Ed is busing in the public-school kids to join the protest. The Board of Ed is providing food and drinks for the event. Marquis had some disgusting anti- Semitic rhetoric on his Facebook page regarding the protest. Marquis claims his Facebook account has been hacked and the dialog was not his, which is very hard to believe as it took him 48 hours to claim he was hacked. This protest should not have been allowed in the first place.”
Offering his insightful perspective on the rising tensions in this Orthodox Jewish enclave in central New Jersey, Sharabi said that, ” This protest is a gross injustice to the people of Lakewood. Aaron and Michael know the protesters may get violent. There have been posts saying “get those Jews, ruin Jewish business,” and more.
Mr. Oliver, a Lakewood High School substitute teacher paid for by the people of Lakewood, apparently agreed that ‘nothing’s going to change unless there is bloodshed,” according to information that Sharabi received.
“This protest should not have been allowed in the first place, ” intoned Sharabi, who had run for political office in the past.
He said that the Lakewood Police Department demanded from all stores in the downtown remove all valuables and possibly board up which many of them did. Obviously, the police know that chances are it is going to get violent and they are not going to protect property.
With frustration resonating in his voice, Sharabi said, “Our own police department is working against us.”
The Jewish community is up in arms about this. Lakewood children are terrified. They see and hear the news of what is happening to Jewish businesses in New York and Los Angeles.
Sharabi ruefully observed that “Unfortunately, Aaron and Michael do as they please. They are willing to sacrifice Jewish property and more just to pander to the far left so to further advance their political interests.”
Due to the Corona pandemic many shuls and yeshivos have been shuttered by the Lakewood Police. The Lakewood Police will not allow schools to open.
Sharabi queried: “If it is ok to gather for a protest, why can’t synagogues and businesses open up to the public? If the Board of Ed can bus children to a protest, why can’t they bus children to school? Why the double standard??? Why is the Board of Education wasting my taxpayer dollars on an issue that not related to education in anyway?? Little Children Matter! Jewish Lives Matter!!!,” Sharabi declared.
Zalman Leib Charloff, a young man in his late 20s and a resident of Lakewood told the Jewish Voice that he was completely prepared to confront the protestors on Shabbos.
“This protest on Shabbos is putting a lot of residents of Lakewood on edge, including myself,” Charloff said.
He intimated that the reaction of local elected officials to the protest did not allay the trepidation that was engulfing the community. “All we hear is that the mayor, local police and some activists are saying that everything is going to be alright. Frankly, that does not suffice when it comes to providing assurances to the people in Lakewood that we and our businesses are out of harm’s way,” Charloff said.
He asked, “Why don’t these protestors organize a protest in their own towns? Why come to Lakewood, if not to try and intimidate and harass Jews?”
Charloff expressed his indignation over the threat that the protest poses and his strongly held belief in people taking the ‘bull by the horn’ and becoming pro-active in a what could morph into a potential powderkeg. “Why are the police telling store owners to “board up”? In my opinion we should not be weak and board up. We should all go out on Shabbos and stand up for ourselves and make sure the protest does not devolve into an ugly scene of anti-Semitic violence as we cannot allow these protestors to cause damage to Jewish property, ” he opined.
He added, “Now, of course, we don’t know what to expect. It might be a peaceful protest, but it also might be an opportunity for people around Lakewood that hate us to cause us a lot of damage. Don’t forget what happened in other states where so called “Protesters” vandalized synagogues. I feel like we have to stand up for ourselves and we can’t rely on the authorities that don’t care about us either. Let’s all get out on Shabbos and stand together in front of our stores even if we don’t have weapons. We absolutely must defend our lives and our properties.”
[…] Mr. Oliver, a Lakewood High School substitute teacher paid for by the people of Lakewood, apparently agreed that ‘nothing’s going to change unless there is bloodshed,” according to sources. Read more. […]