I have been attending Congregation Keter Torah, a synagogue in Teaneck, New Jersey, for the past 14 years of my life. I have never felt afraid about that fact. That fact, that I had taken for granted for so long, just changed.
Given the rising anti-Semitism in the United States, at the moment, many congregants at my synagogue have been considering making Aliyah, moving to Israel. My Home in Israel, a real estate firm specializing in brokering properties to prospective Olim (Israeli immigrants), reached out to my synagogue to offer to hold an information session this coming Sunday, March 10th.
Immediately after the announcement that they would be holding this information session, planning for a pro-Palestine protest outside the synagogue began. The organizers spread lies that the event was actually an auction exclusively for properties within the West Bank. None of this was true. There was no auction of properties planned, and although some properties listed by My Home in Israel are located within the West Bank, the vast majority are not. These lies were created to spark outrage.
It worked. The protest is projected to be large scale, and the local Jewish community is terrified of what might happen. In recent memory, many synagogues have had to be evacuated due to violence at nearby pro-Palestine protests. No one knows what will happen at this protest, and the Jewish community is scared.
However, the more noteworthy thing is the location of the protest. The protestors claim to be protesting against the Township of Teaneck to not allow events like this to take place. Why are you protesting at the synagogue then? Protest at the town hall! The answer is clear. This protest is sending a signal to the Jews in Teaneck and Jews worldwide: "you are not welcome." I have never heard of a pro-Israel protest being held at a mosque. For that matter, I have never heard of another time a protest has been held at any house of worship. Nonetheless, this protest, as well as many other pro-Palestine protests, both recently and historically, have been set to take place at synagogues.
Overall, this event represents a truly disgusting trend within the pro-Palestine movement. Holding protests at synagogues is emblematic of the wider phenomenon of anti-Semitism within pro-Palestine circles. Anti-Semitism, and intimidation of Jews is unfortunately widespread within the pro-Palestine movement, and must be stopped and stood up to in all its forms.