Seems like I launched my very first Viral Video Tuesday night. I’m not a content creator and few people know to attribute the video to me. But all the same, I took some videos, sent them to a few people on WhatsApp, and now people I’ve never met are watching and forwarding them. It’s wild.
Here’s what happened.
I live in Teaneck, in northern New Jersey, a town close enough, and far enough, from N.Y.C. We are a town comprised of about 15,000 Jews. So following the tragic massacre on October 7th the Jewish community was in mourning. And the response from the wider community was, well, lackluster. Some were pleasantly surprised by support from their non-Jewish neighbors, but many of us, as reported by Jews around the world, were met with silence. The Teaneck Township Council meets once a month and at their Tuesday October 17th meeting they were set to put a resolution to vote. This resolution, penned by Councilwoman Hillary Goldberg, asserted the town’s condemnation of terror and Hamas, recognized community members with family and children in Israel, acknowledged that Hamas’s actions will result in a huge loss of innocent civilian life in Israel and Gaza, outlined the inextricable link between conflict in Israel and the rise of antisemitism all over the world, and concluded with support for Israel and the Jewish community and a commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the town residents.
It was released to the public a day prior to the meeting and was met with heaps of praise and criticism. Word quickly spread to the Jewish community to show up to the meeting to support the resolution. While the public portion of council meetings begins at 8, the council members meet in closed chambers at 6:30, which is also when the doors to the building open to the public. I arrived at 6:15, the line already snaking around the corner, and it became obvious that the small meeting room would not accommodate the large crowd.
When the doors opened, as expected, the majority of attendees did not make it inside. It was 6:30, the public meeting wouldn’t begin until 8, and those of us on the line were getting vague information about whether there would be an opportunity to enter the meeting. So everyone just stood in line. Waiting. Israel supporters held signs with images of the kidnapped victims. Both Jews and Muslims stepped aside for prayer. Overall, everyone just waited, respectfully, peacefully, quietly.
Until about 7:30. Towards the end of the line, we could hear cheering, chanting, and tall Palestinian flags and a large crowd became visible in the distance. Teaneck Police began scrambling to set up the barriers prepared in advance. The line dissolved and the community members standing peacefully in line together were placed on either side of the barrier. If you were pro-Israel you go here. If you were pro-Palestine you go there. No distinctions made for nuance in personal beliefs. If you were pro-Israel it did not matter if your heart also breaks for the families and children suffering and dying in Gaza. If you were pro-Palestine it did not matter if you were disgusted by the massacre of Israeli families and children by Hamas and wish for the safe return of the captured innocent civilians. Optically we are divided on either side of the barrier. Us. And Them.
The Al ‘Ummah Community Center (AUCC), a Muslim non-profit, organized and promoted the protest on their social media. Based on past experiences it is assumed that the new arrivals were not Teaneck residents, rather, Palestinian youth activists from other towns. Teens and young adults. Their chanting included, “Free free Palestine,” and, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” On the pro-Israel side, community leaders ushered people away from the barriers and engaged everyone in Tehillim and singing in what appeared to be an attempt to both de-escalate by not engaging with the other side, and empower the pro-Israel representation who moments before were simply standing in a line. None of us had signed up for a loud aggressive protest. Word quickly spread in the Jewish community. Get to the municipal buildings. Tell your friends. Bring Israeli flags. And THEY. SHOWED. UP. People dropped everything and came to the municipal building, flags in hand. Police dragged more barricades. I overheard a police man call for the horses. Police with riot gear arrived on the sidelines. The Teaneck Police Department was prepared to keep everyone safe. At each stage I was videoing and sending updates to my synagogue WhatsApp chat. I documented the escalation.
Then around 9 p.m. the police told people to go home. The majority of the pro-Israel side did exactly that. Personally, I was relieved. I was ready to go home and left. But based on live streams the pro-Palestinian side continued to protest, and some individuals on the pro-Israel side lingered. Reportedly it turned hateful. Several first hand accounts described antisemitic rhetoric. Friends were intimidated walking to their cars, away from the police presence. Protest attendees drove by Jews and shouted antisemitic slurs. I watched a video of a pro-Israel adult male making inappropriate and bigoted comments to Palestinian supporters. It became an unfortunate night that further escalated already tense relations between our communities. It didn’t need to happen.
But that’s how I made a Viral Video.
