The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race strongly condemns yesterday’s hateful and threatening actions targeting the Jewish community. We stand in solidarity with Rabbi Treu, her congregation at Oheb Shalom, and all our Jewish neighbors, and wholeheartedly denounce antisemitism.
We also want to address concerns raised following our annual program honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., where an invited speaker mentioned the plight of the Palestinian people and not that of the Israeli people, in the context of a larger speech about MLK’s work and teachings. We recognize that this omission was very upsetting to some attendees, and given the format of the event, there wasn’t opportunity for dialogue with either the speaker or representatives of the Coalition at that time.
The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race’s mission is to build a racially integrated and truly inclusive community. We are unwavering in our condemnation of antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and all forms of hate and bigotry. These biases seek to divide us and undermine our shared goal of creating a beloved, inclusive community. We affirm our mission to create a community where people of all faiths, races, and backgrounds can live free from fear and discrimination. And we stand by our statements opposing all forms of hate, including antisemitism and Islamophobia (see here and here).
As an organization dedicated to fostering equity and inclusion, we also understand that our community encompasses diverse and conflicting views on complex and sensitive issues. We strive to build a space where all voices can be heard, ensuring discourse—however difficult—is conducted with respect and compassion. We continue to invite all community clergy to our events, and were honored to have the inspiring opening and closing of the MLK Observance delivered by local clergy. Our commitment to racial equity and justice calls us to address disagreements openly and constructively, as challenging as that may be.
Following the MLK Observance, we are reaching out to affected individuals to hear their concerns and seek their input. We are also reaching out to town leaders and faith leaders to seek their input on how we can improve upon our work to foster spaces that see and recognize our shared humanity and shared struggle, and spaces in which we can engage in honest dialogue. We look forward to supporting deeper understandings of one another, while continuing to confront bias and work to build equity, integration, and inclusion for all.
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