The Ocean County freeholder board passed a resolution condemning the Facebook page “Rise Up Ocean County,” this week, after the group came under heavy criticism by elected officials and Jewish advocacy groups for promoting stereotypes and anti-Semitic views.
The resolution, passed unanimously, states that content on the page is “clearly recognizable and identifiable as anti-Semitic activity” and “attempted to make a direct anti-Semitic and discriminatory connection between society-based issues targeted against the Jewish population.” A full copy of the resolution appears at the end of this article.
Rabbi Avi Schnall, a Lakewood resident who serves as New Jersey Director for Agudath Israel of America, praised the freeholders, invoking his own historical reference.
“On Feb. 20 in 1939, 22,000 people enter Madison Square Garden, and they sold out every seat in that stadium,” he told the board. “They saw these massive banners and on the banners were printed in dark, bold letters: ‘Wake Up America, Smash Jewish Communism.’ That event exactly 80 years ago today was a gathering of the German-American Bund. Jews that were outside of the stadium protesting were badly and brutally beaten. Today, 80 years later … will be in our memories a day of pride that the board of the Ocean County freeholders stood up to that hate.”
Lakewood has passed a similar resolution against the page and sources have said requests have been sent to other Ocean County communities asking that they do the same. Jackson officials condemned the page verbally but stopped short of passing a formal resolution.
{Matzav.com}
