Anti-Semitic attack in N.J.: Protesters deface synagogue during pro-Palestinian rally

Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced the sidewalk outside Oheb Shalom synagogue in South Orange on Sunday morning, spray-painting antisemitic graffiti as two Israel Defense Force (IDF) members gave a presentation inside, officials said.

Rabbi Abigail Treu said the event featured an elite IDF rescue unit dedicated to search-and-rescue missions, including efforts in Turkey and Haiti. Protesters, however, scrawled “terrorists this way” on the sidewalk and shouted “baby killers” at passing cars, according to Treu and South Orange Mayor Shena Collum.

South Orange police were on-site during the demonstration. Despite the vandalism, a neighbor quickly cleaned the sidewalk, and the program continued without disruption.

SOMA for Palestine, a local pro-Palestinian group, condemned the event and accused the synagogue of providing “political cover for a potential war criminal,” but rejected claims that the protest targeted the Jewish community.

Rabbi Treu strongly denounced the actions, stating that those who seek to intimidate and threaten the Jewish community “do not have a place here.”