Silence in the face of hatred is surrender
On Sunday in Teaneck, I stood alone on the Municipal Green as hateful words rang out from pro-Hamas protesters, while others actively told our community to ignore it. What I heard today was not just a protest, it was an assault on the very existence of the Jewish people. Ignoring hate doesn’t make it disappear. Silence is not neutrality. It’s complicity.
While I stood witnessing, these words weren’t just staying on the Green. They were being recorded, shared, and amplified on social media, where antisemitic content spreads like wildfire, unchecked and unchallenged. They’ll be seen by thousands, maybe millions. For many, these words will be the only “truth” they hear about Jews and Israel.
This is how hatred spreads in the digital age. Social media algorithms amplify extreme voices, pushing antisemitic content to new audiences at unprecedented speeds. Each uncontested lie, each unanswered accusation becomes part of a larger narrative that distorts our history, demonizes our community, and denies our right to exist. When we stay silent, we surrender our story to those who wish to erase it.
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The speaker’s words were laced with hatred, beginning with the declaration: “We reject Zionism in all its forms. No matter how soft or liberal you think you are, we reject it.” Let me translate that for you: We reject Jews. When they say “Zionist,” they mean Jew.
Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. It’s a connection to our history, our survival, our resilience. To reject Zionism “in all its forms” is to deny the legitimacy of the Jewish people.
It didn’t stop there. The speaker went on to call Zionism a “racist settler colonial, oppressive, evil ideology” and declared: “The ethnic cleansing we see today, the murder, the land theft… this is what happens when Zionism is allowed to proliferate.” These words didn’t just attack Israel, they sought to paint Jews as the architects of global evil. They were words that dehumanize, isolate, and incite violence.
Then came the chant: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” To those who don’t know, this isn’t a call for peace. It’s a call for the destruction of Israel and the death of the Jewish people who live there. It’s a chant that Hamas terrorists scream as they launch rockets, a chant of eradication, not coexistence, and certainly not unity. I will not stay silent as the death of my residents are called for in my town.
A leader wrote in a Facebook group: “This has nothing to do with the protest on the Municipal Green, which should be ignored. What better way to do something positive while ignoring something negative.”
Let me ask: Is ignoring hate a positive act? Is it leadership to bury your head in the sandbox while genocidal chants are screamed blocks away? These words, dismissing the importance of confronting this hate, are not just wrong; they’re dangerous. I for one will not be silent as death to our residents is called for in Teaneck.
Every moment we choose silence, every time we look away, we allow these dangerous narratives to spread unchallenged. In today’s digital world, hatred doesn’t stay confined to street corners. It echoes through social networks, reshaping perceptions and radicalizing new generations. These aren’t just words. They are seeds of hatred being planted in our community, spreading across platforms where antisemitic content can reach millions within hours. History has shown us this pattern repeatedly, but now it moves at the speed of a click, a share, a viral post.
Social media platforms amplify antisemitism not by accident, but by design. Their algorithms prioritize “engagement,” often favoring sensational and polarizing content that draws reactions — whether likes, shares, or outrage. According to a recent analysis, antisemitic content on X (formerly Twitter) increased 115-fold between October 2023 and June 2024. Hashtags like #ZionistsAreNazis and graphic Holocaust inversion memes are now commonplace on platforms that once were seen as bastions of free speech. The normalization of this rhetoric is evident in the data: Jews are now targeted with an average of four antisemitic tweets per day, a staggering rise from just two per year a decade ago.
One of the most insidious aspects of antisemitism online is its potential to normalize violence. The chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is often echoed alongside visuals and narratives painting Jews as oppressors or conspirators in global atrocities. This narrative doesn’t stay on the screen. In 2024, researchers identified how thread hijacking, where antisemitic content is embedded in the replies of influential figures, ensures that millions of unsuspecting users encounter these hateful ideologies.
Moreover, antisemitism thrives in the unchecked corners of alternative platforms like Telegram. These platforms not only host explicit antisemitic content but act as gateways, connecting niche extremists to more mainstream communities. This is where the concept of “priming” becomes critical. Research shows that even subtle exposure to antisemitic narratives can predispose individuals to adopt more extreme positions. The spread of antisemitic words is not just a threat online, it primes people for real-world violence.
Today, I stood alone on the Green because I knew what was at stake. My presence didn’t erase the hateful words, but it sent a message: We are paying attention. We will not let this hatred grow unchecked.
To those who think ignoring hate in the name of unity is leadership: You are wrong. Leadership isn’t about choosing what’s easy, it’s about standing up when it matters most. It’s about refusing to let lies and hate go unchallenged. Your absence today was noticed. Your silence was deafening. Your dismissal of the pain and fear of your community sends a devastating message: that maintaining comfort is more important than confronting hatred.
To those who think they can erase me or the leadership I bring to the Jewish community: You will not erase me. Your silence does not define me, nor does it diminish the importance of standing up for our community and our values. If anything, your silence strengthens my resolve to speak louder, to stand firmer, to ensure that hatred doesn’t go unchallenged in our streets.
The Jewish community deserves better. We deserve leaders who understand that silence in the face of hatred isn’t unity, it’s surrender.
Leaders who recognize that every unanswered lie, every unchallenged slur, every moment of chosen ignorance allows hatred to take root and grow stronger, both in our streets and across our screens.
We must reclaim our narrative, tell our own story, and stand firm against those who would distort our history and deny our identity.
Hate doesn’t disappear on its own. It festers. It grows. And if we don’t stop it, it will consume us.
I won’t let that happen. Will you?
Hillary Goldberg, a lifelong resident of Teaneck and founder and editor-in-chief of the Teaneck Tomorrow email newsletter, was elected to her hometown’s Township Council in 2022. After October 7, she wrote a resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel that the council adopted unanimously.
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