As published in TAPInto SOMA.

Last week’s public statement condemning the removal of the Israeli flag from the exterior of one of our town’s synagogues was one visible example of the often unseen work of our elected officials do on behalf of our community.

In another era, it would have been unremarkable for town officials to write a public letter condemning vandalism that many members of the Jewish community experienced as an act of intimidation or hate, regardless of what investigators ultimately determine about the motive.

There were several decades in American life in which it would have been no big deal for elected officials – especially in politically progressive towns – to name their support for the Jewish community, to publicly state that they are “united in condemning the disturbing removal of the Israeli flag” from the exterior of one of the town’s synagogues, and to condemn antisemitism.

But in 2026, such statements are, sadly, remarkable. They are a very big deal and are deeply appreciated by the Jewish community and, I hope, the broader communities of South Orange and Maplewood as a whole. 

Increasingly, public officials choose language that condemns hate in general while avoiding naming Jews specifically, particularly when the incident involves Israel. Naming a community that has been targeted, expressing the understanding that the flag taken down is a “symbol of Jewish faith and identity” does not diminish anyone else’s suffering. It tells the community that it has been seen, and is valued and supported.

Loud voices are pulling us toward division in our beautifully diverse community. Some wish for stronger public responses. Much of the work elected officials and law enforcement do, however, necessarily happens outside public view. Others see the conflict in the Middle East as their primary lens. But local government has a different responsibility, and so do we as friends and neighbors.

Our task here in Maplewood and South Orange is not to resolve the Middle East crisis. Our task is to decide how we treat one another as neighbors here, in this little corner of New Jersey. 

How grateful we all should be that our elected officials care enough about each of us to do the work—seen and unseen—to make South Orange and Maplewood a place where not only hate has no home, but where shared values of tolerance, peace, and relishing differences are a source of strength, pride, and celebration.