A Rabbi’s Warning From Central New Jersey

The years since October 7 have been devastating for Jewish communities. From terrorist attacks abroad to incidents closer to home, the pain has been felt both nationally and locally. Over the past three years, our community at Congregation Etz Chaim – Monroe Township Jewish Center, here in the heart of New Jersey, has endured a bomb threat, vandalism, and, most recently, death threats. What makes these incidents especially disturbing is that we are not a large or highly visible institution; you have to go out of your way to find us. We are tucked into a residential neighborhood, not a major public-facing synagogue. And yet, despite that, we have still been targeted again and again.

In each instance, the Federation, together with local and national law enforcement, has been supportive and responsive. But as we watch the broader climate unfold, it has become impossible to ignore the rise in antisemitic attacks—and the growing willingness of too many people to treat them as a new “normal.”

That normalization has now entered politics in 2026. In New Jersey, we have watched with growing alarm what is unfolding in New York City: attacks on Jews carried out under the banner of “pro-Palestinian” protest, outside synagogues and Jewish centers. Rather than being clearly and publicly condemned by New York’s mayor, these incidents have, in our view, too often been met with accommodation or support. As recently as this week, Mayor Mamdani criticized Park East Synagogue after a wave of protests intimidated parishioners, alleging that the synagogue was promoting the theft of Palestinian land.

Here in New Jersey’s 12th District, we have also lived through the tenure of our congressional representative, Bonnie Watson Coleman, whose statements on Israel prompted several letters of condemnation from rabbinic boards across the district. As Congresswoman Watson Coleman steps down, Jews across Central New Jersey are once again asking—anxiously—what comes next.

In discussing the candidates seeking to succeed her, Watson Coleman urged voters not to support Mayor Brad Cohen, the only Jewish candidate in the race, describing him as “a hardline supporter of Netanyahu.” 

Earlier this week, a blitz campaign for Adam Hamawy reignited fears within the Jewish community in the 12th District. During the same week, posters placed near Brad Cohen labeled him a “Genocide Denier.”

Hamawy has described the war in Gaza as an “extermination” campaign and has called for ending aid to Israel. In the same interview, he referred to Hamas terrorists as “military men” and called for ending Iron Dome and other Israeli “defensive measures.”

Further adding to this checkered history, in 1995, Hamawy testified for the defense in the trial of the “Blind Sheikh,” Omar Abdel Rahman: the Egyptian Islamic terror leader linked to the World Trade Center bombing.

As we watch with trepidation what is unfolding in New York City—where Jews have reportedly been barricaded inside synagogues, attacked on the streets, and left without meaningful support from the political establishment—we must take a stand here in the 12th District. We do not want this kind of political intimidation in our community. The time to act is now and vote.  If we fail to do so, we risk the safety of Jewish life in our community.