Photo by Jordan Coll / SOC Images.
“We will free Palestine, within our lifetime,” protestors chanted outside the front steps of Jersey City Hall during a ceremonial flag raising event on April 30, celebrating Israel’s Independence Day known as Yom Ha’atzmaut.
Among the members of the crowd gathering below the City Hall balcony, where the flag is hoisted, the Palestinian flag could be seen. As the Israeli flag was raised up the flag pole, protestors shouted, “Steven Fulop, you can’t hide, you are supporting genocide.”
Jersey City Mayor and state gubernatorial candidate Steve Fulop has not responded to requests for comment on this article at the time of publication.
What Happened Inside The City Chambers
Prior to the flag raising, a ceremony was hosted by the Jersey City Jewish Association within the council chambers at City Hall—which Slice of Culture was permitted into—with a message focused on the importance of combating anti-Semitism and supporting Israel’s right to exist as a democratic Jewish state.
“We grow up hearing the stories from community members from survivors, we understand the consequences of antisemitism, we know that it means to fight for survival,” said Tal Shuster, chairwoman of the Israeli American Council, a nonprofit organization representing over 125,000 Israeli-Americans, according to their site, and is also the Co-Founder of property management company DVORA Life according to her LinkedIn page.
Remarks were spoken by Rabbi Robert Scheinberg, and two children named Lihi and Leo gave a presentation titled “Israel 2025.” Inside the chambers, speakers acknowledged the strong bond between Israel and the U.S., citing President Truman’s quick recognition of Israel in 1948, which was only 11 minutes after their independence was declared.
In addition, the event highlighted Agam Berger, a 20-year-old soldier who was held captive for 482 days, symbolizing Israel’s enduring spirit, although she was not in attendance. The speakers also addressed current challenges, including a significant fire in Israel, and called for continued support and pride in Jewish and American values.
“Our enemies have asked us to lower our flag and stop being proud of who we are, both America and Jews, my friends today we are telling our enemies we will continue to raise our flags high. We are not afraid of your chants and yellings,” said Ofir Akunis, the current Consul General of Israel. “Our two countries share the same vision of a thriving democracy.”
In a statement to Slice of Culture, the JCJA described the flag raising as a community gathering to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day as a “powerful and peaceful display of solidarity.”
“This was more than a routine flag raising—it was a public affirmation of our shared values and a clear stand against hate,” in a statement written out by the Jersey City Jewish Association to Slice of Culture.
“As the Israeli and American flags were raised together above City Hall, demonstrators gathered below. Despite the presence of protesters and the need for increased police protection, the event remained peaceful and resolute. We came together not just to celebrate a national holiday, but to declare, loud and clear: we reject hate in all its forms. We affirm Israel’s right to exist, and we will not be intimidated by threats or division. The ceremony was a moment of pride and unity, reflecting the strength and resilience of the local community in the face of rising antisemitism.”
As the event continued inside the chambers—which was publicly posted on the city Cultural Affairs website, but according to the Jersey Vindicator, it was an invite-only event and attendance needed to be confirmed—members of organizations such as CeaseFire Now NJ and NJ Shutdown for Palestine stood beside local activists and raised their voices even louder outside City Hall.
Slice of Culture witnessed a large police presence inside and outside of City Hall, with the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) and other law enforcement on the scene.
Protestors demonstrated a mock air raid, laying on the ground in front of City Hall and acting as Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes while the sounds of sirens and explosions played from a speaker in the background.
“We cannot separate the Israeli flag from the actions of the Israeli government’s assault on Gaza and the West Bank. This flag-raising event is an abomination and an insult to all those who value human life and human rights,” read a letter addressed to the “Councilmembers of Jersey City” by CeaseFire Now NJ, a coalition of anti-war New Jersey organizers.
The event was sponsored by the Israeli American Council, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jersey City Jewish Association. The Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) and other law enforcement were at the scene as both groups of protestors outside exchanged charged remarks and hostility throughout the course of the event. As the city hoisted the Israeli-flag on the balcony of City Hall, scores of protesters repeatedly shouted: “Worse than Nazis!” while a woman at the top of the balcony holding the Israeli flag could be seen giving them the middle finger.
Speakers at the event also included Mayor Steven Fulop among city officials and community members such as: Ofir Akunis, the consul general of Israel in New York; Jason Shames, CEO and Executive Vice President at the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey; and prominent Jewish leaders including Rachel Sieg, Robyn Gronder and Carole Smila.
Due to recording restrictions during the event, Slice of Culture could not provide a comment from Fulop at the event and has not received a response to requests to the Mayor’s office for comment at the time of publication.
History Behind The Ongoing War
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a decades-long struggle over land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, rooted in deep historical, political, and territorial disputes.with key flashpoints ranging from the United Nations’ 1947 Partition Plan and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which took place on a holiday celebrated by Jewish people in an act of atonement and repentance, up to the most recent escalation, which is the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in October 2023.
On Oct. 7, a terrorist attack by Hamas resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, with over 240 individuals taken hostage. In response, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant casualties.
The ministry claims that around two-thirds of those killed were women and children, as reported by CBS News.
Israel has also blocked all imports, including food and medicine, from reaching the territory’s 2 million Palestinians for nearly 60 days. Aid organizations warn that supplies are on the verge of running out, and “thousands of children are suffering from malnutrition”, as reported by national outlets such as 60 Minutes.
How The Protestors Outside Felt
Rochelle Santos, a member of the Ceasefire Now coalition, spoke to Slice of Culture and criticized the raising of the Israeli flag at the demonstration. She linked it to Fulop’s political campaigns and accused the gubernatorial candidate of aligning with the Anti-Defamation League and right-wing groups.
“They are counting criticism [Jewish community] of Israel’s acts as anti-semitism, when I was growing up, anti-semitism meant that you didn’t like Jews,” said Santos, who has lived in New Jersey for eight years.“Anti-semitism now means we disagree with what you are doing.”
Santos highlighted Fulop, who is a candidate for governor this year in New Jersey, and the super PAC Coalition for Progress, which has raised $9 million funding largely from Israeli donors. In addition, she criticized the Israeli government’s actions in Palestine, including the destruction of hospitals and the undercounting of deaths.
According to Santos, Zionism has infiltrated U.S. policies. She accused the Israeli government of genocide, citing a report by B’Tselem- a nonprofit organization focusing on human rights violations in the Israeli- estimating 250,000 Palestinian deaths in the occupied Palestinian territories.
One banner held by one protester outside underscored this perspective, reading: “Celebrating 77 years of Genocide, Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing, and War Crimes, Paid for with U.S. Tax Dollars!”
Daniel Santiago, affiliated with Spirit of Liberation, a community organization advocating for human rights, spoke to Slice of Culture and shared his experiences in the Palestinian West Bank, located on the western bank of the Jordan River. There, he was shot by the Israeli army while documenting non-violent demonstrations by Palestinians such as the Juma Prayer–a congregational prayer which takes place at 12 p.m. on Fridays.
In one instance, Santiago recalled that he attended one of the Juma prayers outside a temple. Palestinians marching towards the border were met with rounds of gunfire and tear gas by soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces or IDF members.
“One of those rounds went through me while we were running away, trying to find cover,” said Santiago. “While I was healing [referring to the injury], I was able to go to the playground and the children said that they were not able to go to the playground since Oct. 7 because of the fear of the Israeli army or settlers coming to attack them.”
Santiago said that Palestinians face an apartheid state and genocide since the Nakba, or the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Arabs, through violent means of displacement by the Israeli government.
Last month, Israel resumed military operations against Hamas overnight, despite previously agreeing to a ceasefire with specific terms, launching a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip that reportedly killed hundreds of Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the start of a broader offensive, stating, “This is just the beginning,” were the statements he made at an Israeli press conference.
Santiago emphasized the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, noting that many Jewish people and Holocaust survivors oppose the State of Israel’s actions, the organization is called Jewish Voice for Peace.
He also mentioned that while he visited, he witnessed the impact of international volunteers in providing a protective presence and accountability, as well as witnessing the destruction of infrastructure in Palestine, including schools and hospitals.
The Israeli-Palestinian war has also cost the lives of journalists and members of the press covering the conflict in real time. The ongoing war has led to the killing of 232 journalists, an average of 13 per month, according to a report by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ Costs of War Project- an affiliate program of Brown University.
As cited by the report, since the 2000s, governments, including Israel, along with authoritarian regimes, and the Islamic State, have employed a range of tactics to suppress conflict reporting, from implementing repressive policies to carrying out violent attacks. These actors have been responsible for the deaths of journalists and have contributed to a climate of impunity, transforming conflict zones such as Syria and Gaza into “news graveyards.”
“You are raising the flag of a terror state that is committing genocide, not a war. This is a genocide by every definition of the word,” said Evelyn Ibarra, a long-time Jersey City resident and activist who attended the rally.
She told Slice of Culture about her experiences and frustrations with the city’s political climate, particularly regarding the support for Israel and the treatment of Palestinians.
“To me, it directly correlates to extreme racism against Arab people, against Palestinians, the erasure of our culture,” she said, adding that two Palestinian flag-raising events hosted by the city were both cancelled in previous years.
Ibarra also touched on the racial and cultural erasure faced by Arab and Palestinian communities. She communicated the broader implications of U.S. support for Israel and the impact of social media on public perception.
Last week, during Wednesday’s council meeting, a man was tackled and arrested after Councilman-At-Large Daniel Rivera interpreted his comments, which included profanity–as threatening. The man told Rivera he would “make the Council’s life hell,” before directly telling him “F–k you!”
According to Hudson County View, the man, identified as Thomas Whitehead, voiced strong opposition to Jersey City’s planned flag-raising during the public comment period, as previously reported by Slice of Culture which was at the city council meeting when it occurred.
The recording of the April 23 Council meeting was edited, with roughly ten minutes of footage of the council meeting removed during the recess when the altercation and arrest by JCPD officers took place.
Whitehead stated that: “They have slaughtered at least 50,000 … I do not believe in your humanity. You are the byproduct of a racist capitalist society that does not care about the well-being of people. All you respect is money and power.”
He continued: “If you continue with this flag raising, and your general support of the State of Israel, myself, and I believe the people … we’ll just make your lives absolutely 100 percent the most miserable as possible. By any means necessary, we will make it impossible for you to continue to support Israel. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione confirmed to Slice of Culture that Whitehead was arrested and is being charged with:
- Aggravated simple assault
- Disruption of meeting and procession
- Harassment
- Resist of arrest and risk of physical injury
- Defiant trespasser
“So many levels of wrong to representing and glorifying that level of violence and to have this red tape [referring to the barricades put outside, and ticket members to attend the Israeli flag raising] is only confirming the racism and corruption perpetuated here in the U.S,” said Evelyn Ibarra, activist attending the rally.
The City will also proceed with the raising of the Palestinian flag on May 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the City Hall Chambers.
