N.J. senator Menendez wants probe of anti-Semitic tweets

LAKEWOOD, N.J. — Sen. Robert Menendez willask the U.S. Department of Justice to look into tweets made by several New Jersey teens that intimated violence against the region’s Orthodox Jewish community.

The tweets by the teens – one of whom is the daughter of a New Jersey State Police sergeant – featured images of swastikas, Nazi salutes and included references to bombing and running over Jews in Lakewood.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office did not file charges against the teens, finding that their actions did not pose a credible threat.

But Menendez, D-N.J., wants the Justice Department to ensure that the tweets do not pose a threat to public safety or homeland security, said Steven Sandberg, a spokesman for the senator.

During a meeting earlier this week with Agudath Israel, an Orthodox advocacy organization, Menendez winced after someone showed him copies of the tweets, according to a video of the event posted on Youtube by Voz Iz Neias?, a NewYork-based news service for the Orthodox community.

USA TODAY

Teens’ tweets on killing Jews won’t be prosecuted

 

“I don’t believe that those are harmless,” Menendez said of the tweets, according to the video. “I’d be happy to talk to the Justice Department and see what would be the appropriate division that can look into it.”

Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, said the office welcomes “any and all scrutiny” of how it handled its investigation.

“We have total confidence with regards to the measures we took in this matter,” Della Fave said. “We welcome a full review of this case by any outside government agency.”

Della Fave has said that the one teen’s connection to law enforcement did not mean she got preferential treatment.

He has also dismissed claims by several members of the Orthodox community that the posters’ backgrounds — they appear to be white — factored in the office’s handling of the case.

He has said the office determined that the teens’ parents and school administrators were best-positioned to mete out punishment.

Ralph Zucker, a Lakewood-based developer who sits on Agudath Israel’s national board of trustees, said Friday he is concerned that the office’s decision not to prosecute or to even strongly condemn the teens’ actions may lead those with ill intentions to believe that they can get away with hurting members of the region’s Orthodox community.

“If an anti-Semitic climate is created, it ultimately leads to anti-Semitic acts,” said Zucker, who questioned Menendez about the tweets during the meeting.

In one of the posted images, a girl dons what appears to be a State Police hat. She also wears a swastika, is adorned with a Hitler-style mustache and gives the Nazi salute. The Twitter image includes the caption: “1944: crematorium crew.”

In another image, posted on the same Twitter account, a number of young Orthodox families are shown sitting outside an Italian ice shop in Jackson. The caption below the tweet reads: “perfect bombing time.”

The Press is not identifying the minors because of their ages.

In one tweet, a person wrote, “I really wanna drive around Lakewood and run over every Jew with my car.”

In another image, a girl poses with a doll outfitted with a swastika and a Hitler mustache. Its caption reads: “Adolfa hitler supporting her daddy.”

Menendez believes there is a global rise in hate speech and in anti-Semitism that must be taken seriously, Sandberg said.

“Due to this growing trend and recent hate-fueled attacks overseas,” said Sandberg, “it’s important for the Justice Department to examine this case in the larger context to rule out any risk to public safety and our homeland security.”

There was no immediate comment from the Justice Department.