Brigantine police investigating after hate group spreads anti-Semitic propaganda
Police say the flyers were distributed across the island between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
BRIGANTINE, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Police in one South Jersey beach town are investigating after hundreds of anti-Semitic flyers were thrown on people's lawns over the weekend.
Brigantine City police say the flyers were distributed across the island between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Police confirm they are investigating this as a "bias incident."
While the flyers didn't contain any specific threats, the Jewish community in Brigantine does feel threatened.
"It's reminiscent of in Germany before all the Jews were rounded up in the Holocaust, and it makes us feel very vulnerable," said Jan Sarratore, the president of Temple Beth Shalom in Brigantine.
"When you live in a small community like Brigantine, you don't expect this to happen. And here we are in Brigantine, and for whatever reason, we were marked," she said.
The bags contain anti-Semitic propaganda, which the city has been quick to denounce.
"Let's make no mistake about this, this is unadulterated anti-Semitism and must be condemned," said Andrew Goretsky, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Philadelphia.
He says white supremacist propaganda continues to rise. There have already been more than 150 instances of it in Philadelphia, Delaware, and South Jersey so far in 2022.
Goretsky says neighbors need to report it, not post it.
"It's very important that we are not reposting on social media the pictures of those flyers and those pieces because it gives them part of what they're looking for," he said.
"After an event like this, you don't feel safe," said Jan's husband, Steve Sarratore.
As police investigate, Jewish leaders in Brigantine say they're anxious to learn who is responsible.
"We don't know right now whether this was somebody local distributing this material or someone who came from out of town. We'd like to know that," he said.
Police are hoping surveillance video will help solve this case. They're asking neighbors who have cameras where the flyers were found to give them a call.
