This van was driving around Hoboken Tuesday and Wednesday, displaying an ad attacking a local blogger for using Nazi imagery on her site in connection with a political parody.
HOBOKEN – Hoboken’s political campaigns are notoriously heated, but never have they used Nazi graphics in their campaigns.
That is, until Tuesday and Wednesday night, when a truck drove around displaying Nazi imagery that had appeared two years ago as part of political satire on local blogs. The ad voice-over criticized the Kids First school board slate for not condemning the images, as similar imagery had appeared on a blog of a strong supporter and one-time graphic artist for that slate.
However, the blogger in question, Nancy Pincus, had apologized to a Jewish group for the imagery in 2010 and recently said she is not involved in the current school board campaign.
The school board slate that is opposed to Kids First, Move Forward, has publicly denied that they hired the truck.
The school board election will be held Nov. 6. Besides the Kids First and Move Forward slates, one independent in is in the running for the three seats on the board.
On Friday, two rabbis in Hoboken weighed in on the controversy, saying the use of the symbols can cause great harm.
Rabbi Moshe Schapiro of Chabad in Hoboken said he hadn’t seen the truck himself, but “I’ve seen pictures and I think it’s despicable. I’m appalled and shocked that anyone can use an image of such hatred and bigotry. I don’t know whose side, what side, if they’re repeating something, but how can one be so insensitive to Holocaust survivors who will walk by, or people who had grandparents who survived the camps, and have to witness such an image driving around the city?”
He added, “Whoever is responsible should immediately remove it and apologize. I am shocked this could happen in this day and age. In other countries it’s a crime to use that image. We have freedom of speech, but a million and a half Jewish babies were killed…this is not something that should be used for some political gain.”
Rabbi Robert Scheinberg of the United Synagogue of Hoboken, who two years ago issued a statement after Pincus was criticized for using Nazi imagery in a parody on her blog, said this time around, “Using Nazi imagery in a local Hoboken election, trivializing the cataclysmic events of World War II, is completely inexcusable. I would urge whoever is responsible for these projected images to follow the example of the local blogger who, two years ago, publicly apologized for her use of such images on her blog and immediately removed them.”
Ruth McAllister, a Jewish school board member allied with Kids First, also weighed in early Friday morning in response to quotes against her slate from Move Forward. She said her response was on behalf of the Kids First slate.
"The people who should be denounced are the people who hired the truck that is driving around Hoboken waving a Nazi flag,” she said.
She added, “The people that should be denouncing them are the people that the truck is supporting. We want to talk about education, and this is what we are going to do."
For more on this issue, see our Thursday breaking news item here.
Hoboken deserves better tha to ever let the Old Guard politicos buy another election for themselves.
As we know Richard and Elizabeth dumped many tens of thousands of dollars to secure the win of Tim Occhipinti's City Council seat which precipated the anti-wheeling rules to be put in place.
As Briteny Spears sang "OPPS Iv'e done it again !"
The fines for not returning the money within 30 days could cost Move Forward $24,000.00 and should cost them the election.
In other words you agree with the incontrovertible evidence that Move Forward is behind the Nazi truck.
http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2012/10/nazi-truck-video-source-beth-masons.html
http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2012/10/who-hired-move-forwards-swastikas-on.html
At least you're honest about that much.
BTW, Felice - how is the accreditation problem going over at Kean?
Why won't the Move Forward forward campaign unequivocally denounce this truck and call for it to stop? The truck's message supports their campaign by attacking Kids First. Whether Move Forward's treasurer is paying for it or not doesn't matter.
Is this the example we teach our children for how to run our public schools?
And you forgot Peter Cunningham and Jen Giattino are also criticized. We put them in there for a reason, they won last year and it really annoyed us, especially Beth who had the Council President's chair. It was hers, she bought it.
Hopefully, you don't put this rabbi stuff in the weekend paper. Wouldn't be good for Beth at temple.
Page 3 ads coming your way!
I think they will vote to put their Kids First.
I highly doubt whoever spent all that time and money to write, produce and distribute the coordinating "NAZI" themed midnight flyer, edit and produce the offensive "NAZI" video, hired the $100.00 per hour video truck for multiple nights to attack the KID FIRST BOE slate will come forward to appoligize for their actions.
I know many people already have formed an opinion who was behind these desgusting displays of HATE.
It is doubtfull that the the people of Hoboken will be able to prove who was behind this dreck as he or she has been very careful keep it that way to maintain deniability.
I would think the HR has her telephone number as she pays for a half page ad on page 3 of their paper every week.