An anti-Hamas billboard put up by a Jewish organization in New Jersey has been taken down after police received over 100 complaints about it.
“Oh, don’t be naive. Hamas would chop your head off too,” the sign displayed on the side of Route 80 in Bergen County read.
“This anti-Hamas billboard on Route 80 in Bogota borough resulted in more than 100 calls to police before it was taken down by organizers,” wrote Shlomo Schorr, associate director of the New Jersey office of Agudath Israel of America, on X.
This anti-Hamas billboard on Route 80 in Bogota Borough resulted in more than 100 calls to police before it was taken down by organizers, authorities say. pic.twitter.com/7DoUMColJl
— Shlomo Schorr (@OneJerseySchorr) October 19, 2023
The sign was put up by the organization JewBelong, the New York Post reported. According to the group’s website, they are “supporting joyous Judaism and confronting antisemitism” with their “signature pink and white billboards, billboard trucks, website, and strong social media presence.”
Bogota police said they were aware of the sign, but that there have been no criminal violations as a result, NJ Advance Media reported.
“Our police department works closely with county, state and federal agencies to ensure the safety of our community,” the department said on Facebook, noting it had no control over the sign because it was private property. “There have been no threats to our community and we are investigating the matter to ensure all community members remain safe.”
JewBelong reportedly has similar billboards around the country, with one in California recently being vandalized, the JWeekly reported.
According to the Jewish news outlet, the message “Gaza is a concentration camp. Never again. Support Al Aqsa Flood,” along with a hammer and sickle was scrawled onto a JewBelong board in Berkeley.
The graffiti was in reference to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas’s name for the October 7 massacre they carried out on Israeli citizens, killing over 1,300.
