“These real estate sales events serve as a pipeline by which American Jewish Zionist ideologues support illegal settlement activity.”
On Sunday, hundreds gathered in the New Jersey township of Teaneck to protest an event where dozens of companies pitched real estate deals in Israel and the illegally-occupied West Bank.
Protesters marched over a mile from the Teaneck Armory to Congregation Keter Torah synagogue, where the real estate show was held. They waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “Free Palestine!”
“In a world where uncertainty looms and antisemitism shows its ugly face more boldly than ever, the decision to invest in a home in Israel is not just wise—it’s exhilarating!,” declared a post promoting the event. “Whether you’re eyeing a move through aliyah in the future, seeking a vacation spot, or aiming for a solid investment, it’s time to start planning. But where do you begin?”
The event, which hosted by the company My Home in Israel Real Estate, featured experts like Gidon Katz, who says banks predict a significant uptick in property values. “This bullish outlook is largely attributed to the expected end of the war..and a forthcoming reduction in interest rates, signaling a robust period for potential investors in the Israeli property market,” he explained.
The New Jersey chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) condemned the event. They called for a federal probe, as the sale of such houses could constitute illegal activity.
“Houses of worship should be sacred spaces, and it is deeply concerning to see anyone use a house of worship to allegedly flout international law by selling off stolen land,” said CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Dina Sayedahmed in a statement.
“The township has not received any complaints of either local ordinances or state law being broken and so it does not have the jurisdiction to interfere with this private event,” said Teaneck township manager Dean Kazinci in a statement last week.
Two weeks ago, Jewish activist and Teaneck resident Rich Siegel went viral after speaking out about the event at a Township Council meeting.
“If we allow this sale to go through, we are enabling a local synagogue to violate both domestic anti-discrimination laws and international law,” he explained. “As Jews, we don’t get to fly under the radar and break the law and hide it in the synagogue.”
“There’s a genocide going on right now. I don’t care who that offends,” he added. “More than 35,000 people have been killed. More than 13,000 children have been killed. People in this community are in deep mourning. People in this community are angry. I’m angry. What this real estate event is going to do is it’s going to fan the flames.”
Asked what he thought about Sunday protests, Siegel told Mondoweiss, “These real estate sales events serve as a pipeline by which American Jewish Zionist ideologues support illegal settlement activity. Having failed to convince the Teaneck town council to shut the Keter Torah event down, organizing a demonstration against it became necessary. It was a big success. Thousands showed up. We are having an impact.”
Such informational sessions are not uncommon, but they’ve faced growing backlash in recent weeks as Israel’s brutal attack on Gaza has continued. At one such recent event at a synagogue in Toronto, a man was arrested for allegedly firing a nail gun at Palestine protesters.
The real estate show is not the only event connected to Israel that’s caused a recent rift in the Teaneck community.
Back in November, 75 students at Teaneck High School held a walkout to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. The move was condemned by local pro-Israel organizations and lawmakers. This included Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), who got the Department of Education to open a civil rights probe for discrimination at the school. After Teaneck High announced it was partnering with multiple Jewish and Muslim organizations, including CAIR, the Congress member attacked the school for aligning with the group.
“As Superintendent, you have a duty to protect Teaneck students of all backgrounds,” Gottheimer wrote in a letter to Teaneck Public Schools Superintendent Andre Spencer. “Inviting CAIR-NJ to your schools puts the safety of Jewish students at risk.”
My Home in Israel is holding two more real estate events in New York this week.