Calling her remarks made in a deleted Facebook comment anti-Semitic and hateful, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is calling on Jersey City Board of Education Trustee Joan Terrell-Paige to resign.
“We will not let anti-Semitism and hate go unchallenged in our communities. In light of Ms. Terrell-Paige’s comments, I urge her to immediately resign from the Jersey City Board of Education,” Murphy tweeted minutes ago.
On Friday, Murphy joined other elected officials and faith leaders at the Temple Beth-El in Jersey City for an interfaith roundtable discussion.
As HCV first reported, Terrell-Paige referred to members of Greenville’s Jewish community as “brutes” in a deleted Facebook comment that appeared online briefly on Sunday.
“Where was all this faith and hope when Black homeowners were threatened, intimidated, and harassed by I WANT TO BUY YOUR HOUSE brutes of the jewish community? They brazenly came on the property of Ward F Black homeowners and waved bags of money,†she wrote.
Her comments, which included “Solomon Dwek did not spread faith and hope,†came just days after four innocent people were gunned down: Jersey City Police Det. Joseph Seals, Mindy Ferencz, Moshe Deutsch, and Douglas Rodriguez.
As a result, Mayor Steven Fulop and Jersey City Education Association President Ron Greco immediately called on Terrell-Paige to step down, with Greco suggesting recent first time BOE candidate Tara Stafford as a suitable replacement.
Terrell-Paige has not responded to inquiries seeking comment or to the public calls for her to relinquish her post as of this evening.
We will not let anti-Semitism and hate go unchallenged in our communities. In light of Ms. Terrell-Paige’s comments, I urge her to immediately resign from the Jersey City Board of Education.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) December 18, 2019