Rockville Centre, NY – Nassau residents and local officials expressed outrage at what they deemed antisemitic comments made at a Rockville Centre board meeting.
The board was discussing a home in Marlborough Courtwith a large menorah in front of it.
A resident identifying herself as Michelle Galante Zangari responded to the discussion with what some say were antisemitic remarks.
“This is very emotional for anyone who lives through the transformation of the Five Towns, many of those people live in Rockville Centre now,” Zangari said. “It began exactly this way. Rabbis and their families purchased homes, creating small synagogues. Congregants then looked to buy property nearby.”
Zangari then went on to say, “I am asking you to amend the village code so that a synagogue cannot be on every residential street like they are on the Five Towns. Please believe me and every Five Towns transplant that it can happen because we watched it happen.”
Village Mayor Francis Murray responded at the meeting by saying, “The board will be very concerned and look into it immediately.”
In response, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Rep. Tom Suozzi said on Twitter that these comments were antisemitic and should have been condemned.
Blakeman said in part, “Freedom to practice religion and freedom to live where one chooses are rights guaranteed by the Constitution…It is the duty of responsive public officials to condemn the type of antisemitic hate speech that was in evidence at the Rockville Centre Village Board Meeting.”
Rep. Suozzi said in part, “Regardless of the intent of the speaker, the remarks are antisemitic and must be called out.”
