JACKSON – Emotions once again ran high during a recent Township Council meeting which featured some verbal sparring over First Amendment rights and a social media post between a councilman and a mayoral candidate that involved a township resident.
The verbal exchange between resident Elliot Shem-Tov and Council President Mordechai Burnstein occurred during the public comment period when Shem-Tov referenced a Facebook response Burnstein had made that criticized him for dining with Rania Hesham, a Jackson resident who is a Palestinian American.
Hesham previously served as a member of the township’s Multicultural Committee. That committee, designed to bring more cultural awareness to the community and to bring residents together was established as a requirement of a civil rights lawsuit settlement between Jackson Township and the Department of Justice.
“About two weeks ago, I had dinner with a resident, a taxpayer, a voter. As most of you know I am running for mayor of this town, which I have the right to do, that means meeting residents and having dinner with them. I heard Council President Burnstein posted on social media that I had dinner with someone who supports Hamas and terrorism that is responsible for the death of thousands. Do you admit or deny that allegation Council President Burnstein?”
The council president replied “I will deny that allegation but I’ll respond to you in a second keep on …”
“You say you deny the allegation?” Shem-Tov repeated.
“I denied the allegation. That is not what I wrote on social media,” Burnstein replied.
“That is fine. What I’d like to do now is put it up here to show you this post from Council President Burnstein. I’m going to read it. ‘Someone who would sell out the safety of his or own family for a few votes. Shame on them. Would you go out to eat with someone who supports the biggest sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for the deaths of deaths of thousands of Americans?’
He told Burnstein, “I know what you meant but that can be misconstrued that, that person who I had dinner with who is a Palestinian woman, a very nice woman and a taxpayer that she is responsible for thousands of Americans.”
Shem-Tov noted, “this is social media, this is on text. You’re responsible. Your name is on it. Why would you write this?”
Burnstein replied, “in regard to what I posted on social media any person who is going to say
Ayatollah Khamenei, (the supreme leader of Iran) and videos of American jets exploding, I would never go out to eat with such a person. I don’t care how many freaking votes that person would give me. I think there has to be red lines in politics and I am happy to say there are red lines that I would never cross.”
“To go ahead and praise Ayatollah Khamenei who has thousands – forget Israelis – Americans dead on his hands. That is something I would never stand for and I apologize if you disagree with that,” the council president added.
“I disagree with the fact that you are a council president of a town and the fact of the matter is, everyone has the First Amendment right to say what they think,” Shem-Tov replied.
“Mr. Shem-Tov, you have the First Amendment right, you have the right to run for mayor – lots of luck – but I also have the right to oppose going out to dinner with anyone who would go ahead and praise Ayatollah Khamenei, I am sorry,” Burnstein replied.
Shem-Tov noted his view, “this is your constituent. This is your resident. She is still a taxpayer. Granted I do not believe in a lot of things that she believes in but I do believe in the fact that she has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in this town.”
“No one here disagrees with that,” Burnstein responded.
“Do you serve every single resident or some residents?,” Shem-Tov asked.
The council president answered, “all residents, even residents I disagree with who are playing politics, thank you.” When asked after the meeting to elaborate on his social media post, Burnstein declined.
Hesham was not present during the council meeting but as she was the center of the exchange, The Jackson Times reached out to her for comment. “A council member monitoring and targeting a constituent is not leadership – it raises serious concerns about the appropriate use of public office. When individuals are singled out in ways that appear tied to identity, it moves beyond political disagreement and into the realm of civil rights.”
She added, “public officials cannot monitor, label, and target individuals and expect that conduct to be viewed as standard governance. This is conduct that warrants scrutiny – and the public can recognize the difference. What occurred should not be minimized. This involved a public official – Mordechai Burnstein – reviewing my personal Facebook activity and referencing it in a public government setting, which then became the subject of coverage and amplification by local propaganda outlets.”
“I want to be clear, I will continue to speak openly about conduct that impacts civil rights, public trust, and the fair treatment of all residents. This is not about disagreement. It is about standards. It is about safety. This situation raises legitimate concerns about the intersection of public authority, individual rights, and accountability. When those lines are blurred, it is not just a political issue – it becomes a matter of public trust and civil rights,” Hesham said.
