He stood up to a pro-Hamas mob at a New Jersey shul. Who at the top is out to indict Moshe Glick?

Photos: Jeff Zorabedian, Family archives

Dr. Moshe Glick never dreamed that saving a fellow Jew from an Islamic assault in front of a New Jersey shul would land  him on the defendant’s bench, especially when there was explicit video footage that the purported victim was clearly the attacker. In a case plagued with legal miscues, buried evidence and coaching of alleged witnesses, there was a clear agenda: Someone was determined to get that indictment

DR. Moshe Glick and his wife Renee were in the lobby of the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem, having traveled from their home in West Orange, New Jersey, to participate in a chizuk mission to Israel, when the phone call came. It was Moshe’s lawyer on the line, and he had bad news.

“They’re going to press charges… you could be looking at five to ten years in prison.”

When you’re a law-abiding, upstanding citizen and a family man; a dentist who’s never threatened anyone with anything other than the occasional root canal for not flossing; a maggid shiur and pillar of chesed and community work, those are not the words you think you’ll ever hear.

Dr. Glick’s story, in which he protected a fellow Jew being assaulted during an unauthorized pro-Hamas demonstration outside a New Jersey shul, is just one act in an unfortunate script playing out in many Jewish communities around the world since October 7, as pro-Palestinian protestors have not only been threatening, but physically terrorizing Jewish communal institutions and individuals. Buoyed by the hand of Hashgachah and the groundswell of support they’ve been receiving, the Glicks are determined to see the story through to a happy end. And in the process, they’ve learned about a powerful yet much underused legal tool called the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act — a federal law that makes it a crime to physically obstruct anyone trying to access health services or their place of worship — that can be used to protect Jewish communities in the United States.

Say Little,  Do Much  

The Jewish community in the MetroWest area of North Jersey, encompassing West Orange, Livingston, Millburn, and more in Essex, Morris, Sussex, Union, and parts of Somerset Counties, had always been active in its expressions of support for Israel, Jewish pride, and chesed, but the year following October 7, 2023 saw a tremendous upsurge in advocacy and activity.

Moshe and Renee Glick are at the center of a group called the MetroWest Israel Action Committee. As soon as the shock of the Simchas Torah pogrom was absorbed, they swung into motion. Together with other leaders like Larry Rein and Barbara Listhaus, they held events and rallies in support of Israel and Jews abroad. As early as the following Sunday, the group organized a 6,000-person march from one of the local shuls, ending with speeches and chizuk.

“We brought the message that, ‘Hey, we took a punch, but we’re going to come back fighting,’ ” Moshe says. Never did he dream that the battle would land him in court on false charges, facing years in prison for defending a Jew from assault in front of his own shul.

The Glicks have always been community doers. Their humility precludes them from sharing more, but some research yields an impressive list of klal activity, just a sampling of which includes founding the West Orange/Livingston Chesed Committee, which fills needs ranging from bikur cholim and Tomchei Shabbos to assistance finding employment and paying bills; and helping to start Kulanu, a chinuch program for unaffiliated families and kids who are no longer in a yeshivah environment.

Moshe and Renee are held in high esteem in the broader local community as well, and have formed warm relationships with police and elected leaders. They were part of a community initiative that helped block a one-sided resolution before the West Orange Township Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and in advocating for the town’s adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism in January of 2023.