At Christie town hall, the boy who cried ‘Jews’
Student’s dad defends remarks to governor: ‘I am not a hater’
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Twelve-year-old Surya Makkar questions Gov. Chris Christie at a Dec. 21 town hall meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Spotswood. Photo courtesy Office of the Governor
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December 28, 2011
It began as an innocent, even charming encounter between Gov. Chris Christie and a 12-year-old student from Springfield who rose to ask a question during a town hall meeting.
By the time it was over, the boy had complained of “Jewish” control of Springfield and its school board, Christie appeared flustered, and the boy’s father emerged as a political gadfly with a penchant for singling out Jews for criticism.
The incident occurred during a Dec. 21 town hall meeting in the Middlesex County town of Spotswood, during which Christie fielded what reports described as a “bizarre” series of questions from local citizens.
Toward the end, Surya Makkar, who attends Springfield’s Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School, read a rambling statement about how he had been accused of bullying another boy at the school.
At one point, the boy suggested that he had been singled out as a Hindu, blaming the “Jewish community that controls the township of Springfield and its School Board.”
When he asked the governor for a simple “yes or no only” answer as to whether or not the incident he described sounded like bullying, the governor responded “no.”
Christie made no mention of the boy’s statement about the “Jewish community.”
Instead, the former U.S. attorney pointed out that as a prosecutor he learned that “before making judgments on anything you better hear both sides of the story.”
“Fundamental fairness requires we listen to everybody,” he added. “Let’s hope that in Springfield they are not doing things that discriminate against you because of your religion or your background. Let’s hope this was a bad misunderstanding.”
Before the meeting, Surya’s father, Devendra Makkar, handed out pre-printed copies of the boy’s statement to the audience. It included a reference to what he called Springfield’s “All Jewish [school] Board.”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” said Etzion Neuer, director of community service and policy for the ADL’s New York Region, contacted by NJJN a few days after the meeting.
Neuer became familiar with the elder Makkar during his seven-year tenure as the ADL’s New Jersey regional director.
“Most 12-year-old children are not going to come up with a statement like that on their own. There is no question that the child is parroting something heard somewhere else. I would direct our appropriate indignance toward the parents in this case,” he told NJJN in a Dec. 27 telephone interview.
A web search by NJJN reveals that Makkar runs a number of web blogs, including “Citizens for Democracy” and “Attorney and Judge Corruption.” The latter details his legal disputes with various Springfield developers, including Zygmunt Wilf and other members of a family of prominent Jewish philanthropists. On a Flickr site, Makkar, who also goes by the first name Dave, posted photos of a construction project near Wilson Road, which is labeled “under destruction by Zionist Zygi Wilf.”
In 2007, Makkar announced he was running for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey.
Another blog, “bullyingbyeducators,” details the alleged bullying incident involving his son. The blog is peppered with references to the “All Jewish Board” and the “Rulers [sic] Jewish community,” and a complaint that “this is the second time the Jewish Leadership of Springfield has racially discriminated [sic] Surya Makkar.” It goes on to allege that a three-year-old Surya was blocked from entering an unspecified court room by a “Jewish woman Officer.”
“This is a bizarre anti-Semitic conspiracy theory,” Neuer said.
Rabbi Mark Mallach of Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael in Springfield told NJJN he is familiar with Devendra Makkar, and would be prepared to lend assistance “to any efforts to combat xenophobia. The Jewish community is incensed at these lies and is steadfast in bringing our assistance to the school system to help create a more open community.”
In a phone interview with NJJN a day after the town hall meeting, Makkar continued to insist that “the Jews have special privileges. More than other people, yes, because you guys are the chosen person of the God. I don’t buy your bulls—t that my son is anti-Semite.”
The elder Makkar said the town of Springfield “is one-community rule. It is not democracy…Springfield, it is run by a Jewish gang. If you are not a gang member, if you are not a friend of the gang, if you do not support the gang, you cannot be appointed even to a dog committee.”
But Makkar insisted that neither he nor his son is anti-Semitic.
“I am not a hater but I can’t stand the people who are doing wrong, I don’t care which community,” he told NJJN.
Comments
Dave Makkar
December 29, 2011
All those biased in Media should know what is Anti-Semitism and which they FAILED to REPORT:
Under a Michael Swartz who happens to be a Jew Police Union Members, Spouse, & its Supports said, “Indians are cockroaches, animals, illiterates and illegal go home” in broad day light in the presence of this very biased media, THESE ARE ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28501071@N07/2768848978/
A Joel Stein known as a famous Journalist who also happens to be a Jew disrespecting Hindu Deities and making fun of entire Indian Community of Edison: THESE ARE ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37407895@N02/4799925474/
A Jewish/Israeli Company Rafael in a promotion video to sell its substandard arms depicting the 1.2 Billion Indians as helpless women and Jews/Israel as Macho Man on top of that disrespecting and making fun of Hindu Deities: THAT IS ANTI-SEMITIC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQOLO4U5iQ&feature=related
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37407895@N02/4323934914/
FOR LYRICS OF THE SONG
An Israeli Jew Sam Vaknin wrote “by shouting “anti-Semitism” every time some one attacks Israel or defends Palestinians, we are breeding cynics.”
In Netanyahu’s words: “To stop democracy from wiping out the Jewish nature of the country we must insure the Jewish majority”, which clearly demonstrate that even Israeli leaders admit Israel is not a democracy. It looks like Israel’s supporters are not paying any attention to the statement of their leader Netanyahu that Israel is not a Democracy then how come Springfield can be called a Democracy which is under the control of leaders from one religion; the Jewish religion?
Dave Makkar
December 29, 2011
REPORTER ROBERT WEINER INDULGING IN YELLOW JOURNALISM?
My humble request to the Governor is please protect my rights for being a Hindu. Please ensure Racial Equality and Equal Rights for me in my School. Further I request the Governor to ensure that no Michael Plias can force a Surya from Hindu community to write contrary to what actually happened. No Michael Plias should be able to shield a Mike accused of wrong doing just because Mike happens to be a Jew or Christian. Mr. Michael Plias has damaged my self esteem and shattered my trust in my School where every one is supposed to be equal. Thank you for listening to me Sir.
This is for the Media please stop discriminating me for being a Hindu. I respect and honor that America is a Christian nation but at the same time it is a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Hindu nation and a nation of non believers also. Thank You.
Surya Makkar 973 416 1600 Grade 7TH FMG Middle School Springfield, NJ 07081
DEMAND TO
Revise HIB/Bullying Policy to Governor, Senate, Assembly for under 15 yrs old request made on December 15, 2011
Via Facsimile, E-Mail & Regular Mail
Honorable Gov. Chris Christie, Senator Sweeney and Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver:
I urge the Legislatures of New Jersey that:
They must make age appropriate changes to the HIB policy that has been enforced without due consideration of its repercussions in Elementary and Middle Schools especially to stop its misuse against minorities.
Every Child must have Miranda Rights that they can not be interrogated in the absence of their parent or attorneys.
The parent must be informed of the incident in writing by Courier as well as other means of communication. Let it be mandatory that the parent of the accused student must contact in person with in 3 School Days of the incident.
The investigator must wait for the response of the parent of the involved student in person before interrogating or asking any thing to that Student.
The parent must be provided with the preliminary investigation report before it is presented to the Board of Education.
Hand written letter sent to Governor/Chief Minister Chris Christie by Surya Makkar on Dec. 8, 2011
REPROUCTION) (names of other students have been changed)
Dear Governor Christie,
I know that you are a very busy man, but I only have two questions for you. Mike told Joshua that he will be going home on a special bus. Then Mike said, “Right Surya” All I said was yeah there is. If what Mike said was just wrong comment; then how is my comment bullying? According to my Supervisor Mr. Plias it is and forced me to write that I have done bullying. Why didn’t he ever tell Mike that his comment is more than Bullying? I am also very disturbed that Mr. Plias forced me to write that I did this to be funny and cool. The day this incident happened I did not have any time to even think about what happened, how it happened, and what will be the consequences. It never occurred to me that I said yeah there is to be funny and cool. Why didn’t Mr. Plias make Mike write all this, what he forced me to write? He only made Mike write that he was goofing off and after talking to Mr. Plias he realized what he said was a wrong comment. Why did Mr. Plias force me to write things which he knew that he is going to use against me only? Was it because I’m not Christian or Jewish and Mike is? Is it because of my race, religion and skin color? What Mr. Plias did, crushed the trust between a student and a supervisor. Thank you very much and I hope I can meet you and discuss this incident with you.
My cell phone number: xxx-xxx-xxxx
My Home Phone Number: xxx xxx xxxx
My Email Address: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Sicerely,
Surya (student 3)
Jenny
December 29, 2011
Dave Makkar, Surya’s father, apparently doesn’t grasp the concepts of rights, freedom and equality. To him, equality is a one way concept, where ‘he’ has rights, but isn’t obligated to respect the rights of others. If he is concerned about the wrongness of denigrating others, then he should understand he doesn’t have the right to denigrate others, including Jewish people, because he resents them for one reason or another. If he is incapable of understanding that rights are reciprocal, and he’s obligated to respect the rights of others, then he has no place in the US, because the law requires him to respect those rights. What’s more, Mr. Makkar ought to educate himself on the definition of anti-Semitism. The term Semite refers to Semitic people. Hindus aren’t Semites, so no, he can’t dismiss the charges of anti-Semitism against himself and his son. To Jewish people, hearing his son parrot the lines his father wrote for him, about “Jews controlling” their town, it’s like seeing or hearing the nazis who perpetuated the same kind of stereotyped hatred. Mr. Makkar needs to address his own racism and bigotry and hatred, and he needs to inform his son that that racism, bigotry and hatred will not be allowed.
andrew
January 01, 2012
Obviously the man, and his son, are classic anti-Semites. The reasoning, the responses, the rationalization, all follow the classic format of the anti-Semite. What is remarkable is the lack of Christie’s response at the time (or after) or anyone in the audience. Rest assured that if THIS Springfield resident had been in the audience Makkar and his son would have left that little reception wishing they had never been born. Anti-semitism is unforgivable.
Bob
January 03, 2012
I go to your son’s school, i rather not be named, and i am quite offended by your anti-semetic and quite racial abuse towards Jews. Based on your comments, i would think that you caused him to do this, and make this speech. If anyone is the bully it is you and your son with your anti-Semitic remarks.
Good luck getting into Harvard now!
Your friend The jew