LAKEWOOD, NJ – New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith today declared the Department of Justice hate crime case against Manchester Township resident Dion Marsh as a small victory in the war against anti-Semitism.
Across Northern Ocean County, there have been reports of anti-Jewish sentiment as the population of Orthodox Jews grows quickly beyond the borders of Lakewood.
Marsh, who at this time is believed to have acted alone in an attack against several members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood and Jackson, is now possibly facing life in prison for his crimes.
Now, Congressman Chris Smith is applauding his call to the Department of Justice to push for federal hate crime charges against Marsh.
“The federal hate crime charges brought against Dion Marsh are a chilling reminder of the ugly reality that antisemitism won’t go away by ignoring or wishing it away. It must be defeated,” said Rep. Smith, who co-chairs the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism “Tragically, attacks like the one we recently witnessed are reflective of the historically high levels of hatred directed at Jews across the United States and throughout the world.”
Smith called for zero tolerance in future hate-driven crimes against the Jewish community.
“We must firmly commit to exposing and extinguishing this pernicious hatred in all its evil forms,” said Smith. “There must be zero tolerance at every level for hate-fueled crimes against members of the Orthodox Jewish community.”
“Earlier this month, coinciding with the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, Dion Marsh went on a crime spree apparently targeting members of the Jewish community in Lakewood and Jackson, which allegedly included carjacking, running over pedestrians and spewing antisemitic slurs,” Smith said in a press release.
“As we fight for justice, we continue to pray that the victims fully recover from this hideous assault,” Smith said.
At a press conference, Smith said he now lives in Manchester after re-locating his rarely used home in Hamilton into Ocean County after his district was changed this year. Smith and his family are full-time residents of Virginia.