This morning, a woman shared with LNN that she stopped at the Exxon gas station on Cox Cro Road and Route 9, near the Whitesville community in Toms River. She handed her credit card to a Middle Eastern-looking gas attendant and asked him to fill up her vehicle. After looking at her credit card he must have assumed she was an Arab because of her Sefardi last name, and in a friendly way he began a burst of antisemitic hate speech against Israel.

The woman, shocked and upset, tried to stop the hateful talk. She told the attendant she was Jewish and asked him to stop, but he continued for a whole five minutes. In response, she took a stand by requesting her card back and deciding not to support the gas station. Unfortunately, the woman was in a hurry and didn’t have time to speak to the manager or call the police.

Instances like these need a united response from our community. We must stand against discrimination and hate speech because such behavior is unacceptable. The next time your car needs gas, you know which gas station not to support.