Teaneck Peace Vigil Celebrates and Commemorates 20 Years of Consistent Physical and Visible Opposition to War and Injustice – BRAVO!

Teaneck Peace and Justice Vigil
Every Wednesday from 4-5 pm
National Guard Armory, 1799 Teaneck Road, corner of Liberty Road, Teaneck, NJ
On a bus route. Also, plenty of parking is available.

Special by Paula Rogovin, co-founder of Teaneck Peace Vigil:

The Teaneck Peace Vigil was founded mid-August, 2005, immediately after I returned from Camp Casey in Texas. Many hundreds of activists went to President Bush’s ranch with Gold Star families, veterans, and military families to call on the President to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush refused to talk with Gold Star families. People camped along the edge of the road for weeks. Before we returned home, lots of us pledged to begin vigils in our hometowns and cities.

In mid-August of 2005 six of us stood at the National Guard Armory at 1799 Teaneck Road, corner of Liberty Road, in Teaneck. The vigil is sponsored by Veterans For Peace, Chapter 21 NJ, military families, and other concerned residents. Some of our members had sons who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. One member’s son died from injuries suffered in Iraq. Another member’s son served in Iraq and died by suicide. Some member’s son’s were injured in Afghanistan.

Vietnam Veteran, Frank Wagner, died from Agent Orange related cancer. I personally learned from Frank about PTSD, when we stood together week after week after week and he told me what happened on particular days in Vietnam. Those things stuck in his heart and mind and plagued him for the rest of his life. Vietnam Veteran, Jan Barry, whom I met at the anniversary of the vigil in 2008, is dealing with Agent Orange poisoning.

Many of the veterans and military family members have been involved in the Combat Paper project, making paper from military uniforms, and creating poetry or art on that paper. Many of us have been involved in Warrior Writers, first a monthly in-person, and since the beginning of covid, a weekly on-line writing group.

The Teaneck Peace and Justice Vigil has worked with the Puffin Cultural Forum over the many years, showing films and having discussions afterwards, having art exhibitions with work by veterans and programs with poetry and song. There will be another such program on September 26.

During the early years, many people cursed at us and called us unpatriotic for opposing the Iraq War. Curses turned to thank you’s after people learned that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that the war was based on lies. Our demands were: Support the Troops, Bring Them Home NOW! Take Care of Them When They Get Here. During the war on Gaza, we have faced very little opposition. Each week hundreds of cars and trucks go by and people see our signs and banners. So many drivers honk and wave in support.

Several years ago we changed the name to Teaneck Peace and Justice Vigil and we carried signs against the wars, signs saying Black Lives Matter, and now Hands OFF the VA, Hands OFF Medicare, Stop the Deportations, Ban Ice, Support Abortion…

Our corner has traffic lights where drivers must stop, so people get time to see us with our signs and banners. We stand vigil in all kinds of weather. It’s an extraordinarily windy corner, which is great during the hot summer months, and brutal during the winters. During 5 weeks of the covid lockdown in Teaneck, we held the vigil at my home where I live-streamed it.

So many friendships were born at the vigil. There was so much networking, too, People joined each others’ organizations, choruses, demonstrations.

The oldest members of our vigil were Henry and Mary Shoiket. Henry came to the vigil until his death at 100. Mary is now 111 years old and is living in Chicago with her daughter.

Paula Rogovin, co-founder