Bloomfield Township trustees voted 6-1 Monday, Oct. 14, to censure Trustee Stephanie Fakih after she called Zionists “scum of the earth” on social media.

Fakih cast the dissenting vote.

“Today, you’re hearing my fellow board members calling me a rogue,” Fakih said, noting that her colleagues have lauded her accomplishments as a trustee over the past four years.

“I would never disparage any religion, including Judaism. I made a comment about Zionism. Judaism is a religion. Zionism is an ideology,” she said, disputing assertions by board members and Jewish groups that her post was antisemitic.

She described the loss of civilian lives and destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza strip, land claimed by Palestinians but occupied by Israelis.

Hamas, an Islamic political organization viewed by the U.S. and some other governments as a terrorist group, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 254 hostages. Israel then retaliated with assaults on Gaza. The conflict has since spread to neighboring Lebanon.Fakih said she has family in Lebanon affected by Israel’s recent attacks on Hamas targets in that country.

She posted the “scum” comment on X, formerly Twitter, on Oct. 4. It showed a photo of the destruction in Lebanon.

Fakih said that “labeling” her social media post as antisemitic shuts down discourse about Zionism, an ideology she said promotes murder and torture of Israel’s neighbors, who are mostly Arab and Muslim.

The vote came at the end of a nearly four-hour meeting at Township Hall, which was filled to capacity based on the fire code. Another large group of people stood outside on a cold, rainy night and listened to the meeting via loudspeaker.

Those who entered went through a security check; no purses or bags were allowed. A large contingent of Bloomfield Township police and Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies stood inside and outside Township Hall.

A small group spoke in support of Fakih; they described murder, torture and civil rights violations of Palestinians in Israeli-occupied lands. They said Zionism is an ideology that supports Israel’s right to a homeland at the expense of Palestinians who have lived there for generations.

A much larger group of speakers said almost everyone of the Jewish faith is a Zionist, so disparaging someone with that ideology is antisemitic. To them, the word means support for Israel’s right to exist; they said the country is surrounded by hostile neighbors who want to annihilate it. They said being anti-Zionist means being in support of Israel’s destruction.

They said Fakih’s “scum” comment is fueling antisemitic sentiment in a climate that is already tense; they pointed to recent anti-Jewish incidents of vandalism and vulgar flyers left in bags on lawns in several Oakland County communities.

The meeting was marked by repeated sniping in the audience between those holding Palestinian flags and those holding Israeli flags, and booing or clapping for speakers.

Many Jews at the meeting said censure — a formal act of expressing severe disapproval — did not go far enough and called for Fakih to resign or for the board to remove her.

Board members said they don’t have the authority to remove her. Several speakers said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state Attorney General Dana Nessel could remove her from the board, saying her conduct violated established standards for elected officials. It could not be confirmed Wednesday that Whitmer or Nessel have that authority..

Board members said Fakih’s term ends Nov. 22, which is in a little more than five weeks, but her critics said she should be removed from the board now. Fakih is not seeking re-election.

“It’s not enough to say she’ll be gone in five weeks,” said speaker Marjory Winkelman Epstein.

Winkelman Epstein said she is an attorney, like Fakih. She said Fakih’s conduct violated the American Bar Association’s code of ethics.

Speaker Jerry Kirschner of Pontiac said he was offended by the “smirk” on Fakih’s face throughout the meeting, prompting loud applause from the audience.

A speaker who identified himself only as “Free Palestine,” said to Fakih that the board is “taking you down as if you did something wrong. Don’t change your values.”

He admonished the board, saying, “What she said is her right. There’s no need for censure and all of that stuff.”

Another supporter of Fakih described the board’s action as a “witch hunt” and called it “un-American.” He declined to identify himself.

Several board members expressed displeasure that in addition to Fakih’s initial post that called Zionists “scum,” she made several posts encouraging people to come to the meeting and express themselves. They said that’s what prompted the heavy security.

Trustee Neal Barnett said Fakih “selfishly put all of us in harm’s way.”

He said he was disappointed by the “venomous hatred” that Fakih generated by her comment about “scum.”

Township Supervisor Dani Walsh said she hoped Fakih would offer an apology for the comment about “scum” and said the controversy distracted her and others from the township’s business.

Township Clerk Martin Brook said Fakih, like all trustees, agreed to a code of ethics that was violated by her post with the “scum” comment.