Chicago Jewish Alliance Rallies Community After Jewish Doctor Is Called ‘Baby Killer’
After Dr. Robert Steinberg said protesters surrounded and harassed him on Aug. 3, the Chicago Jewish Alliance rallied Jews and allies from across Chicagoland to make sure he did not return alone
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Two weeks after a Jewish doctor was disrupted during a Hoffman Estates Village Board meeting and later confronted in an exchange in which he was called a “baby killer,” the Chicago Jewish Alliance mobilized Jewish residents and allies to accompany him back to Village Hall. Dr. Robert Steinberg returned to the board on Aug. 17 alongside Jews, Christians, Assyrians, Hindus and other supporters after telling village officials that the fallout from the Aug. 3 confrontation had continued beyond the meeting, including calls to his business, circulation of his information online and hostile comments on Google and Facebook.
Ahead of the meeting, the Chicago Jewish Alliance called on supporters to gather at Hoffman Estates Village Hall and “stand beside Dr. Steinberg and stand against antisemitism.” Afterward, the organization said Jews, Christians, Assyrians, Hindus, friends and allies had stood “shoulder to shoulder” for Steinberg and against antisemitism.
Aug. 3 Meeting Descends Into Disruption
The Aug. 3 Village Board meeting followed an anti-ICE demonstration outside Village Hall. During public comment, the discussion broadened to criticism of U.S. involvement with Israel, data centers and other political issues.
According to the Daily Herald, Hoffman Estates resident Beenish Tanvir was removed from the meeting after refusing to surrender the microphone when her allotted three minutes expired. After being removed, she stood outside the meeting room holding a sign reading “Welcome to the United States of Israel.”
When Steinberg subsequently addressed the board in opposition to comments made by protesters, the newspaper reported that protesters “talked back and coughed loudly” while he was speaking. The disorder prompted Mayor Bill McLeod to condemn the conduct.
“We put up with this stuff for a long time,” McLeod told the Daily Herald. “Enough is enough. It’s not supposed to be a riot. That’s not free speech, interrupting people and screaming at them.”
Separate video footage circulated after the meeting showing a face-to-face confrontation involving Steinberg. The exchange turned to Zionism, with Steinberg defending his identification as a Zionist. During the confrontation, he was called a “baby killer,” while another participant associated Zionism with “supremacy” and “baby killing.”
‘Look Around the Room’
Steinberg told the Aug. 17 board meeting that he had felt isolated following the earlier incident before community organizations began contacting him and mobilizing support. He thanked the Chicago Jewish Alliance, Anti-Defamation League, StandWithUs and Jewish United Fund for reaching out.
“I think that feeling is familiar to far too many Jewish people,” Steinberg told the board. “Right now, we’re watching hatred that once hid in the shadows become increasingly comfortable showing its face in public. We’re watching intimidation become normalized and, too often, wondering whether anyone sees what is happening.”
“Tonight, I have the answer,” he continued. “Look around the room.”
Steinberg said the significance of the response went beyond his own experience. “This isn’t only about antisemitism,” he said. “This is about whether we’re willing to stand beside our neighbors when they are targeted.” Later, he added: “This is about whether hatred is allowed to make decent people afraid to participate in their own community.”
Chicago Jewish Alliance Calls for Action
A Chicago Jewish Alliance representative told the board that the Aug. 3 incident affected more than Steinberg.
“Every Jewish resident who watched that meeting and saw those videos afterward saw what can happen when a Jewish person speaks openly in a public space,” she said. “The Jewish community should not have to show up en masse, as we have done tonight, simply to make sure one Jewish person can safely participate in a village meeting.”
She thanked Mayor Bill McLeod for condemning disruptions but urged the village to ensure residents can speak without intimidation.
“This is not about choosing one political position over another,” she said. “This is about whether every resident can participate in their local government with dignity and without fear.”
Steinberg Previously Spoke About Oct. 7
Steinberg had previously addressed the Hoffman Estates board in March 2024, when residents urged trustees to adopt a Gaza ceasefire resolution. According to the Daily Herald, Steinberg expressed hope for a ceasefire while emphasizing the Israeli civilians harmed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
More than two years later, he returned to the same public-comment debate. This time, after the Aug. 3 confrontation, members of the Chicago-area Jewish community and its allies came with him.
“The Jewish community showed up because one of our own should never have to stand alone,” the Chicago Jewish Alliance representative told the board.
I'd have heard about it if they didn't block me on social media for being too militant or whatever is in the guy's mind.... Maybe they should get over the personality stuff if they want other activists to help out on these type of campaigns...