JustASC

CBS News profiles my town:

Far away from the religious strife of the Middle East and the simmering tensions of our post September 11 world, there’s an oasis of hope in the small community of Teaneck, New Jersey.

This is sort of the Chamber of Commerce version of the Teaneck I know — not misleading, necessarily, but not exactly the whole story.

(Does TV news ever get anything approaching the whole story — or even close? I literally stopped watching it years ago — I never watch an evening newscast, national or local, and leave feeling that I am more informed as a result.)

There’s nothing in the Teaneck story about some of the periodic tensions between the Orthodox community, with its kids in day schools, and the African-American population whose kids form a majority in the public schools. Such tensions are played out at school board and municipal elections, where the divergent priorities of the two communities — especially surrounding school budgets — are discussed openly, heatedly, and sometimes nastily.

Even the appointment of the Muslim mayor, in fact, played out with racial overtones — with some supporters of a black “candidate” for mayor (the mayor is appointed by the the town council, not elected by popular vote) complaining she had been overlooked because she was black.

That being said, Teaneck does have some loci of diversity that are worth crowing about, including integrated parks and soccer leagues and a quality high school. But Shangri-La? Not yet.