The horrific events of September 11th, 2001, remain etched in the memory of millions worldwide. Amidst the chaos and tragedy of the World Trade Center attacks, a seemingly unrelated incident in New Jersey sparked a wave of suspicion and fueled conspiracy theories: the story of the “dancing Israelis.” This refers to the detention of five Israeli men who were observed appearing to celebrate the unfolding disaster, an event that quickly became known as the “Dancing Israelis 9 11” incident.
Maria, a resident of New Jersey who prefers to remain anonymous, witnessed something unusual from her apartment window overlooking the World Trade Center. Shortly after the first plane struck the North Tower, alerted by a neighbor, Maria grabbed her binoculars. As she watched the unimaginable destruction across the river in Manhattan, her attention was drawn to a group of men in the parking lot of her own building.
According to Maria’s account, she observed three young men kneeling on the roof of a white van. Their actions were not those of horrified onlookers; instead, Maria stated, “They seemed to be taking a movie.” These men were filming or photographing themselves with the burning World Trade Center as a backdrop. It wasn’t just the act of filming during such a tragedy that alarmed Maria, but their demeanor. “They were like happy, you know … They didn’t look shocked to me. I thought it was very strange,” she recounted. Deeply unsettled by their behavior, Maria noted the van’s license plate number and contacted the police, setting in motion a chain of events that would involve the FBI and ignite intense scrutiny.
Maria’s call led to a statewide bulletin being issued for the white van. Later that afternoon, around 4 p.m. on September 11th, police located the van on a service road near Giants Stadium off Route 3 in New Jersey. A patrol officer initiated a stop and discovered five men, aged between 22 and 27, inside. The officers, with guns drawn, removed the men from the vehicle and placed them in handcuffs.
The subsequent arrest report detailed several factors that heightened the officers’ suspicions. One of the men had $4,700 in cash concealed in his sock. Another carried two foreign passports. A box cutter was also found in the van. Perhaps most surprisingly to the arresting officers, the five men identified themselves as Israeli citizens.
During questioning, one of the passengers reportedly told officers that they had been on the West Side Highway in Manhattan “during the incident,” referring to the World Trade Center attack. Sivan Kurzberg, the driver of the van, made a statement that further fueled suspicion, telling the officers, “We are Israeli. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are the problem.” The other men were identified as Paul Kurzberg, Yaron Shmuel, Oded Ellner, and Omer Marmari.
The incident of the “dancing israelis 9 11” quickly became a focal point for conspiracy theorists and those seeking to understand the broader context of the 9/11 attacks. While investigations followed, and varying accounts emerged, the initial observations and the subsequent arrest of the Urban Moving Systems van occupants remain a controversial and debated aspect of the 9/11 narrative.
