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 peculiar incident unfolded in New Jersey, sparking an investigation into a group of young Israelis and their potential connection to Israeli intelligence. This is the story of the so-called “dancing Israelis” and the questions that persist to this day.
From her apartment in New Jersey, a woman named Maria, whose last name has been withheld for privacy, had a clear view of the World Trade Center. On that fateful morning, a call from a neighbor drew her attention to the unfolding catastrophe across the river in Manhattan. Grabbing her binoculars, Maria watched in disbelief as the Twin Towers burned. However, amidst the horrifying scenes, something else caught her eye in the parking lot of her own building.
Maria recounted observing three young men on the roof of a white van. Their actions were not those of horrified bystanders; instead, they appeared to be celebrating. “They seemed to be taking a movie,” Maria stated, describing how the men were filming themselves with the burning World Trade Center as a backdrop. It was their expressions that struck her as particularly disturbing. “They were like happy, you know … They didn’t look shocked to me. I thought it was very strange,” she recalled. Deeply unsettled by their behavior, Maria noted the van’s license plate number and contacted the police. Soon after, the FBI became involved, and a statewide alert was issued for the vehicle.
The license plate led authorities to a van belonging to Urban Moving Systems. Around 4 p.m. on September 11th, the van was located on a service road near Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Police officers initiated a stop and discovered five men, aged between 22 and 27, inside. The men were removed from the van at gunpoint and handcuffed.
During the arrest, officers observed several details that heightened their suspicion. 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 vehicle. Perhaps most surprisingly, the five men identified themselves as Israeli citizens.
According to the official police report, one of the passengers admitted to being on the West Side Highway in Manhattan “during the incident,” referring to the World Trade Center attack. The driver, Sivan Kurzberg, made a statement to the officers, declaring, “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.
This incident of the “dancing Israelis” remains a controversial and debated topic, often cited in discussions surrounding 9/11 conspiracy theories. While investigations were conducted, no definitive link to terrorism or prior knowledge of the attacks was ever established. However, the initial eyewitness account and the subsequent actions and statements of the individuals involved continue to fuel speculation and raise unanswered questions about their true intentions on that tragic day.
