Late last month, a small group of community leaders traveled to DC to engage with our elected officials about issues of critical importance to the Jewish community. We had the opportunity to meet with the offices of Senator Casey and Senator Fetterman, as well as Congressman Deluzio and the office of Congresswoman Lee. This trip was not only an opportunity to thank our representatives who have been fierce advocates for our community, but also to lobby for important legislation, including the Antisemitism Awareness Act, an aid package for Israel, and an increase in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. This trip demonstrated the power of our collective voice as a Jewish community.

While all politics are local, our community is facing another challenge, as a foreign policy debate has taken root at a hyper-local level. At the Allegheny County Council meeting this past Tuesday, almost 60 speakers gathered to debate a rumored unilateral ceasefire resolution. The president of the Council began his remarks by stating that this issue was beyond the scope and depth of their body. However, in a meeting that lasted nearly four hours, presenters spread misinformation and demonization of Israel to try to convince Council that they did not need to be experts and that passing a ceasefire resolution should be within their purview. It was clear that many were exploiting this moment as an extension of their activism. For some, the request of the Council was that they use their voices to support peace. For others, the request of Council was that they support an “end to the occupation.” And for others, the request of Council was that they call for an end to the “Zionist regime.” Fundamentally, the request was for the Allegheny County Council to vote on a resolution that conflicts with the policy of the US federal government. In fact, just this week, the United States vetoed a ceasefire resolution presented at the UN Security Council. The request was for our Allegheny County Council to voice that this was the wrong decision.

There were speakers who claimed that there was zero evidence of the sexual assaults on October 7th and that the murder of babies was a propaganda-driven lie.

Many speakers accused Israel of committing genocide, citing the International Court of Justice (ICJ), even though the ICJ has not ruled that Israel is committing genocide, nor did they rule that Israel should cease fire. There were speakers who claimed that there was zero evidence of the sexual assaults on October 7th and that the murder of babies was a propaganda-driven lie. Hamas supporters and justifiers of the October 7th atrocities almost immediately denied what happened despite the terrorists filming and broadcasting their crimes. We know of another well-documented mass murder in Jewish history that is also denied by extremists. One speaker went so far as to claim that if Israel would just stop what they were doing, then antisemitism here and globally would decrease. Did the Jews in Israel who were murdered on October 7th deserve it because of where they lived? Do Jews here deserve antisemitism because of Israel’s response to October 7th? Do only Zionists deserve antisemitism?

We had members of our community passionately speak about their own experiences with antisemitism and the experiences of their families. They spoke of pogroms and murder of Jews in the Holocaust, in Israel, here at home, in the shtetls of Europe, and as Jews living in the Ottoman Empire. We heard from Rabbi Myers and Audrey Glickman, who survived the worst antisemitic attack in US history. We heard from several leaders in our community including Jeff Finkelstein and Jason Kunzman. Each had a similar message: this resolution and subsequent debate are causing division, promoting misinformation, and making our community less safe.  Sadly, even though these leaders represent thousands of Jews in our community, media outlets, and even some members of County Council, dismissed their voices as “a small minority” in the room.

A common thread among all speakers was that there is immense fear and sadness. Based on the tenor and reactions of those in the room, this issue is clearly extremely personal and divisive. One of the goals of County Council should be creating and fostering a community that serves us all. If anything is clear from the meeting this week, passing this resolution would fall far short of that goal.

I hope that there will be no ceasefire resolution presented at the County Council meeting on March 5th because the fighting will be over, and the hostages will be home.

I would argue that every single person who was in that room ultimately wants a ceasefire and I hope that all want peace. Peace is not possible when only Israel is asked to cease fire and when Hamas, who has promised to repeat the atrocities of Oct 7 again and again, is left to continue brutalizing Israelis and Palestinians. As we hope that every gathering on Sunday to demand the release of the hostages will be the last, I hope that there will be no ceasefire resolution presented at the County Council meeting on March 5th because the fighting will be over, and the hostages will be home. Until then, I ask you to use your voice. Send messages and make calls to County Council and tell them why you oppose a unilateral ceasefire resolution that is outside of their purview as a body.

I want to express my immense gratitude that many of you have already made your voices heard. We are told that since we sent out our community action alert, the County Council has received over 900 messages from our community. We need to keep writing. Although this time is divisive, there is a great moment of unity in our Jewish community.

Shabbat Shalom and Am Yisrael Chai.

To find your local representative, view this map of Allegheny County and the corresponding County Council list.