I helped organize and spoke at a rally at Hamden Town Hall on Feb. 20 in favor of a ceasefire resolution in the Israel-Gaza war, and then testified before the Hamden Legislative Council. I didn’t feel good about it, and I’ll tell you why.
There were about 200 people, about half on each side. The anti-resolution people took seats on the main floor while the pro-people rallied in front of Town Hall. When we came inside, we mostly sat in the balcony. Palestinian and Israeli flags were draped around the room and signs declaring “Stand with Israel” and “Ceasefire now” proliferated.
When those opposed to the resolution spoke, their side applauded loudly. Same for the pro side. When something really egregious was said, the other side erupted in boos or calls of “liar!” For us it was when someone repeated the myth that Hamas beheaded babies. For them it was the recently revealed charge that members of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) raped Palestinian women and girls.
Council President Dominique Baez kept everyone to three minutes and occasionally called for “respect in the chamber.” Fortunately, it never boiled over into physical confrontation. But there seemed to be little to no communication between the sides; we just talked past each other. I even caught the eye of someone I know from the local synagogue, up on the balcony, and smiled. He didn’t smile back and moved downstairs, presumably to sit in friendlier territory.
Ceasefire supporters noted that Israeli bombardment has killed 30,000 Gazans, destroyed 75% or more of Gazan infrastructure and medical facilities, and displaced over 1.9 million people, and deprived Gazan civilians of food, water, electricity and medicine, leading to widespread famine and disease. When paired with Israeli Government officials openly stating that Gazans are “human animals,” it is clear that this is collective punishment of Gazans rather than targeted war against Hamas. Ultimately, we argued, the best way to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, one of the opposition’s main demands, is to declare a ceasefire.
Opponents said that the resolution omits mention of Hamas, mentioning instead that 1,200 people killed, and 200+ hostages taken, on October 7 were by “armed groups,” a reference to Islamic Jihad as well as Hamas. They noted that Hamden had never taken a position on a foreign policy issue, no resolutions decrying wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Ukraine, or the treatment of Uighurs in China, and opined that the council should stick to governing Hamden. In their view, the sole focus on Israel proves that ceasefire supporters are anti-Semites, singling out Israel because it is a Jewish state.
Each side has its own set of facts and beliefs, when did the violence start and who is to blame, did Israel bomb hospitals/mosques/schools. But this became most blatantly obvious when sexual assault reared its ugly head. Many pro-Palestinians have tied themselves in knots to debunk accusations that Hamas militants raped Israelis before killing them, or after taking them hostage. Now that allegations of rape have been brought against the IDF, the other side says it’s a lie. The IDF in particular has been put on a pedestal of moral rectitude by most Israelis. Personally, I tend to believe combatants on both sides committed sexual assaults, because rape has been a weapon of war as long as there have been wars.
What makes this war particularly deserving of a resolution by a small city in Connecticut? Unlike those other conflicts, the U.S. is the largest provider of financial and military support to Israel, meaning we paid for those 30,000 deaths with our tax dollars. And, at the UN Security Council, the US has consistently vetoed rebukes of Israel and ceasefire resolutions supported by most or all other countries in the world. It is imperative that we send a message to our Congressional delegation that there is a groundswell among their constituents for a ceasefire. (Of 7 members of the CT delegation, only Chris Murphy has called for a restoration of the November “pause.”) And we want to declare as loudly as we can that we don’t want our tax dollars paying for it.
Further, Gaza is unique, one of the most densely populated places in the world, with 2.2 million people crammed into a sliver of land just 25 miles long and between 3 and 8 miles wide. And Israeli bombardment has displaced most civilians from homes in central and northern cities to the southern quarter of the strip. (My hometown of Hamden is eight miles long.) And both Israel and Egypt have closed the borders, so there is no escape!
I don’t believe that support for Palestinians is antisemitic, i.e., anti-Jewish. I believe that Jews who conflate antisemitism with anti-Zionism do a dangerous disservice to their quest for safety and security.
The reason I didn’t feel great after delivering my testimony is that everyone is losing and we’re simply trying to stop the bleeding in order to move toward peace. I wanted to turn around and say to the others in the room that I heard the real grief and fear they expressed; grief over those killed and taken hostage on 10/7, fear that passing this resolution would make Jews in town less safe. Many on our side also grieve those killed and taken hostage, though that’s not heard when we demand a ceasefire. And fearing for one’s safety, and security, in Hamden is orders of magnitude less fear than Palestinians feel as they are bombed and buried indiscriminately. I truly believe that what’s making them less safe is US support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
Testimony wrapped up after midnight, and the council adjourned without taking a vote. The fate of the resolution is uncertain, but Abdul Osmanu, the council member who introduced it, hopes it will be voted on at the next council meeting in early March. Can we hope it will be moot by then?
Photo credit: Phil Brewer
There were about 200 people, about half on each side. The anti-resolution people took seats on the main floor while the pro-people rallied in front of Town Hall. When we came inside, we mostly sat in the balcony. Palestinian and Israeli flags were draped around the room and signs declaring “Stand with Israel” and “Ceasefire now” proliferated.
When those opposed to the resolution spoke, their side applauded loudly. Same for the pro side. When something really egregious was said, the other side erupted in boos or calls of “liar!” For us it was when someone repeated the myth that Hamas beheaded babies. For them it was the recently revealed charge that members of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) raped Palestinian women and girls.
Council President Dominique Baez kept everyone to three minutes and occasionally called for “respect in the chamber.” Fortunately, it never boiled over into physical confrontation. But there seemed to be little to no communication between the sides; we just talked past each other. I even caught the eye of someone I know from the local synagogue, up on the balcony, and smiled. He didn’t smile back and moved downstairs, presumably to sit in friendlier territory.
Ceasefire supporters noted that Israeli bombardment has killed 30,000 Gazans, destroyed 75% or more of Gazan infrastructure and medical facilities, and displaced over 1.9 million people, and deprived Gazan civilians of food, water, electricity and medicine, leading to widespread famine and disease. When paired with Israeli Government officials openly stating that Gazans are “human animals,” it is clear that this is collective punishment of Gazans rather than targeted war against Hamas. Ultimately, we argued, the best way to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, one of the opposition’s main demands, is to declare a ceasefire.
Opponents said that the resolution omits mention of Hamas, mentioning instead that 1,200 people killed, and 200+ hostages taken, on October 7 were by “armed groups,” a reference to Islamic Jihad as well as Hamas. They noted that Hamden had never taken a position on a foreign policy issue, no resolutions decrying wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Ukraine, or the treatment of Uighurs in China, and opined that the council should stick to governing Hamden. In their view, the sole focus on Israel proves that ceasefire supporters are anti-Semites, singling out Israel because it is a Jewish state.
Each side has its own set of facts and beliefs, when did the violence start and who is to blame, did Israel bomb hospitals/mosques/schools. But this became most blatantly obvious when sexual assault reared its ugly head. Many pro-Palestinians have tied themselves in knots to debunk accusations that Hamas militants raped Israelis before killing them, or after taking them hostage. Now that allegations of rape have been brought against the IDF, the other side says it’s a lie. The IDF in particular has been put on a pedestal of moral rectitude by most Israelis. Personally, I tend to believe combatants on both sides committed sexual assaults, because rape has been a weapon of war as long as there have been wars.
What makes this war particularly deserving of a resolution by a small city in Connecticut? Unlike those other conflicts, the U.S. is the largest provider of financial and military support to Israel, meaning we paid for those 30,000 deaths with our tax dollars. And, at the UN Security Council, the US has consistently vetoed rebukes of Israel and ceasefire resolutions supported by most or all other countries in the world. It is imperative that we send a message to our Congressional delegation that there is a groundswell among their constituents for a ceasefire. (Of 7 members of the CT delegation, only Chris Murphy has called for a restoration of the November “pause.”) And we want to declare as loudly as we can that we don’t want our tax dollars paying for it.
Further, Gaza is unique, one of the most densely populated places in the world, with 2.2 million people crammed into a sliver of land just 25 miles long and between 3 and 8 miles wide. And Israeli bombardment has displaced most civilians from homes in central and northern cities to the southern quarter of the strip. (My hometown of Hamden is eight miles long.) And both Israel and Egypt have closed the borders, so there is no escape!
I don’t believe that support for Palestinians is antisemitic, i.e., anti-Jewish. I believe that Jews who conflate antisemitism with anti-Zionism do a dangerous disservice to their quest for safety and security.
The reason I didn’t feel great after delivering my testimony is that everyone is losing and we’re simply trying to stop the bleeding in order to move toward peace. I wanted to turn around and say to the others in the room that I heard the real grief and fear they expressed; grief over those killed and taken hostage on 10/7, fear that passing this resolution would make Jews in town less safe. Many on our side also grieve those killed and taken hostage, though that’s not heard when we demand a ceasefire. And fearing for one’s safety, and security, in Hamden is orders of magnitude less fear than Palestinians feel as they are bombed and buried indiscriminately. I truly believe that what’s making them less safe is US support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
Testimony wrapped up after midnight, and the council adjourned without taking a vote. The fate of the resolution is uncertain, but Abdul Osmanu, the council member who introduced it, hopes it will be voted on at the next council meeting in early March. Can we hope it will be moot by then?
Photo credit: Phil Brewer
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