I have gotten to know Mayor Darrell Steinberg this past year, especially regarding his proposal for the community to come together around a resolution regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas. I had read the Mayor’s piece in January that “interfaith leaders are not talking to one another” and continued to contact interfaith leaders as I have been doing since October 7, with 8 coming to speak on our Bimah at Shabbat services. At first I believed there was a chance to bring the community together-a pro-Israel group and pro-Palestinian group were supposed to meet to revise the language on one of the early drafts. However, when the pro-Palestinian community refused to meet, the Mayor proceeded with talking to a small group of his allies, including members of CAIR, which nationally was involved in funding money to Hamas (FBI Document Depicting Relationship Between CAIR and Terror Group Hamas Published | Police Magazine). While the Mayor argued that it is supported by the Jewish leaders, it is telling to me that not a single congregational rabbi from any denomination supported the resolution.

 I did see the Mayor work on changes and especially appreciate his getting the immediate return of the hostages added to the resolution and the removal of the terminology of Israel’s disproportionate use of force. However, without the surrender of Hamas, the opportunity for Hamas to regroup and October 7 to occur again remains on the table, as Hamas’ leaders have threatened multiple times. We cannot let Hamas remain in power, especially after they violated the last ceasefire that existed through October 6.

 What is saddest to me is I am already seeing that this resolution will not bring our community together as the Mayor said it would. Last night Jewish leaders were uninvited to events in both the Interfaith and Muslim community.  At City Council meetings I watched antisemitism be thrown out and eaten up like candy and Jewish attendees having to leave under a police escort with fear for their safety. I saw a Neo-Nazi being told by the Mayor to leave, and when he refused nothing was done about it. That individual was able to speak again last night uninterrupted. In contrast, I watched 2 people wearing Israeli flags be shut down angrily by the Mayor. I cannot condone this hypocrisy.

 In my last conversation with Mayor he asked me to stand in his shoes. I have tried to do so. I have observed the vitriol and verbal abuse that he has taken week after week at City Council, the weekly protests at and vandalism of his home, as well as the terrorizing of City Council member Lisa Kaplan and the targeting of her car at the City Hall garage. At the same time, I read in today’s Sacramento Bee that the 12 people arrested for refusing to leave the city council meeting have vowed to disrupt it again.” (Protesters arrested at Sacramento council meeting speak out: ‘We are going to do it again’ (yahoo.com) The resolution which in Mayor Steinberg’s words was designed to bring the community together is actually tearing us further apart.  We are witnessing the truth of Council Member Kaplan words, “It’s going to fracture people.” I have seen the worst in people for two months. Now on my way back to Sacramento from the East Coast, I will continue to do my part to meet with other interfaith leaders, especially those who disagree with me, to build bridges and try to put this ugly hatred I have heard week after week to bed.