Dear Richmond City Councilmembers,
It is my hope that, especially in the aftermath of the deeply divisive proposals regarding Israel raised last year in the Richmond City Council, the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission, the San Francisco City Council, and on the UC Berkeley Campus, our community's voice has been heard. Geopolitics are not the domain of City government. We are activists, as individuals, for many causes. Our local organizations are appropriate places for pursuing wide-ranging commitments. Local Government has a mandate which is vital, pressing - and inherently local. The perennial attack on Israel from local Bay Area communities through coordinated misuses of public funding and offices must end.
To be honest, I've long wondered why the leaders of the effort for Palestinian Statehood haven't approached me, or my synagogue, as supporters, which we emphatically are. I'm a traditional rabbi who prays regularly - and publicly - for a Palestinian State. Wouldn't a cohesive, unified, voice, truly grassroots without the complication of negotiating an "official" US position, be a healthy way forward?
With my blessings for peace, and my deep concern for a misguided governance effort,
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Congregation Netivot Shalom
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Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Congregation Netivot Shalom || Bay Area Masorti || ShefaNetwork.org