Correspondence: Updated 12/29/2023 — Alameda City Council, January 2, 2024

From: Amina Hakim
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] A Ceasefire is a Local Issue
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:46:38 PM
I want to extend my appreciation to Mayor Ashcraft and her leadership in agendizing a letter that speaks to what a majority of Americans are hoping for: an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. As a Muslim born and raised in the Bay Area, too many instances have hurt and threatened my community in ways that have made us feel isolated and disenfranchised from the greater American public. Whether it was the war on terror, the Muslim ban, or any other clear example of hateful islamophobic rhetoric that is deeply engrained in the policies and culture of our society, its normalization are both hurtful and dangerous. I vividly remember walking through the older layout of South Shore in the early 2000s, on the first day I ever decided to wear my hijab at 12yo. Leaving my home feeling proud and fashion-forward in the outfit I had put together that I thought matched fairly well. I had my older sister beside me, who I looked up to, to confirm and affirm that I did indeed look quite cute. It wasn’t long after we had parked our car and started walking into the plaza, where we were met with violent stares and mumbling. And not long after that, did a group of young adults shout at us, “There goes bin Laden’s niece!” I felt scared, embarrassed, and small. I walked in that fear for the next decade, as multiple incidents of hateful slurs and acts continued to be thrown against my family and I. I considered taking my hijab off altogether at some point. To feel more “American”, to feel more “normal”. But I thought, if my mother and sisters can brave the attacks, so can I. I left visiting South Shore center that day, thinking and feeling “Alameda is unsafe for people like me”. I admit, I harbored that feeling for a long time. And it was only until I connected with other Alamedans in the last few months, where we bonded over the solidarity for humanity, and where that perception I have long held for Alameda has finally shifted. Today, I do feel safe. And I do feel welcomed. And it is because of this letter that Mayor Ashcraft has bravely crafted, that I feel like I can proudly represent my values and my identity, without the fear of feeling targeted. Another group still in need of this, are our Alameda youth - who are desperately searching for a platform to speak out against injustices without consequence. How do we make them feel safe? To the opposition: this is one of many reasons a ceasefire is a local issue. Our leaders have an ethical and moral obligation to speak out against injustice anywhere, and stand with humanity everywhere. Just as most of you did when you put your Ukrainian flags. I ask: what’s different this time? Alameda has already long been rooted in examples of divisiveness. How do we undo that? Call for a ceasefire. Join for justice. Stand for peace.

Amina Hakim
Alameda
From: Gabrielle Cohen
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item 10D — thank you!
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:04:22 PM
Dear Alameda County Clerk Office,
As a Jewish resident of Alameda County, I am so supportive and glad to hear that the City Council has put forth a resolution urging for a ceasefire.

Thank you for your work!
Respectfully,
Gabrielle Cohen
From: Mario de Mira
To: City Clerk; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda item 10-D (Call for Ceasefire in Palestine) Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:11:11 PM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers,
My name is Mario de Mira, for the past 5 years I have been active in the Alameda community. In 2022, I was part of the organizing committee that hosted the Filipino American History Month Celebration at Encinal High School that brought out hundreds of community members to celebrate Filipino culture. I have worked with the Methodist churches like Buenavista and Twin Towers in other community events, and have also participated in their worship. Me and my family spend a significant amount of consumer dollars at retail shops and restaurants in Alameda. The Alameda community is very much a part of our lives.

I am writing as a concerned member of our community to urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that the city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

Ceasefire is a safety issue. The ongoing war in Palestine makes many of our community members less safe, including Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and Jews. In Alameda, the unofficial motto is “Everyone belongs here,” yet we are hearing that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community members are afraid of being doxxed or losing their jobs for attending events or speaking out in solidarity with Palestinians.

During a recent walkout, students at Encinal High School reported feeling unsafe demonstrating solidarity with Palestine. The conflation of Zionism with Judaism has also led to Jewish community members feeling unsafe and targeted. Mayor Ashcraft’s letter sends a message to impacted community members that their representatives hear their safety concerns.

Ceasefire is a moral issue. The images and reports of civilian casualties, including children, are deeply distressing. It is clear that a lasting solution can only be achieved through diplomatic efforts and a commitment to dialogue. Our Congresswoman Barbara Lee has signed on to the congressional ceasefire resolution and was courageous in her disavowal of the war in Iraq. Endorsing a ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that you will consider the urgency of the situation. I look forward to hearing about any actions our city council may take to address this critical issue. The first step towards peace and justice is an immediate ceasefire.

Sincerely,
--
Mario C. de Mira
From: Christine E Corpus
To: City Clerk
Cc: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:14:19 PM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers,
I am writing as a concerned member of our community to urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that our city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

During a recent walkout, students at Encinal High School reported feeling unsafe demonstrating solidarity with Palestine. The conflation of Zionism with Judaism has also led to Jewish community members feeling unsafe and targeted. Mayor Ashcraft’s letter
sends a message to impacted community members that their representatives hear their safety concerns.

Ceasefire is a moral issue. As a resident of Alameda, I believe that our community has a role to play in advocating for a peace in Gaza. The images and reports of civilian casualties, including children, are deeply distressing. It is clear that a lasting solution can only be achieved through diplomatic efforts and a commitment to dialogue. Our Congresswoman Barbara Lee has signed on to the congressional ceasefire resolution and was courageous in her disavowal of the war in Iraq.

Endorsing a ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

I understand that international conflicts are complex, and our local government may have limited influence on global affairs. However, by taking a principled stand, Alameda can contribute to the collective voice advocating for peace and the protection of civilian lives.

Sincerely,
Christine E. Corpus
Thank you!
From: Evelyn Carmack
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:36:26 PM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers,
I am writing as a concerned a Jewish member of our community to urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. I regularly spend time in Alameda at the beach and frequent local restaurants and businesses in Alameda.

The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that our city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

During a recent walkout, students at Encinal High School reported feeling unsafe demonstrating solidarity with Palestine. The conflation of Zionism with Judaism has also led to Jewish community members feeling unsafe and targeted. Mayor Ashcraft’s letter
sends a message to impacted community members that their representatives hear their safety concerns.

Endorsing a ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

Sincerely,
E.C.

From: Judith Pruess-Mellow
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda item 10-D, Jan. 2, 2025
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 8:22:42 PM
Dear Alameda City Council members, I am a resident of Alameda and am extremely concerned about the situation in Palestine. I urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft's letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and cessation of violence of settlers in the West Bank towards Palestinians. The specter of human suffering has been unbearable to read about and to watch. How can Israel just ignore the suffering of so many, many people? It really is not in keeping with Jewish reverence for life. My Jewish friends tell me they are ashamed of what Israel is doing. They feel shame at being a Jew right now. They are usually proud of their culture.

I agree with Bay Area Jews for a Ceasefire, who gathered last week at Lake Merritt to call for an immediate ceasefire. They wholly reject the false narrative that apartheid, forced displacement, siege, blockades, starvation, little access to clean water and medical care, bombing refugee camps, ground attacks in Gaza, and settlers terrorizing in the West Bank will make Jews safer. IT ALL MAKES JEWS, MUSLIMS, PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS, AND ARABS less safe.

I have also been in touch with Rabbi David Cooper of Kehilla Synagogue and Rabbis4ceasefire. Hopefully, he will be coming to speak soon in Alameda at one of our churches. I believe our community has a role to play in advocating for peace in Gaza and the West Bank. We can be part of the growing list of municipalities wanting a ceasefire. Clearly, a lasting solution is only through diplomacy and commitment to dialogue.

The matter of demanding a ceasefire is a local issue, as it is tearing apart our community, especially within and among our communities of faith. The funds Alamedans spend on support of Israel's violence against Palestinians, including the murder of so many innocents, women and children, could be used on so many worthwhile, humanity affirming endeavors. For example, we could have a better solution for homelessness than the rotating shelter among faith communities we now have.

The Jewish people involved in If Not Now, Jewish Voices for Peace, Jewish Elders for Peace, and the above 2 groups I mentioned are actively taking a stand for life of all people. Never again means never again for EVERYONE. In the words of the Bay Area Jews for a Ceasefire, Zionism is NOT Judaism.

I appreciate your attention to this extremely urgent matter.

Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Judith Pruess-Mellow
Twin Towers United Methodist Church
From: Sulakshana
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:15:36 PM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers,
I am writing as a concerned member of our community -- I work in Alameda -- to urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that our city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

Ceasefire is a moral issue. As someone that works here in Alameda, I believe that our community has a role to play in advocating for a peace in Gaza. The images and reports of civilian casualties, including children, are deeply distressing. It is clear that a lasting solution can only be achieved through diplomatic efforts and a commitment to dialogue. Our Congresswoman Barbara Lee has signed on to the congressional ceasefire resolution and was courageous in her disavowal of the war in Iraq.

Endorsing a ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

Sincerely,
Elana Sulakshana
--
Sulakshana (she/her)
(703) 589 0040
From: Sophia Elliott
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 6:49:45 AM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers,
I am writing as a concerned member of our community to urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that our city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

Ceasefire is a safety issue.

The ongoing war in Palestine makes many of our
community members less safe, including Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and Jews. In Alameda, our unofficial motto is “Everyone belongs here,” yet we are hearing that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community members are afraid of being doxxed or losing their jobs for attending events or speaking out in solidarity with Palestinians.

sends a message to impacted community members that their representatives hear their safety concerns.

Ceasefire is
a moral issue.

As a
resident of
Alameda, I believe that our community
has a role to play in advocating for a peace in Gaza. The images and reports of civilian casualties, including children, are deeply distressing. It is clear that a lasting solution can only be achieved through diplomatic efforts and a commitment to dialogue. Our Congresswoman Barbara Lee has signed on to the congressional ceasefire resolution and was courageous in her disavowal of the war in Iraq.

Endorsing a
ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

Ceasefire is
a local issue.

US Campaign for Palestinian Rights estimates that
Alameda taxpayers give $1,115,883 to
fund Israel’s violence against Palestinian
people. Those tax dollars could be coming back into our community for needed services. Additionally, Alameda is home to hundreds of union members and community members whose unions and community organizations have endorsed an immediate ceasefire.

I
understand that international conflicts are complex, and our local government may have limited influence on global affairs. However, by taking a principled stand, Alameda can contribute to the collective voice advocating for peace and the protection of civilian lives.

I
appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that you will consider the urgency of the situation. I look forward to hearing about any actions our city council may take to address this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Sophia Voyevod Elliott

From: Zhanna Panich
Cc: Trish Spencer; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Tracy Jensen; Lara Weisiger Subject: [EXTERNAL] Aameda City Board voting on a ceasefire Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 6:17:59 PM
> Hello.
> It has come to my attention that the city of Alameda Mayor had added a letter to vote on resolution for a cease fire in Israel. As an Alamedan, I am taking issue with this for several reasons:
> 1. You have more important things to do that actually affect us here in our city. Alameda city govt. has no business wasting their time on meaningless votes about another country. What does Alameda have to do with national politics of Israel or gain from this vote?
>
> 2. It is a politically charged and divisive issue about a terrorist organization whose goal is the Jewish genocide. If it was about the land Palestinians think is theirs, this dispute would have been solved long ago. Either way your vote goes, it would not even reach Israel's oficials, but it would put a further negative divide between folks in our community and endanger Jews and Arabs living in Alameda. >
> I urge you to please remove this letter and vote from your agenda at your next meeting, & if you do vote, please vote against the cease fire as the only ones that benefit from it are Hamas. >
> As we are coming into 2024, this vote is the last thing Alameda City Board should be concerned with. >
> Thank you.
> Zhanna Panich
> 127 Purcell Dr
> Alameda
> 510-914-3492
>
From: Joanne Donsky
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Please either oppose--or vote not to act--on Item 10-D Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 5:24:47 PM
I just sent the following letter to the City Council. I forgot to include you, so I am sending you a copy to my email.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Joanne Donsky <[email protected]>
Subject: Please either oppose--or vote not to act--on Item 10-D Date: December 29, 2023 at 5:18:53 PM PST
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Dear Alameda City Council members,
I am writing to ask that you either oppose—or vote not to act on—Item 10-D re:
the Hamas/Israel war.

Clearly, you have plenty of important city issues to discuss that are in line with what you are meant to do.

Local resolutions regarding the war between Israel and
Hamas, on the other hand, do not benefit the local community. Rather, they only serve to raise tensions in by providing a forum for antisemitism and animosity against the Jewish and Israeli communities. I would hope that you agree that this is not in the best interest of anyone in the community.

Many thanks!
Joanne Donsky
From: Martha Larsen
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] GAZA resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:44:08 PM
Thank you all for the resolution asking for a ceasefire in GAZA. Hopeful that terrible genocide can end soon and no more innocent lives will be lost. I will send a copy of the resolution to a friend in Bethlehem. Israelis are killing many people in the West Bank also.

May the war end soon.

Martha Larsen
From: natasha beilin
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:58:43 PM
Dear Alameda City Council,
I work in Alameda for last 20 years. I love my place of work and all people I come across, from all religious and ethnic backgrounds. This is our strength.

I know many city councils are forced to put a ceasefire resolution for a vote now. It brings a huge divide between different people of our community and makes lots of people feel unsafe.

It also brings a lot of antisemitism after each similar meeting. Oakland adopted the resolution and episodes of antisemitism all the time highest. We can not change what is happening hundreds miles away. But we can surely destroy peace that we have in our local cities. Our local government is elected to help people locally to have safer lives, not to bring more divide and hate into our community.

Some people get manipulated into brining this resolution for a vote by questioning their humanity. Please do not be a victim of such manipulation. You are not denying humanity by not letting ceasefire resolution to be adopted. You are choosing hate free environment in our city and choosing to stay focused on local issues.

And in addition please remember that there are still 129 hostages, including 2 kids, and many wounded people, in Hamas hands. There are over 1200 people who were brutally killed by Hamas by burning them alive, beheading, gang raping. One baby was burned in the oven.

Alive. While his mom was watching tied up and could not do anything to save him. All documented by Hamas go pro cameras. Hamas is promising to repeat those attacks again and again until state of Israel is destroyed.

In addition I will share with you an account of one muslim doctor where talks about what she have seen with her own eyes.

Dr. Qanta Ahmed, Academic Pulmonologist and Sleep Disorder Specialist; NYU LangoneAssociate Professor of Medicine.
https://youtu.be/ZSxHYKi2QwU?si=KHPYVfts7lCq14DR&t=248
I also encourage you to read NYT article on sexual violence that came your 1 day ago called “ Screams without words: how Hamas weaponized sexual violence on Oct7 And a book that might be interesting to any of you who wants to learn about history of the land :

The Case for Israel https://a.co/d/4NUcOjH
I ask you to please vote only on local issues and keep our community safe.

We won’t solve international crises in the Alameda City Council. The only thing Item 10-D on the January 2nd agenda accomplishes is increasing division locally by legitimizing hateful rhetoric. I urge you to reject the referral and reject the idea of the Council sending a letter to federal officials on this topic.

Respectfully and with the hope that you will concentrate only on local issues and keep our city hate free,
Natalya Beilin
From: Mark Klebanov
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 8:36:43 PM
Dear Alameda City Council,
As a member of the Jewish Community here in the Bay Area, I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

I understand that Alameda City Council, like other local governments, has been deluged by activists demanding a local response to foreign affairs. Most of the people who have spoken in Alameda made inflammatory comments, claiming Israel is an “apartheid state carrying out a genocide.” By placing the issue on the official agenda, Mayor Ashcraft has fanned the flames of these lies and is opening a public community hearing to a Pandora’s box of antisemitism and vitriol. This is in direct contradiction of the statement that Mayor Ashcraft signed a few years ago saying she would stand united and fight against Antisemtism via AJC Mayors United Against Antisemitism https://www.ajc.org/mayors
. This type of action
will only increase antisemitism towards your Jewish community and constituents.

It is heartbreaking that those activists were praised for their rhetoric by the mayor.

Ethical leadership requires you to reject this letter’s referral to the Council and to reject the contents of the letter. It is our duty as Americans to support our democratic allies in the fight against terrorism. Further, the only way for government to be effective is for each level of government to focus on the issues within its purview.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza, utilizing them as human shields in direct violation of international law. I pray for peace, but by Alameda taking on this agenda item does not bolster peace, only creates more hate and division.

We won’t solve international crises in the Alameda City Council. The only thing Item 10-D on the January 2nd agenda accomplishes is increasing division locally by legitimizing hateful rhetoric and vitriol. I urge you to reject the referral and reject the idea of the Council sending a letter to federal officials on this topic.

Sincerely,
Mark Klebanov
American Jewish Committee SF/Bay Area Board Member
From: Edward Sing
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fw: Opposition to Item 10-D on Jan. 2, 2024, City Council Meeting Agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 7:20:52 PM
Alameda City Council -
I agree with the recommendations in the letter, below, from the Alameda Citizens Taskforce (ACT) that the Council remove her referral of this item from the agenda. If it is not removed, I strongly encourage you to reject Item 10-D.

Also, I believe that the Council's purpose is to consider items of importance to the governance of this City and not to address items of national policy.

Thank you for your consideration of the above.

Ed Sing
Alameda resident for 27 years

From: Alameda Citizens Task Force <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:14 AM
To: Alameda Citizens Task Force <[email protected]> Subject: Fw: Opposition to Item 10-D on Jan. 2, 2024, City Council Meeting Agenda

Attached is our letter to City Council regarding the Mayor's referral seeking authority to send a letter to federal officials seeking a ceasefire in Israel/Gaza. For detail on this issue see:

City of Alameda - File #: 2024-3687 (legistar.com)
From: Alameda Citizens Task Force
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:05 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>; LARA WEISIGER <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Opposition to Item 10-D on Jan. 2, 2024, City Council Meeting Agenda

ACT
Alameda Citizens Task Force
Vigilance, Truth, Civility

Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog & Council Members Vella, Spencer & Jensen:

The horrible human cost of the events of the last three months in Israel and Gaza have touched us all.

We join in the widespread striving for peace and tolerance and hope for a negotiated settlement.

Everyone wants the killings, injuries, and destruction to end, but there are many very strongly held opinions as to how we get there while still respecting the existential rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. Those groups that have reached a consensus as to the resolution of the conflict are certainly acting appropriately expressing their views to our federal officials. However, there is no demonstrated consensus of Alamedans. Therefore, we believe that it would be inappropriate for a representative of our city government to publish an argument that would be presented as representing the opinion of the majority of our citizens.

You must also consider the emotional toll suffered by many of our residents in having this item on the Council agenda and subjected to public comment. For the City Council to be speaking for the entire community in advocating only one point of view on a subject upon which there is no citywide consensus and is clearly beyond its subject matter jurisdiction simply creates more division and pain in the community.

Both Jews and Muslims are feeling physically threatened by the radical views on the issue expressed by antisemites and Islamophobes. Since late November, the City has excluded online public comments on Council meeting non-agenda matters with the express purpose of cleansing them of the expression of the radical statements that have been made at post Oct. 7 Council meetings. Yet the Mayor’s referral places the issue on the regular agenda and thus open for online public comment, which may cause these very hateful comments to occur again.

The major negative impact of this referral will occur when it is opened for public comment before an overflow in-person and online audience on Jan. 2. Therefore, notwithstanding our respect for the Mayor’s sincere views on this matter, we urge her to reconsider and remove her referral from the agenda. If it is not removed, we strongly encourage you to reject Item 10-D.

Sincerely,

ACT Board of Directors

From: Albina Khazan
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:38:48 PM
Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

It is heartbreaking that those activists were praised for their rhetoric by the mayor. Ethical leadership requires you to reject this letter’s referral to the Council and to reject the contents of the letter. It is our duty as Americans to support our democratic allies in the fight against terrorism. Further, the only way for government to be effective is for each level of government to focus on the issues within its purview.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Sent from my iPhone
From: Ken Solnit
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: City Clerk; Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 10-D of the Jan 2 Council agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:01:47 PM
Dear Council Members,
I respectfully suggest that this issue of global controversy is not a subject for a city council to consider.

At the very simplest level,
-- if Hamas will release all its (surviving) Israeli hostages -- if Hamas will cease its warfare against Israel
-- there would be an immediate, and permanent, ceasefire Short of that, Israel is struggling to defend itself and survive.

Yours truly,
Kenneth Solnit
From: Sara Stillman
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 10-D of the Jan 2 Council agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:56:39 AM
Dear Alameda City Council,
I am a thirteen year resident of Alameda. I am deeply disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

Antisemitism is thriving here in the East Bay. Resolutions passed by the Oakland City Council and the Oakland Education Association, an organization that is supposed to protect my safety, have created a city and school system where I go to work in fear. At the school where I teach I have removed flyers that proclaim the destruction of the Jewish people and have witnessed students celebrating the October 7 Hamas attacks on Jews who are just like me.

I am the granddaughter of Jews who fled the pogroms in Russia and described violence that rivals the barbaric Hamas attack on October 7. My grandparents found refuge in the United States and rebuilt their lives, now in fear of the Ku Klux Klan. Just as they were taught to hide as children from the pogroms, they now taught their children to hide from the Klan. Those children, my parents taught me to not hide, but to be Jewish quietly. I was taught to only be Jewish when we were around other Jews and in the privacy of our home or synagogue. This was their way of keeping me safe. Now that I am raising a Jewish child of my own, here in Alameda, I find myself telling her not to be too Jewish when we are out at a store or even at the playground. I want to protect her just like my parents and grandparents wanted to protect me.

City councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Sara Stillman
From: May
To: City Clerk; Manager Manager; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 10-D on the agenda for 1/2/24
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 8:43:44 PM
Dear City of Alameda Council members,
I would like to ask you to not get involved in the Middle East conflict, and to refrain from adopting the proposed letter for the following reasons:

1. Getting involved in this conflict will not solve anything, it will only divide the community, and encourage fear, hate,conflict, and suspicion. Please refer to what happened in the neighboring cities Richmond and Oakland - the tensions are higher, the vandalism and suspicion escalated. The cities of Berkeley, San Jose, and Foster City decided not to adopt these resolutions, and the city of Santa Clara had adopted a beautiful and unbiased resolution against hate, without focusing on specific conflicts and events.

2. The decades-old conflict in the Middle East is extremely complicated, and I don't think one can understand its implications and nuances without studying it for years and living it in their daily lives. As a result, you do not have the necessary information and you run the risk of being influenced by subjective, and shallow, slogans and rhetoric.

3. The CIty Council was elected to deal with municipal issues, such as homelessness, commute, and education, and not with global issues that are handled at the federal level.

4. There are currently several other major conflicts in the world that cause hundreds of thousands of casualties, SUDAN AND UKRAINE are just two of these. The fact that your council was not asked to take a stand on these terrible conflicts makes me think that anti- semitism is the driving force for the request to send this letter (per agenda item 10-D).

5. For your information:
- Israel recently offered Hamas, a known terrorist organization, a

2 week ceasefire (despite
knowing that this will allow Hamas to regroup and rearm) in exchange for returning the abducted Israelies in Gaza and laying down their weapons, and HAMAS REFUSED.The moment Hamas will cease fighting and return all the abducted (among them women, babies, elders), the fighting will stop.
- Hamas is vowing to repeat the horrific events of October 7 that you are probbabaly aware of:
gang rapes,beheading babies, slaughtering parents in front of their children, setting live people on fire, setting entire settlements on fire, and many more atrocities that canot be described.

Israel has to make sure these atrocities do not happen again - Hamas is using the citizens of

Gaza as human shields. It built its underground
city/tunnels/ammunition depots under hospitals, schools and mosques. Hamas blocked Gazans from going south to avoid injuries as proposed by Israel, in order to ensure that they continue being its human shields.

6. In summary: Please refrain from adopting the ceasefire letter. This has nothing to do with a city council charter, the historic and political facts are too complex to allow for an unbiased opinion, and the impact of such a letter on the citizens of Alameda will be negative: it will encourage fear, division, suspicion and hate.

We all want to raise our children in a harmonious and peaceful environment Thank you for your consideration.

May

From: Stewart Florsheim
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: City Clerk; Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 10-D on the Jan 2 City Council Agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 7:59:05 PM
Dear Alameda City Council,
I am a Bay Area citizen who visits and does business in Alameda. I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

As we have clearly seen from the “debates” in Richmond and Oakland, the only thing formally discussing this war does is legitimize anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric. We will not solve the Middle East Crisis in the Alameda City Council. But your ethical leadership is needed to ensure that everyone is welcome on the island.

The only thing Item 10-D on the January 2nd agenda accomplishes is increasing division locally by legitimizing hateful rhetoric. I urge you to reject the referral and reject the idea of the Council sending a letter to federal officials on this topic.

Sincerely,
Stewart Florsheim
--
www.stewartflorsheim.com

From: emily zugnoni
To: City Clerk
Cc: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Jan. City Council Agenda item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:30:23 PM
Dear Alameda City Council members,
My name is Emily Zugnoni. I live/work in Alameda, and grew up here, attending Alameda Catholic schools K-12. I’m currently in the Chamber of Commerce’s “Leadership Alameda” program.

December’s City Council meeting (via zoom) was one of my first. I felt pride for my town, seeing many show up and speak up for Gaza, and seeing the respectful atmosphere. I felt even more proud of our local government when City Council took action to add the call for a ceasefire to the January agenda. Thank you! Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s letter is fair and powerful.

This IS a local matter:

1. I think any matter that residents bring to you, especially in such large numbers and with such passion, becomes a local issue.

2. Further, this became a local issue when our concerns fell on deaf ears at the federal level. According to congressional aides, many ceasefire calls to congress have been ignored or downplayed. We can only reach the federal level by going through our local government. The “voice” of a city, and especially one as trend- setting as Alameda, is louder than the voice of one individual.

This is not divisive:

1. Many Alamedans requested City Council add this to the agenda. To ignore that request would feel divisive— like a decision was made behind closed doors or our request was dismissed.

2. Even if sending the letter is approved, it means a ceasefire on BOTH sides, an end to violence. It does not place blame. It’s a call for peace, which isn’t controversial.

3. Jewish does not equal Israeli. Unless there’s an Alameda resident who is also an Israeli military leader, I don’t see how this “others” any community members.

I encourage City Council to KEEP item 10-D on the agenda. I also support sending the letter so that Alameda is added to the growing list of cities and municipalities taking a moral stand. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Sincerely,
Emily Zugnoni
From: Akesa Po"oi Fakava
To: City Clerk; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] January 2, 2024 Agenda Item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:38:55 PM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers,

As the Pastor of Twin Towers United Methodist Church, I am writing as a concerned member of our community to strongly urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that our city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

Ceasefire is a safety issue. The ongoing war in Palestine makes many of our community members less safe, including Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and Jews. In Alameda, our unofficial motto is “Everyone belongs here,” yet we are hearing that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community members are afraid of being doxxed or losing their jobs for attending events or speaking out in solidarity with Palestinians. During a recent walkout, students at Encinal High School reported feeling unsafe demonstrating solidarity with Palestine. The conflation of Zionism with Judaism has also led to Jewish community members feeling unsafe and targeted. Mayor Ashcraft’s letter sends a message to impacted community members that their representatives hear their safety concerns.

Ceasefire is a moral issue. As a leader of a faith community in Alameda, I believe that our community has a role to play in advocating for peace in Gaza. The images and reports of civilian casualties, including children, are deeply distressing. It is clear that a lasting solution can only be achieved through diplomatic efforts and a commitment to dialogue. Our Congresswoman Barbara Lee has signed on to the congressional ceasefire resolution and was courageous in her disavowal of the war in Iraq.

Endorsing a ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

Ceasefire is a local issue. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights estimates that Alameda taxpayers give $1,115,883 to fund Israel’s violence against Palestinian people. Those tax dollars could be coming back into our community for needed services. Additionally, Alameda is home to hundreds of union members and community members whose unions and community organizations have endorsed an immediate ceasefire. I understand that international conflicts are complex, and our local government may have limited influence on global affairs. However, by taking a principled stand, Alameda can contribute to the collective voice advocating for peace and the protection of civilian lives.

I strongly urge your attention to this matter and trust that you will consider the urgency of the situation. I look forward to hearing about any actions our city council may take to address this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Rev. Akesa Po’oi Fakava
Twin Towers United Methodist Church
1411 Oak Street, Alameda, CA 94501
From: Saara Ahmed
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Letter in support of 10D for Jan 2nd council meeting Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:11:43 PM
Dear Alameda City Council members,
I ask you to imagine a world where the call to STOP fighting, STOP the violence is considered hateful and divisive. Imagine that calls for ending the indiscriminate bombing of one of the most densely populated areas of the world, where 50% of the population are children, are met with resistance.

The estimates now suggest that roughly 40% of the over 20,000 lives lost are children.

UNICEF has labeled the killing of children in Gaza during this war as a 'stain on our conscience.' These indiscriminate bombings have also left over 25,000 children orphaned. The triage rate for these children is so high that the remaining and overwhelmed medical staff of Gaza have had to assign a new designation, 'WCNSF - wounded child, no surviving family,' to these children.

I guess I don’t have to ask you all to imagine, because despite this clear and disproportionate loss of innocent life, these global calls for a ceasefire are, in fact, being labeled as such: hateful and divisive.

I want to personally thank Mayor Ashcraft for having the bravery to pen the important word 'ceasefire' in her letter at this critically urgent time and for lifting up our voices to the federal level. Many of us have been making our daily calls and writing our letters to our elected officials, asking them to do the same. Unfortunately, our calls are going unheeded - so we turn to you, our local leaders.

Every day for the last few months, I have opened my phone to the most horrendous images of Palestinians being murdered. Like many in the Arab and Muslim community, I’ve been angered and triggered by the deafening silence of my fellow Americans.

In these moments, I’ve often reflected on the difficult decision Mamie Till made in calling for her son, Emmett Till's coffin to be kept open after he was brutally beaten to death by white supremacists. This act forced the local community to see the brutal way in which the 14-year- old was murdered, compelling the public to bear witness to his humanity. The similar courage and decision by many Palestinian journalists, risking their lives to show us the horror they are experiencing and the brutal ways they are being murdered by weapons supported by our own American tax dollars, cannot be in vain.

I am a Muslim-American who has personally faced the harmful effects of dehumanizing ‘othering’ in post 9/11 America. I have also faced the harmful pushback, silencing and incorrect conflation that calling for the rights of some, somehow means the devaluing or calls of hate toward others. This is just incorrect and unsubstantiated. I have faced this for years in my advocacy for the rights of Palestinians and in my efforts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. These movements for equity and justice are in fact what allows for safety for all, regardless of racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. In my short time as an Alamedan resident, I value the rich diversity and representation this island offers. I hope that the safety of all its residents can be given equal attention and care.

By showing leadership in calling for a ceasefire you acknowledge the seemingly controversial and radical recognition that Palestinians are in fact human, deserving of our compassion in the face of this genocidal violence. You also acknowledge that Palestinaians, Arabs and Muslims, in Alameda, including myself, also matter.

I’ll share a quote from Rev. Munther Isaac’s Christmas sermon “Christ in the Rubble” given from Bethlehem, Palestine. “This war has confirmed for us that the world does not see us as equal. Maybe it’s the color of our skin, maybe it is because we are on the wrong side of a political equation… We are not humans in their eyes, but in God’s eyes no one can tell us that.”
In God’s eyes all of the 20,000+ Gazans, the hundreds of Palestinian in the West Bank, the 1,200 Israeli lives, and the hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian hostages still remaining in captivity, including the Thais, Nepalis, Filipinos and Cambodians who were in Israel as migrant workers all matter.

Thank you for your care and attention to this important issue. --
Saara A.

Resident of Alameda
From: [email protected]
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 8:36:36 PM

Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,

Kobi Menahemy

[email protected]

(510) 520-0530

From: D Dorenz
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; City Clerk Cc: Tracy Jensen
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Reject a ceasefire resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:44:16 PM
Dear Alameda City Council,
I am a Bay Area citizen who visits the City of Alameda and does business in the City. I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Sincerely,
Dorothea Dorenz
Berkeley, CA
--
Dorothea Dorenz
From: Ashley Gregory
To: City Clerk; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for Agenda Item 10-D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 5:46:09 PM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, Councilmember Vella, Councilmember Jensen, and Councilmember Herrera Spencer; My name is Ashley Gregory, I am a mental health professional and small business owner in Alameda.

What we have been witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank is traumatic. The atrocities are unimaginable. I can tell you firsthand that feelings of powerlessness and despair are rising. For months now, thousands of us have had our elected officials on speed dial, urging them to call for a ceasefire and end U.S. aid to Israel.

We have been pleading for a permanent ceasefire as we cannot comprehend that pregnant women, healthcare workers, and babies are being ruthlessly slaughtered.

Heartbreakingly, with the exception of Barbara Lee, our calls have been met with silence.

As our elected officials you have an opportunity to break the silence, raise your voices for the people who are most vulnerable--the Palestinian people--and offer hope.

Public opinion is shifting. In a recent email from representative Cori Bush, she shared that "A majority of voters now support a ceasefire in Gaza, including 76% of Democrats, 57% of Independents, and 49% of Republicans." Voters will not forget this critical moment--we know who we can trust and who has remained silent.

Right now, in the midst of vast misinformation, it is imperative to understand and speak to the history behind Zionism and the difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Zionism does not keep anyone safe and equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism is harmful and dangerous.

The Jewish Voice For Peace (JVP) website states:

The Israeli government claims to be acting in the name of the Jewish people, so we are compelled to make sure the world knows that many Jews are opposed to its actions. Attempts to hold the Israeli government accountable are often silenced by conflating legitimate criticism with antisemitism. Israel is a state, not a person.

Everyone has the right to criticize the unjust actions of a state. JVP members represent a growing portion of U.S. Jews.

Criticism of Zionism should not be
conflated with antisemitism. The Israeli government has openly adopted Zionism as a core political belief, which informs its policy decisions.

Those political beliefs and
policies, grounded in Jewish supremacy, can and should be subject to critical debate. To learn more:

The history of Jewish alternatives to Zionism
Anti-Zionism Isn’t the Same as Anti-Semitism, by NY Times columnist Michelle Goldberg
Zionism from the Standpoint of its Victims” by Edward Said We simply do not live in a world separated between "local" and "international" issues. Our world is inextricably interconnected.

Supporting the Mayor's letter is a reflection of our shared values for safety and care, for everyone.

Sincerely,
Ashley Gregory, LMFT
From: AFF4C
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; Manager Manager; Lara Weisiger; Yibin Shen; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for Item 10-D on Jan. 2, 2024, City Council Meeting Agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:09:11 PM
Attachments: AFF4C Ceasefire Resolution Sign on.pdf
Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog & Council Members Vella, Spencer & Jensen:

Together with the nearly 250 Alameda residents who signed on to our ceasefire resolution circulated last week (attached), Alameda Families and Friends for Ceasefire would like to express our strong support for the Mayor’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The loss of innocent life in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. To date, nearly 22,000 Gazans have been killed, almost half of whom are children. A new acronym unique to Gaza has been created for the over 25,000 orphans: “WCNSF”- wounded child, no surviving family. Over half of all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, including hospitals, schools and places of worship. Imagine this level of death and destruction occurring here in Alameda. Would we not wish for other communities around the world to stand up and say, “No More”?
Mayor Ashcraft’s letter is an important step in getting Alameda on the record as standing on the right side of history on this issue. The city councils of Oakland, Richmond, Cudahy, Longbeach, Davis, and Santa Ana have all passed ceasefire resolutions or issued calls for immediate ceasefire, and many other local and municipal bodies across the state are in the process of doing the same. Dozens of national and local unions representing hundreds of thousands of members have issued calls for a ceasefire. A recent Data for Progress poll finds that “a majority of
U.S. likely voters support a permanent ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza,” with 76% of Democrats supporting a ceasefire.

Some have expressed fears that a public discussion on this issue could make people feel uncomfortable or unsafe. But silence does not equal safety. While leadership has remained silent, Palestinian Americans such as Wadea Al Fayoume, Hanaan Shahin, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhammid and Hisham Awartani have been victims of racially motivated violence.

Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll was fatally
stabbed outside her home in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood. A clear, moral position from Alameda City Council is what is needed in this moment to safeguard our community.

We recognize the complexity of feeling surrounding Israel and Palestine, and in particular emotions surrounding October 7th and its aftermath. This is exactly why we believe a discussion at city council is warranted. The dangerous conflation of the pro- Palestinian movement to anti-semitism only furthers the lonstanding dehumanization of Palestinans, Arabs and Muslims, which in turn allows hatred and violence to go unchecked. A call for ceasefire is a meaningful signal that Palestinian lives matter; they matter in Gaza, and they matter here as well. These are the core values and democratic ideals of this country that we so proudly stand for and wish for everyone.

Others have asserted that ceasefire conversations are inappropriate at the local level.

To that, we say that Alameda city council has a rich tradition of grappling with complex issues, both domestic and foreign. In 2003, Alameda City Council passed a resolution against U.S. involvement in Iraq after a packed special public hearing. In 2007, council member Frank Mataresse brought forward a resolution to withdraw our troops from Iraq. Though it did not pass ultimately, it allowed Alamedans to come together to discuss, process and grieve with each other during a traumatic moment in history. In 2018, Alameda declared itself a “sanctuary city,” and has been the safe haven for many immigrant & refugee communities from the Philippines, Guatemala, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Sudan, and other conflict torn places.

We are a group that comes from many different faith backgrounds and beliefs. But we all share faith in the ability of Alamedans to come together and discuss issues that are painful and emotionally charged, to debate and to disagree respectfully. We also share faith in Alameda City Councilmembers to take on difficult issues, even when it’s hard or painful, because we elected you to do just that, and because you’ve done it before.

We appreciate the space to have this conversation in our city, and we strongly encourage you to support Item 10-D.

Sincerely,
Alameda Families and Friends for Ceasefire

--
Alameda Families & Friends for Ceasefire
Follow us on Instagram @ alameda4ceasefire and
Facebook @ Alameda Families and Friends for Ceasefire
From: [email protected]
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote No on 10D
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:33:46 PM
Vote NO on 10 D. Keep divisive resolutions off the table.

You were elected to protect core services, to support enhanced livability and quality of life, and to encourage economic development in our community, not to make policy statements on intractable foreign conflicts 10,000 miles away.

Oakland and Richmond passed similar resolutions.

The war continues.

Berkeley, San Francisco, Foster City, and El Cerrito refused to pass similar resolutions.

The war continues.

Do not spend any more city time, energy and finances on this issue.

Thank you.

The Parker family
From: Tony Daysog
To: [email protected]
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Fw: [EXTERNAL] January 2 Council Meeting Item 10-D Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:55:13 AM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
________________________________
From: Genevieve Pastor-Cohen <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 5:59:35 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] January 2 Council Meeting Item 10-D Dear Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor & Council Members,
We've learned the Alameda City Council will be voting on a ceasefire resolution at the January 2nd City Council meeting, despite the actions of many of us urging the mayor and council members to consider the harm it will pose to the Alameda Jewish community, regardless of how the vote goes.

We're sure you're aware of what happened at the Richmond and Oakland City Council meetings and the ramifications in their communities. Their resolutions did not lead to any movement towards a ceasefire, but led to division, fear, and increased antisemitism.

We are saddened and horrified about what has and is happening as a result of these decisions.

We hope you will follow the example of the Berkeley mayor instead of creating a rift between the City of Alameda and the Jewish community. This includes Rabbis, congregations in the entire East Bay, the JCRC, fellow Jewish and non-Jewish diverse city supporters, friends and allies.

Respectfully, you don't have the power to impact the outcome of geopolitical events half a world away. You were not elected on platforms or promises to fix
complicated issues in the Middle East. What you DO have power over, and a responsibility to, is the community of Alameda and whether or not everyone, including Jews, feels safe here.

Your Alameda City Council meeting will inevitably make at least the national news, and Jew hatred remarks that unfortunately are likely to be spoken will be viral and forever associated with divisiveness.

In Oakland, this was not just criticism of Israel, but a mob rule mentality filled with demeaning, outrageous, extremist language, Holocaust imagery turned upside down, with indiscriminate, exagerrated and untrue uses of words like genocide, fascism, and colonialism.

California congressman Adam Schiff was horrified to hear citizens "downplay, deny or even seek to justify" the "horrific attacks, rapes, killings and kidnappings" that started the war in the Middle East.

Please do not add to hatred and fear of antisemitism in Alameda and the Bay Area.

Respectfully,
Genevieve Pastor-Cohen (she/her), MS,
Certified Lifetime CEM
Temple Israel Congregant
Sent from Genevieve's iPhone (510) 331-7179. Apologies for typos & iPhone “auto spell” mishaps.

From: Tony Daysog
To: [email protected]
Cc: Lara Weisiger; Ashley Zieba; City Clerk
Subject: Fw: [EXTERNAL] Re Gaza ceasefire letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:52:21 AM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Rebecca Peterson-Fisher <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 6:59:26 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re Gaza ceasefire letter

Dear City Council,
I write to share with you the letter I have sent to Mayor Ashcraft:

Dear Mayor Ashcraft,
I am Jewish resident of Alameda just a degree of separation from people who were abducted and killed on 10/7. They are friends of my friends. I want to see a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons and I want the hostages to come home. I agree with much of your letter but I object to language characterizing the IDF’s operations as “seemingly unrestrained violence” and the assertion that they accomplish nothing for the safety of Israel. 10/7 is what unrestrained violence looks like. Unrestrained violence does not entail warning Gazans to evacuate areas ahead of strikes, nor humanitarian aid. At the same time, there is nowhere near as much restraint as there should be and the tragic and horrible casualty numbers demonstrate that. It’s also true that while we will learn in time whether the war is ultimately counterproductive to Israeli security, in the short term dismantling Hamas infrastructure and reducing its capabilities to attack Israel via indiscriminate rocket fire in civilian areas or otherwise has some impact on Israeli security. If you are going to mention “seemingly unrestrained violence” you should say “in Gaza and southern Israel,” which has been subjected to about 12,000 rocket attacks during this war and whose residents have also been subject to mass displacement (as well as northern communities). It does not diminish the suffering of Gazans to acknowledge that. And to assert it serves no U.S. security interests in the complex environment of the Middle East, when Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are armed and funded by Iran, is overly simplistic and unexplained in your letter.

I would ask you to consider revisions to your letter with relation to the points identified above to focus on ending the suffering of the people of Gaza and of Israel. It will be less divisive if you steer clear of sweeping assertions you do not need to make to support a ceasefire. The reality is that even if you don’t want your letter to make anyone feel unsafe, it will. But so will not sending it. I urge you to minimize the divisiveness of your letter by basing your call for a ceasefire on ending the humanitarian suffering.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Peterson-Fisher
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fw: JCRC Opposition to Divisive Letter on Israel-Hamas War Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:18:01 AM
Attachments: image002.png
JCRC Letter to Alameda CC.pdf
From: Jonathan Mintzer <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:58:37 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Cc: Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] JCRC Opposition to Divisive Letter on Israel-Hamas War

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft,

As you know, JCRC Bay Area is the largest collective voice of Bay Area Jews, representing over 50 synagogues and organizations across the Bay Area – including Temple Israel of Alameda. Attached please find a letter explaining our opposition to the proposed Council letter calling for ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War.

Please email or call with any questions. Thanks for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Jonathan

Jonathan Mintzer
Director of External Relations
Cell: 843.475.1980

JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL
121 Steuart Street, #301, San Francisco, CA 94105
Connect on LinkedIn | Schedule a meeting on Calendly

VIA EMAIL ONLY

December 29, 2023

Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Mayor, City of Alameda
2263 Santa Clara Avenue
Alameda, California 94501

Re: Opposition to Divisive Letter on Israel-Hamas War

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft,

As you know, JCRC Bay Area is the largest collective voice of Bay Area Jews, representing over 50 synagogues and Jewish organizations across the region – including Temple Israel of Alameda. We understand that you already met with leaders from Temple Israel to discuss their concerns about your proposed letter calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, and we appreciate your efforts to hear directly from the local Jewish community.

JCRC would like to add our organizational voice and underscore our deep concern about the upcoming City Council vote on this proposed letter. Despite the stated intentions of the letter, approving this item will only amplify divisions among traumatized communities and make Jewish residents feel less safe. After the Oakland City Council adopted a similar statement, JCRC tracked a disturbing increase in public antisemitic incidents such as graffiti around Lake Merritt, the vandalization of a Hanukah menorah, and offensive online posts by government staff. It is for this reason that other city councils have avoided joint statements on the conflict (or any other geopolitical matters) – because the negative consequences for the associated communities are real.

Instead of amplifying hate and division, we urge you to lead with empathy and ensure all Alameda residents feel supported and welcomed. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has impacted so many members of our community, and non-binding statements will not bring peace. During times of crisis, elected leaders must support all communities and bring us together– not tear us apart.

Thanks for your attention to this matter. Feel free to reach out anytime to discuss further.

Sincerely,

Tyler Gregory
Chief Executive Officer
JCRC Bay Area

cc (via email only) Vice Mayor Tony Daysog
Councilmember Malia Vella
Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer
Councilmember Tracy Jensen
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:47:04 PM
From: Aleyderm <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:11:34 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Anna Leyderman
Sent from my iPhone
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:47:57 PM
From: Julia Klebanov <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:22:24 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Julia Klebanov
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:49:55 PM
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 5:05:59 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,

Kobi Menahemy

[email protected]

(510) 520-0530

From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:46:07 PM
From: Abe <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:40:23 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
A resolution like this will do nothing to end the fighting in the Middle East, but will do a lot to sow division and inflame hatred of Jews and Israel in Alameda, as it has in Oakland.

I have been spending time in Alameda since my childhood, visit frequently, and my son works there.

This proposed letter/reso makes me feel really bad about the city. Show that you have the moral courage (like Berkeley) does and not the immoral confusion and cowardice of Oakland or Richmond.

I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
A.L.

From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: January 2, Item 10-D, Israel-Hamas Resolution Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:47:29 PM
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:17:10 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [EXTERNAL] January 2, Item 10-D, Israel-Hamas Resolution Dear Mayor and City Council members,

I have been a tax-paying, homeowning and voting resident of Alameda for more than half my life. I care deeply about this town.

Your job as city council members is to solve the issues facing our town and not take up valuable time involving yourselves in an intractable Middle East issue. Even if half of you were Palestinians and the other half Israeli, it would still be beyond your purview as elected officials to discuss, opine and decree edicts on the Middle East, as representatives of Alameda. If you would like to join the United Nations, have at it. Please solve Alameda's problems in the meantime. We have so many it should keep you busy until at least the next election.

To name just a few: the unhoused are living in parks, sides of roads, doorways, etc. Do better. Business owners are appalled and frustrated to see vandalism and theft so frequently. Greedy landlords make it hard or impossible for an average renter to live here.

They are also making it impossible for businesses to continue being in business. (Pagano's on the West End is the latest victim). Pedestrians are hit, maimed, and killed due to speeding, reckless drivers. Even houses are being crashed into by those drivers. These are just a few of the problems that you are tasked with finding solutions for.

I'm asking you to find solutions that build our community and not spend time on international problems that futilely divide our community. The "resolution" that some are calling for does not reflect the will of the Alameda community and only seeks to sow discord. Please drop the resolution and return to good governance of this town.

Respectfully,
Lauren Helfand

From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Please either oppose--or vote not to act--on Item 10-D Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:50:36 PM
From: Joanne Donsky <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 5:19:13 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please either oppose--or vote not to act--on Item 10-D Dear Alameda City Council members,
I am writing to ask that you either oppose—or vote not to act on—Item 10-D re: the Hamas/Israel war.

Clearly, you have plenty of important city issues to discuss that are in line with what you are meant to do. Local resolutions regarding the war between Israel and Hamas, on the other hand, do not benefit the local community. Rather, they only serve to raise tensions in by providing a forum for antisemitism and animosity against the Jewish and Israeli communities. I would hope that you agree that this is not in the best interest of anyone in the community.

Many thanks!
Joanne Donsky
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: An Alameda Citizen"s Objection to Agenda Item 10D.

Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:30:28 PM
From: Susan Dunn <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:18:46 PM
To: Mayor Ezzy Ashcroft <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; Lara Weisiger <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] An Alameda Citizen's Objection to Agenda Item 10D.

Dear Mayor and City Council,
I urge you to drop the Issue of war in Israel and Gaza from consideration by the government of Alameda. I strongly feel putting that this is an INFLAMMATORY ISSUE one way or another. And has NOTHING TO DO WITH ALAMEDA GOVERNANCE.

As I concerned citizen I urge you to deal with the pressing issues which affect our town and citizens directly, and leave national politics out of our meetings. Please say NO to Item 10D!
Respectfully,
Susan and Jeff Dunn

36 Sunny Cove Circle
Alameda, CA 94502
510-337-1354 (home)
510-759-9771 (cell)
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Cease Fire Resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:29:58 PM
From: Victor Cordell <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:26:29 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Cease Fire Resolution
Councilwoman,
A resolution by the Alameda City Council to call for a Middle East ceasefire, which really victimizes one side of the combat, not only lacks pertinence to city business, but is inflammatory in its intent, incredibly naive, and discriminatory. Its superficial humanity masks the greater complexity of the causes behind the long-term conflict, the trigger event that led to the Israeli response, and the resultant consequences of benefiting Hamas which has unequivocally called for the extermination of Israel for over 70 years. Further, it villainizes and terrorizes our own Jewish residents. This resolution must be withdrawn or it becomes a single issue in the next election to turn out politicians who support it.

Victor Cordell
110 Purcell Drive.

From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Gaza/Israel Referral
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:44:14 PM
From: Jeff Lipsett <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:18:53 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gaza/Israel Referral
Dear Mayor,
I live in Moraga and have been a frequent visitor to Alameda which I have thought of as one of the true gems of the Bay Area.

I am writing in response to your recent letter about the situation in Gaza. While I appreciate your desire to advocate for peace, my concern is in your framing of an incredibly complex situation that is not reflected in your communication.

Your letter calls for another ceasefire- a ceasefire was broken on 10/7 by Hamas, and seems to blame Israel for the conflict. The rhetoric you use is dangerous for Jews and Muslims and Arabs in our community and even beyond. We do not need divisive, inaccurate speech but need balanced speech which calls for the legitimate rights of all parties for a sustainable future.

I stand with you in wanting an end to the bloodshed, war and tragedy in both Gaza and Israel. I urge you to withdraw your referral to the City Council.

Sincerely,
Jeff Lipsett
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Hamas
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:42:43 PM
From: Jeanne Ormsby <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:16:02 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Hamas
Please consider any statement on the Hamas/Israeli conflict very carefully. I live in Oakland and can tell you how dismayed and angry I am over the statement by the Oakland City Council. I will remember their actions in the next election and plan to do what I can to defeat those that supported it. While I understand that you are planning something more "nuanced," I fail to comprehend why you need to do this at all. It sure doesn't fit the Council Key Priorities I see on your website. It will only divide your community like it has here in Oakland. It is a no-gain situation, unless you need the favor of the Pro-Palestinian activists that have been making the rounds of local governments.

You also might consider that slowly the details of the Hamas attack are coming to light and my guess is that as people wake up to horrific sexual attacks and multilations by Hamas, those making statements supporting Hamas even remotely will be viewed as short-sighted. Calls for a cease-fire support Hamas. If you want to support the Gaza population, get rid of Hamas.

There is absolutely no reason for you to step into this discussion. None at all.

Jeanne Ormsby
4125 Kuhnle Ave
Oakland, CA 94605.

From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:45:47 PM
From: Zoe Levine <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:36:37 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Zoe Levine
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:46:38 PM
From: Tomer Altman <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:06:07 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am a citizen of Alameda County that regularly visits the City of Alameda for shopping and errands. I also have friends in the Jewish community who live in the city of Alameda, and I am writing this letter in solidarity with them.

I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
~Tomer Altman
--
Please do not send me sensitive information (e.g., passwords, personal details, financial/health information) via email, as it is not secure.

Please contact me to determine the best way to transfer sensitive information safely. Thank you! From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:48:14 PM
From: Mark Klebanov <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:24:16 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
As a member of the Jewish Community here in the Bay Area, I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

I understand that Alameda City Council, like other local governments, has been deluged by activists demanding a local response to foreign affairs. Most of the people who have spoken in Alameda made inflammatory comments, claiming Israel is an “apartheid state carrying out a genocide.” By placing the issue on the official agenda, Mayor Ashcraft has fanned the flames of these lies and is opening a public community hearing to a Pandora’s box of antisemitism and vitriol. This is in direct contradiction of the statement that Mayor Ashcraft signed a few years ago saying she would stand united and fight against Antisemtism via AJC Mayors United Against Antisemitism https://www.ajc.org/mayors
. This type of action will only
increase antisemitism towards your Jewish community and constituents.

We won’t solve international crises in the Alameda City Council. The only thing Item 10-D on the January 2nd agenda accomplishes is increasing division locally by legitimizing hateful rhetoric and vitriol. I urge you to reject the referral and reject the idea of the Council sending a letter to federal officials on this topic.

Sincerely,
Mark Klebanov
American Jewish Committee SF/Bay Area Board Member
Sent from my iPhone
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:48:27 PM
From: Daphne Ross <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:24:19 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Daphna Ross
Sent from my iPhone
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:49:24 PM
From: Tamara Leider <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 4:48:15 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Tamara Leider
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:50:15 PM
From: Terry Friedkin <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 5:11:19 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I visit Alameda every week bringing 3 children to Aquatech Swim School, getting Safeway Gasoline and also often visit the beach and restaurants.

I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely, Terry Friedkin
Sent from my iPhone
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:45:27 PM
From: Mina Y <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:35:40 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Mina Bressler
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Opposition to Referral re Ceasefire
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:43:41 PM
From: Stephanie Mendelsohn <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:03:01 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Opposition to Referral re Ceasefire Dear Mayor and City Council,
I strongly urge you to take no further action on the Mayor’s referral for a letter urging a ceasefire in Israel, which is to be heard on January 2, and that the Mayor withdraw the referral prior to the Council meeting.

I am a 20-year plus resident of Alameda and have raised my children here. My family and I have been active in the community, especially through scouting and sports. I have many close friends in Alameda, and am blessed with neighbors who have become family. My neighbors and family are equally disturbed by the Mayor’s action to put the ceasefire topic on the agenda for the upcoming Council meeting.

As you must know, when similar resolutions were scheduled for public discussion in Oakland and Richmond, the comments were dominated by false statements and antisemitism. My rabbi summarized the Oakland meeting as follows: "it was impossible not to feel the vitriol, anger, and even hatred for Israel in the room... This was not just criticism of Israel, but a mob rule mentality filled with demeaning, outrageous, extremist language, Holocaust imagery turned upside down, and indiscriminate, exaggerated and untrue uses of words like genocide, fascism, and colonialism." California congressman Adam Schiff was horrified at the meeting to hear citizens "downplay, deny or even seek to justify" the "horrific attacks, rapes, killings and kidnappings."
Mayor Ashcroft, what occurred during the Oakland and Richmond council meetings is what you have invited to Alameda. Welcoming to a council meeting the kind of vitriol that my rabbi described, will be traumatizing for me as a Jewish resident and will not help my Palestinian neighbor. Instead of bringing the community together, you are exceeding your mandate and creating more divisions. You are possibly making it more unsafe for Jews in Alameda by creating space for hate and welcoming it.

Mayor Ashcroft, you have repeatedly professed your care for our homeless neighbors. You have remarked that Alameda residents are distinguished by the care they exhibit for others. Yet, you have demonstrated that you do not care about your Jewish constituents.

Mayor Ashcroft, your referral shows your bias. You could have acknowledged that you are not an expert in middle east politics and declined to use council time for this topic. If you are insistent on using your platform to go beyond your mandate, you could have urged Egypt and Jordan to support their Arab neighbors in Gaza during this heartbreaking war, while Israel defends herself. Instead, you use City time and resources to urge Israel to abandon the effort to cripple Hamas.

Mayor Ashcroft, here are some of the facts of what Hamas perpetuated on October 7.

The facts are relevant to understanding why your referral shows bias in suggesting Israel should abandon its response to Hamas, especially while hostages remain in Gaza.

Hamas murdered babies.

Hamas took babies, children, young adults, parents and elderly hostage.

Hamas raped girls and women.

Hamas butchered young women by slicing their vaginas after rape.

Hamas cut off the breasts of young women while raping them.

Hamas burned families alive.

Hamas blew off the arm of a young man from Berkeley and took him hostage immediately thereafter.

These are just some of the atrocities that have come to light and that have been reported recently by the New York Times following investigation. The U.N. is similarly investigating and you have been provided with some tapes with evidence shared with the U.N.

Mayor Ashcroft, you have caused so much pain and trauma by your action and disregard for your constituents. Please withdraw your referral before we are subjected to hours of false facts, twisted statements, and blatant anti-semisitim during the Council meeting. I urge the Council to do everything in your power to ensure no further action is taken on the referral.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Mendelsohn
Alameda resident since 1998
Mom of 2 AUSD graduates
Member, Temple Beth Abraham
Associate General Counsel, Sr. Director
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Please - no Resolution on Gaza
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:51:50 PM
From: Dan Fendel <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 6:45:41 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please - no Resolution on Gaza
Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Councilmember Jensen, and Councilmember Vella,
I am a Jewish resident of Alameda County.

I would like to kindly ask that this council vote NO on authorizing the Mayor to send a letter on behalf of the council regarding a Gaza Ceasefire.

A Gaza ceasefire, with no clear expectation of release of hostages or culpability for Hamas for its horrific action, will reward Hamas for its brutal attack.

In addition, it is important to recognize the divisive nature here of such a resolution. I urge you to consider the primary focus of the Council’s business. The scope of your city responsibilities lies in local governance, community well-being, and the sustainability of our community. In the last few years, Alameda has adopted the motto, "Everyone Belongs Here," which is at the entrance to all of our schools and many local businesses. Voting NO on this letter will support everyone in feeling safe and welcome in this community. While global issues are undoubtedly important, I believe your primary duty is to address matters directly impacting our residents and local affairs.

Thank you for your time and dedication to the betterment of Alameda. I hope you will do the right thing and choose not to authorize this letter. In voting NO, you will join like-minded colleagues in cities like Foster City, Pinole, Petaluma, San Jose, and San Leandro who rejected even bringing similar resolutions to their council chambers and stood on the side of local issues.

You are not alone, and we support you.

With sincere gratitude for your commitment to public service… Dan Fendel
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Resolution on Gaza
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:43:25 PM
From: Marc Klein <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:47:01 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Resolution on Gaza
December 29, 2023
Dear member of Alameda City Council:

I write to you today to oppose the resolution you are considering on Gaza. As a 40-year resident of Alameda, this is the first time I’ve reached out to all of you.

I find it disturbing that the council feels a need to take action on a global matter that has no effect on the governance of the city. On your website you address your top priorities:
“Preparing Alameda for the Future
Protecting Core Services
Supporting Enhanced Livability and Quality of Life
Encouraging Economic Development Across the Island
Ensuring Effective and Efficient Operations”
These do not include taking any resolutions regarding global issues. I feel that this is a waste of the council’s valuable time. Every hour you spend considering this resolution is an hour you should be spending on issues involving the city.

Like most of you, I too am troubled by the deaths of 20,000 plus civilians in Gaza. I am troubled by all deaths from wars. So why aren’t you passing a resolution on the war in Ukraine? If you feel the need to condemn all deaths around the world, you could be spending numerous hours passing resolutions that have no bearing on the City of Alameda.

Is the war in Gaza genocide? Not when you compare it to the Holocaust where six million Jews were put to death for no other reason than their religion.

Perhaps the horror of the Holocaust, which still burns in the memory of most Jews throughout the world, helps explain the actions that Israel is now taking. Perhaps the violent and abominable acts that Hamas took on Oct. 7 further explains Israel’s response.

Hamas has pledged those acts will be repeated again and again is it remains in Gaza. Is there any wonder now that Israel is fighting so hard to make that impossible? Israel has offered another ceasefire to exchange hostages, but Hamas has vetoed it demanding an end to current hostilities.

That shows how little regard Hamas has for the people of Gaza.

What’s more, Hamas has a history of hiding amongst civilians. Unlike regular combatants, they wear no uniforms. They continue firing rockets at Israel on a daily basis that originated from Gaza hospitals, school and other public locations. But you rarely read about those rocket attacks on Israel in the daily press.

If Israel is to end the war, it must be assured that Hamas cannot attack again. For that reason, Israel can’t stop current hostilities until Hamas is crippled.

Lastly I want to offer you a story from the New York Times that explains Israel’s mindset in this regard. It describes the events of Oct. 7. I wonder how any one of you would feel if it was your daughter, your wife or one of your relatives who were the victims of such torture on Oct. 7. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/world/middleeast/oct-7-attacks-hamas-israel-sexual- violence.html
‘Screams Without Words’: How
Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence
on Oct. 7
A Times investigation uncovered new details
showing a pattern of rape, mutilation and extreme
brutality against women in the attacks on Israel.

Dec. 28, 2023Updated 1:23 p.m. ET
Gal Abdush’s parents, center, and her sisters. The photograph on the wall shows Gal and her husband, Nagi. The couple had been together since they were teenagers.

Gal Abdush’s parents, center, and her sisters. The photograph on the wall shows Gal and her husband, Nagi. The couple had been together since they were teenagers.

By Jeffrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz and Adam Sella
Photographs by Avishag Shaar-Yashuv
Jeffrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz and Adam Sella reported from across Israel and interviewed more than 150 people.

At first, she was known simply as “the woman in the black dress.” In a grainy video, you can see her, lying on her back, dress torn, legs spread, vagina exposed. Her face is burned beyond recognition and her right hand covers her eyes.

The video was shot in the early hours of Oct. 8 by a woman searching for a missing friend at the site of the rave in southern Israel where, the day before, Hamas terrorists massacred hundreds of young Israelis.

The video went viral, with thousands of people responding, desperate to know if the woman in the black dress was their missing friend, sister or daughter.

One family knew exactly who she was — Gal Abdush, mother of two from a working-class town in central Israel, who disappeared from the rave that night with her husband.

As the terrorists closed in on her, trapped on a highway in a line of cars of people trying to flee the party, she sent one final WhatsApp message to her family: “You don’t understand.”
Based largely on the video evidence — which was verified by The New York Times — Israeli police officials said they believed that Ms. Abdush was raped, and she has become a symbol of the horrors visited upon Israeli women and girls during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Israeli officials say that everywhere Hamas terrorists struck — the rave, the military bases along the Gaza border and the kibbutzim — they brutalized women.

A two-month investigation by The Times uncovered painful new details, establishing that the attacks against women were not isolated events but part of a broader pattern of gender-based violence on Oct. 7.

Relying on video footage, photographs, GPS data from mobile phones and interviews with more than 150 people, including witnesses, medical personnel, soldiers and rape counselors, The Times identified at least seven locations where Israeli women and girls appear to have been sexually assaulted or mutilated.

Four witnesses described in graphic detail seeing women raped and killed at two different places along Route 232, the same highway where Ms. Abdush’s half-naked body was found sprawled on the road at a third location.

And The Times interviewed several soldiers and volunteer medics who together described finding more than 30 bodies of women and girls in and around the rave site and in two kibbutzim in a similar state as Ms. Abdush’s — legs spread, clothes torn off, signs of abuse in their genital areas.

Cars — some destroyed by fire, others damaged — in a clearing among trees.

A camp area on Oct. 11 at the rave site in southern Israel.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
Many of the accounts are difficult to bear, and the visual evidence is disturbing to see.

The Times viewed photographs of one woman’s corpse that emergency responders discovered in the rubble of a besieged kibbutz with dozens of nails driven into her thighs and groin.

The Times also viewed a video, provided by the Israeli military, showing two dead Israeli soldiers at a base near Gaza who appeared to have been shot directly in their vaginas.

Hamas has denied Israel’s accusations of sexual violence. Israeli activists have been outraged that the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, and the agency U.N. Women did not acknowledge the many accusations until weeks after the attacks.

Investigators with Israel’s top national police unit, Lahav 433, have been steadily gathering evidence but they have not put a number on how many women were raped, saying that most are dead — and buried — and that they will never know. No survivors have spoken publicly.

The Israeli police have acknowledged that, during the shock and confusion of Oct. 7, the deadliest day in Israeli history, they were not focused on collecting semen samples from women’s bodies, requesting autopsies or closely examining crime scenes. At that moment, the authorities said, they were intent on repelling Hamas and identifying the dead.

A combination of chaos, enormous grief and Jewish religious duties meant that many bodies were buried as quickly as possible. Most were never examined, and in some cases, like at the rave scene, where more than 360 people were slaughtered in a few hours, the bodies were hauled away by the truckload.

That has left the Israeli authorities at a loss to fully explain to families what happened to their loved ones in their final moments. Ms. Abdush’s relatives, for instance, never received a death certificate. They are still searching for answers.

In cases of widespread sexual violence during a war, it is not unusual to have limited forensic evidence, experts said.
“Armed conflict is so chaotic,” said Adil Haque, a Rutgers law professor and war crimes expert. “People are more focused on their safety than on building a criminal case down the road.”
Very often, he said, sex crime cases will be prosecuted years later on the basis of testimony from victims and witnesses.
“The eyewitness might not even know the name of the victim,” he added. “But if they can testify as, ‘I saw a woman being raped by this armed group,’ that can be enough.”
‘Screams without words’
Sapir, a 24-year-old accountant, has become one of the Israeli police’s key witnesses. She does not want to be fully identified, saying she would be hounded for the rest of her life if her last name were revealed.

She attended the rave with several friends and provided investigators with graphic testimony. She also spoke to The Times. In a two-hour interview outside a cafe in southern Israel, she recounted seeing groups of heavily armed gunmen rape and kill at least five women.

She said that at 8 a.m. on Oct. 7, she was hiding under the low branches of a bushy tamarisk tree, just off Route 232, about four miles southwest of the party.

She had been shot in the back. She felt faint. She covered herself in dry grass and lay as still as she could.

About 15 meters from her hiding place, she said, she saw motorcycles, cars and trucks pulling up. She said that she saw “about 100 men,” most of them dressed in military fatigues and combat boots, a few in dark sweatsuits, getting in and out of the vehicles. She said the men congregated along the road and passed between them assault rifles, grenades, small missiles — and badly wounded women.
“It was like an assembly point,” she said.

The first victim she said she saw was a young woman with copper-color hair, blood running down her back, pants pushed down to her knees. One man pulled her by the hair and made her bend over. Another penetrated her, Sapir said, and every time she flinched, he plunged a knife into her back.

She said she then watched another woman “shredded into pieces.” While one terrorist raped her, she said, another pulled out a box cutter and sliced off her breast.
“One continues to rape her, and the other throws her breast to someone else, and they play with it, throw it, and it falls on the road,” Sapir said.

She said the men sliced her face and then the woman fell out of view. Around the same time, she said, she saw three other women raped and terrorists carrying the severed heads of three more women.

Sapir provided photographs of her hiding place and her wounds, and police officials have stood by her testimony and released a video of her, with her face blurred, recounting some of what she saw.

Yura Karol, a 22-year-old security consultant, said he was hiding in the same spot, and he can be seen in one of Sapir’s photos. He and Sapir were part of a group of friends who had met up at the party. In an interview, Mr. Karol said he barely lifted his head to look at the road but he also described seeing a woman raped and killed.

Since that day, Sapir said, she has struggled with a painful rash that spread across her torso, and she can barely sleep, waking up at night, heart pounding, covered in sweat.
“That day, I became an animal,” she said. “I was emotionally detached, sharp, just the adrenaline of survival. I looked at all this as if I was photographing them with my eyes, not forgetting any detail. I told myself: I should remember everything.”
That same morning, along Route 232 but in a different location about a mile southwest of the party area, Raz Cohen — a young Israeli who had also attended the rave and had worked recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo training Congolese soldiers — said that he was hiding in a dried-up streambed. It provided some cover from the assailants combing the area and shooting anyone they found, he said in an hour-and-a-half interview in a Tel Aviv restaurant.

Maybe 40 yards in front of him, he recalled, a white van pulled up and its doors flew open.

He said he then saw five men, wearing civilian clothes, all carrying knives and one carrying a hammer, dragging a woman across the ground. She was young, naked and screaming.
“They all gather around her,” Mr. Cohen said. “She’s standing up. They start raping her. I saw the men standing in a half circle around her. One penetrates her. She screams. I still remember her voice, screams without words.” “Then one of them raises a knife,” he said, “and they just slaughtered her.” Shoam Gueta, one of Mr. Cohen’s friends and a fashion designer, said the two were hiding together in the streambed. He said he saw at least four men step out of the van and attack the woman, who ended up “between their legs.” He said that they were “talking, giggling and shouting,” and that one of them stabbed her with a knife repeatedly, “literally butchering her.” Hours later, the first wave of volunteer emergency medical technicians arrived at the rave site. In interviews, four of them said that they discovered bodies of dead women with their legs spread and underwear missing — some with their hands tied by rope and zipties — in the party area, along the road, in the parking area and in the open fields around the rave site.

Jamal Waraki, a volunteer medic with the nonprofit ZAKA emergency response team, said he could not get out of his head a young woman in a rawhide vest found between the main stage and the bar.
“Her hands were tied behind her back,” he said. “She was bent over, half naked, her underwear rolled down below her knees.”
Yinon Rivlin, a member of the rave’s production team who lost two brothers in the attacks, said that after hiding from the killers, he emerged from a ditch and made his way to the parking area, east of the party, along Route 232, looking for survivors.

Near the highway, he said, he found the body of a young woman, on her stomach, no pants or underwear, legs spread apart. He said her vagina area appeared to have been sliced open, “as if someone tore her apart.” Similar discoveries were made in two kibbutzim, Be’eri and Kfar Aza. Eight volunteer medics and two Israeli soldiers told The Times that in at least six different houses, they had come across a total of at least 24 bodies of women and girls naked or half naked, some mutilated, others tied up, and often alone.

A paramedic in an Israeli commando unit said that he had found the bodies of two teenage girls in a room in Be’eri.

One was lying on her side, he said, boxer shorts ripped, bruises by her groin.

The other was sprawled on the floor face down, he said, pajama pants pulled to her knees, bottom exposed, semen smeared on her back.

Because his job was to look for survivors, he said, he kept moving and did not document the scene. Neighbors of the two girls killed — who were sisters, 13 and 16 — said their bodies had been found alone, separated from the rest of their family.

The Israeli military allowed the paramedic to speak with reporters on the condition that he not be identified because he serves in an elite unit.

Many of the dead were brought to the Shura military base, in central Israel, for identification. Here, too, witnesses said they saw signs of sexual violence.

Shari Mendes, an architect called up as a reserve soldier to help prepare the bodies of female soldiers for burial, said she had seen four with signs of sexual violence, including some with “a lot of blood in their pelvic areas.” A dentist, Captain Maayan, who worked at the same identification center, said that she had seen at least 10 bodies of female soldiers from Gaza observation posts with signs of sexual violence.

Captain Maayan asked to be identified only by her rank and surname because of the sensitivity of the subject. She said she had seen several bodies with cuts in their vaginas and underwear soaked in blood and one whose fingernails had been pulled out.

The investigation
The Israeli authorities have no shortage of video evidence from the Oct. 7 attacks. They have gathered hours of footage from Hamas body cameras, dashcams, security cameras and mobile phones showing Hamas terrorists killing civilians and many images of mutilated bodies.

But Moshe Fintzy, a deputy superintendent and senior spokesman of Israel’s national police, said, “We have zero autopsies, zero,” making an O with his right hand.

In the aftermath of the attack, police officials said, forensic examiners were dispatched to the Shura military base to help identify the hundreds of bodies — Israeli officials say around 1,200 people were killed that day.

The examiners worked quickly to give the agonized families of the missing a sense of closure and to determine, by a process of elimination, who was dead and who was being held hostage in Gaza.

According to Jewish tradition, funerals are held promptly. The result was that many bodies with signs of sexual abuse were put to rest without medical examinations, meaning that potential evidence now lies buried in the ground.

International forensic experts said that it would be possible to recover some evidence from the corpses, but that it would be difficult.

Mr. Fintzy said Israeli security forces were still finding imagery that shows women were brutalized. Sitting at his desk at an imposing police building in Jerusalem, he swiped open his phone, tapped and produced the video of the two soldiers shot in the vagina, which he said was recorded by Hamas gunmen and recently recovered by Israeli soldiers.

A colleague sitting next to him, Mirit Ben Mayor, a police chief superintendent, said she believed that the brutality against women was a combination of two ferocious forces, “the hatred for Jews and the hatred for women.” Some emergency medical workers now wish they had documented more of what they saw. In interviews, they said they had moved bodies, cut off zip ties and cleaned up scenes of carnage. Trying to be respectful to the dead, they inadvertently destroyed evidence.

Many volunteers working for ZAKA, the emergency response team, are religious Jews and operate under strict rules that command deep respect for the dead.
“I did not take pictures because we are not allowed to take pictures,” said Yossi Landau, a ZAKA volunteer. “In retrospect, I regret it.” There are at least three women and one man who were sexually assaulted and survived, according to Gil Horev, a spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs. “None of them has been willing to come physically for treatment,” he said. Two therapists said they were working with a woman who was gang raped at the rave and was in no condition to talk to investigators or reporters.

The trauma from sexual assault can be so heavy that sometimes survivors do not speak about it for years, several rape counselors said. “Many people are looking for the golden evidence, of a woman who will testify about what happened to her. But don’t look for that, don’t put this pressure on this woman,” said Orit Sulitzeanu, executive director of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. “The corpses tell the story.” The woman in the black dress
One of the last images of Ms. Abdush alive — captured by a security camera mounted on her front door — shows her leaving home with her husband, Nagi, at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 for the rave.

He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. She was dressed in a short black dress, a black shawl tied around her waist and combat boots. As she struts out, she takes a swig from a glass (her brother-in-law remembers it was Red Bull and vodka) and laughs.

You’ve got to live life like it’s your last moments. That was her motto, her sisters said.

At daybreak, hundreds of terrorists closed in on the party from several directions, blocking the highways leading out. The couple jumped into their Audi, dashing off a string of messages as they moved.
“We’re on the border,” Ms. Abdush wrote to her family. “We’re leaving.” “Explosions.”
Her husband made his own calls to his family, leaving a final audio message for his brother, Nissim, at 7:44 a.m. “Take care of the kids,” he said. “I love you.”
Gunshots rang out, and the message stopped.

That night, Eden Wessely, a car mechanic, drove to the rave site with three friends and found Ms. Abdush sprawled half naked on the road next to her burned car, about nine miles north of the site. She did not see the body of Mr.

Abdush.

She saw other burned cars and other bodies, and shot videos of several — hoping that they would help people to identify missing relatives. When she posted the video of the woman in the black dress on her Instagram story, she was deluged with messages.
“Hi, based on your description of the woman in the black dress, did she have blonde hair?” one message read.
“Eden, the woman you described with the black dress, do you remember the color of her eyes?” another said.

Some members of the Abdush family saw that video and another version of it filmed by one of Ms. Wessely’s friends. They immediately suspected that the body was Ms. Abdush, and based on the way her body was found, they feared that she might have been raped.

But they kept alive a flicker of hope that somehow, it wasn’t true.

The videos caught the eye of Israeli officials as well — very quickly after Oct. 7 they began gathering evidence of atrocities. They included footage of Ms.

Abdush’s body in a presentation made to foreign governments and media organizations, using Ms. Abdush as a representation of violence committed against women that day.

A week after her body was found, three government social workers appeared at the gate of the family’s home in Kiryat Ekron, a small town in central Israel.

They broke the news that Ms. Abdush, 34, had been found dead.

But the only document the family received was a one-page form letter from Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, expressing his condolences and sending a hug.

The body of Mr. Abdush, 35, was identified two days after his wife’s. It was badly burned and investigators determined who he was based on a DNA sample and his wedding ring.

The couple had been together since they were teenagers. To the family, it seems only yesterday that Mr. Abdush was heading off to work to fix water heaters, a bag of tools slung over his shoulder, and Ms. Abdush was cooking up mashed potatoes and schnitzel for their two sons, Eliav, 10, and Refael, 7.

The boys are now orphans. They were sleeping over at an aunt’s the night their parents were killed. Ms. Abdush’s mother and father have applied for permanent custody, and everyone is chipping in to help.

Night after night, Ms. Abdush’s mother, Eti Bracha, lies in bed with the boys until they drift off. A few weeks ago, she said she tried to quietly leave their bedroom when the younger boy stopped her.
“Grandma,” he said, “I want to ask you a question.”
“Honey,” she said, “you can ask anything.”
“Grandma, how did mom die?”
Thanks,
Marc S. Klein
415-516-7853
1326 Versailles Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fwd: Vote NO on Cease Fire vote
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 10:43:04 PM
From: PAM JOYCE <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:21:11 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Lara Weisiger <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote NO on Cease Fire vote
Hello Councilmembers Daysog, Spencer, Jensen, and Vella We can’t believe Mayor Ashcraft wouldwould propose Alameda put forward a resolution for a Cease Fire.

The City of Alameda has no business taking sides on an ethnic, religious, and international issue.

This issue is best left to the professional diplomats.

Such a resolution by a City will only divide and antagonize residents. You are polarizing the citizens of Alameda.

Per the Alameda City Charter( our constitution) the responsibility of the City is to deal with municipal affairs-- not national or international affairs.

Do we want to follow in the footsteps of the Cities of Richmond and Oakland? The City of Berkeley was besieged by constant mobs of speakers and yet Berkeley said no to getting involved with a cease fire resolution!! Extremely liberal Berkeley said NO and we should follow suit!
Pam Joyce
Fred Joyce
From: Tony Daysog
To: David Baglen
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] cease fire resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:06:58 PM
From: Tony Daysog
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:06:20 PM
To: David Baglen
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] cease fire resolution

Thank you, David, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: David Baglen <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2023 2:37:56 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] cease fire resolution

Please do not vote for a cease fire. I was born in Alameda and will not feel safe as a Jew we will be looked at as the enemies and only cause more antisemitism . Alameda should be a safe place for all.

David Baglein
From: Tony Daysog
To: liz fleischman
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:46:19 PM
Thank you, Liz, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: liz fleischman <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2023 4:08:41 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Letter

Dear Mayor and City Council,
I am incredibly disappointed to learn that Alameda is planning to go the same route as Oakland and Richmond to pass a ceasefire resolution. I am a Jewish Oakland resident, and I am writing in support of the Jewish community living in Alameda. I am attempting to save them from the shock that I felt after watching the comments made when Oakland passed its resolution.

Ultimately, this resolution will do nothing to affect change in the current war between Israel and Palestine. Because of this, you need to heavily consider the impact this resolution will have on the community in Alameda. Your duty is first to your constituents, not to the global community.

The Oakland resolution opened up the floor and gave voice to many impassioned people who spoke hate and lies under the guise of fighting for peace. I do not know how to solve the war, or the greater conflict that gave rise to the war, but I do know it will not be solved with hate.

When you give a stage to people who claim that either:

1. 10/7 did not happen,

2. 10/7 was deserved, or

3. 10/7 was perpetrated by the Israeli government,
you give legitimacy to these voices. We should not be feeding oxygen to the fire that spreads Jew hatred.

I am deeply concerned for my Jewish neighbors in Alameda. I fear that if you pass this resolution, you will encourage Jew haters to become more confident in their speech and actions. Just as we have seen in Oakland, where the Chabad's Channukiah was destroyed on the 6th night of Channukah.

In addition to the very real fear of a rise in anti-Jew hate crimes, Oakland made international news after their ceasefire resolution, and not for any good reason. The international community saw a video of a hysterical mob talking from halfway around the world from the actual war. Make no mistake, the same things will be said at your meeting, and you will be seen in the same light as Oakland.

You say you want to "set an example of ethical leadership." You should do that by protecting the community you serve. If you pass this resolution, you will be inviting hate and violence into your community. Ethical leadership should seek to minimize pain and suffering in their own communities before casting aspersions to the wider community. In other words, fix your own house before judging others'. You were not elected to fix the crisis in the Middle East, you were elected to make your community a better and safer place for its citizens.

Please reconsider this resolution. It will cause more harm than good, and I do not think you are prepared to deal with the consequences.

Respectfully,
-Liz Fleischman
(201) 953-0040
From: Tony Daysog
To: Joy Diaz-Noriega
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire NOW: Alameda Community Stands with Gaza Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:35:48 PM
Thank you, Joy, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Joy Diaz-Noriega <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 12:06:30 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire NOW: Alameda Community Stands with Gaza

Dear Council Members,
I am writing to call upon the rich history of resistance, activism, and diversity that our beloved city of Alameda proudly embodies, and urge you to 1) draft and pass a formal resolution in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who are being subject to ethnic cleansing and genocide by the Israeli state backed by the United States, and to 2) demand a CEASEFIRE NOW. Already, over 8000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, with more than half of these being women and children. I also find hope in the calls to action from Jewish allies when they say: “‘Never Again’, means never again for anyone”, and this heartwarming solidarity they have displayed with pro-Palestinian voices.

As you may have heard, on Tuesday, October 24, Richmond City Council boldly passed a resolution standing against genocide in Gaza, making it the first U.S. city to stand on the right side of history on this critical issue. We are now calling upon the City of Alameda to take a firm stance against a genocidal apartheid regime. We can set a powerful precedent to hopefully lead a wave of solidarity across the nation.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Diana “Joy” Diaz-Noriega
From: Tony Daysog
To: Noelle Ozioli Moreno
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire NOW: Alameda Community Stands with Gaza Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:46:56 PM
Thank you, Noelle, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Noelle Ozioli Moreno <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2023 7:18:25 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire NOW: Alameda Community Stands with Gaza

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Noelle Moreno
From: Tony Daysog
To: Rosangelica
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire NOW: Alameda Community Stands with Gaza Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:34:05 PM
Thank you, Rosangelica, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Rosangelica <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 4:07:14 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire NOW: Alameda Community Stands with Gaza

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Sent from my iPhone
From: Tony Daysog
To: Alden F. Cohen
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution on the January 2nd Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:52:01 PM
Thank you, Alden, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Alden F. Cohen <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2023 1:36:01 PM
To: CityCouncil-List; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution on the January 2nd

Dear Mayor and City Council,

I, and so many members of the Jewish community, are disappointed, sad, and scared to see that you have given into pressure to include a ceasefire resolution on the January 2nd agenda. I'm sure you're aware of what happened at the Richmond and Oakland City Council meetings and the ramifications in their communities. Their resolutions of course did not lead to any movement towards a ceasefire, but led to division and increased anti- Semitism.

Before your meeting occurs, as a Jewish Alamedan and mother, I want you to be aware of what has and is happening as a result of your decision. We hoped you would follow the example of Berkeley mayor (summary here) but I'm saddened that you've chosen a different path that I, and the larger Jewish community in Alameda I am connected with, see as divisive. • You are creating a rift between the City of Alameda and the Jewish community that will be very difficult to repair. If you doubt that, talk to Jewish Oakland citizens about what they felt after their City Council meeting. Ask their superintendent how many children have successfully put in applications to leave OUSD and enter Piedmont schools. Read Jewish (not Israeli, but American Jewish) newspapers and blogs to learn what the impact has been.
• A wider Bay Area Jewish community is galvanizing around us Alameda Jews right now to show us support in light of your decision.

We're getting calls - "are you safe in Alameda?" This includes Rabbis, congregations in the entire East Bay, the JCRC, fellow Jewish parents, and other allies. We are meeting to talk about how to combat the antisemitism that is very likely to happen at your Council meeting because we are scared.
• Respectfully, you don't have the power to impact the outcome of geopolitical events half a world away. You were not elected on platforms or promises to fix complicated issues in the Middle East.

What you DO have power over, and a responsibility to, is the community of Alameda and whether or noteveryone, including Jews, feels safe to live here.

I am very frightened to attend the meeting, but I will be doing so because it is my responsibility. You might think this is about Israel's actions, but Israel will not be affected by what is said in that room. The Jewish mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children will.

Finally, it is your duty to watch the entire video of what happened at the Oakland City Council during the ceasefire resolution, and be prepared for that to happen in Alameda. It made international news, and not for a good reason. This Alameda City Council meeting will inevitably make at least the national news, and Jew hatred remarks that unfortunately are likely to be spoken will be viral and forever associated with our island.

Here is a link
to some of what was said. You truly should watch the whole video of the Council meeting as it was traumatizing to my Jewish friends in the room that night. This is what I'm mentally preparing to face on January 2nd.

This was my Rabbi's summary of events: "it was impossible not to feel the vitriol, anger, and even hatred for Israel in the room... This was not just criticism of Israel, but a mob rule mentality filled with demeaning, outrageous, extremist language, Holocaust imagery turned upside down, and indiscriminate, exagerrated and untrue uses of words like genocide, fascism, and colonialism."

California congressman Adam Schiff was horrified at the meeting to hear citizens "downplay, deny or even seek to justify" the "horrific attacks, rapes, killings and kidnappings." I hope you are prepared to hear and respond to that and have that be part of Alameda's legacy.

I ask if you're truly ready to bring this to Alameda.

Sincerely,
Alden F. Cohen
415-637-8855
Principal Bassist
Assistant Principal Bassist

Section Bassist
From: Tony Daysog
To: Ailsa Steckel
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:36:50 PM
Thank you, Ailsa, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Ailsa Steckel <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 11:01:33 AM
To: CityCouncil-List; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire resolution

Dear Mayor and City Council,
Like many members of the East Bay Jewish community, I feel dismayed and apprehensive about your decision to include a ceasefire resolution on your January 2nd agenda. Resolutions that were passed by Oakland and Richmond have led to a greater tolerance for hate speech and acts of anti-Semitism against Jews and Jewish institutions.

You were elected to make informed decisions about matters that affect the lives and well- being of the residents of Alameda. rather than to deal with complex issues on platforms of foreign policy. Your most fundamental responsibility is to keep your constituents safe. Safety and a feeling of security are at stake with the proposed divisive resolution, which would fan the flames of hatred and violence toward Jews in your community and in the larger Bay Area.

Jewish families in Oakland and Richmond have felt the impact of the hostility, which is not focused just on Israel but has been generalized to Jewish people. Divisiveness is not going to lead to more peaceful lives for anyone. And the resolution would have no power to affect the conflict in the Middle East.

I hope that you have watched the frightening video of the Jew-hatred and vitriol that spewed out at the Oakland City Council meeting and seen the denial and justification of the rapes, killings and kidnappings of the October 7th massacre. Similar things are likely to be venomously repeated at the City Council meeting, resulting in increased hostility toward Jews in the community.

We need to learn not to shout at each other but to listen to many viewpoints and try to understand each other without demonizing people with different perspectives. I hope you keep that in mind and vote against the resolution.

Sincerely,
Ailsa Steckel
From: Tony Daysog
To: Judith Klinger
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:37:23 PM
Thank you, Judith, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Judith Klinger <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 10:33:44 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution

Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Councilmembers:

Since I retired from teaching at AHS and leading the Alameda Education Association, I’ve missed participating in Alameda affairs (I live in Oakland), but I did want to reach out about the Israel-Hamas resolution you are considering.

There are many reasons for a city council not to weigh in on this matter, and here are mine: I urge this body not to consider a ceasefire resolution.

I attended both the Alameda County Central Democratic Committee’s and the Oakland City Council’s hearing on such resolutions, and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Not because reasonable people were reasonably debating a complex issue, but because the hearings were simply forums for hatred.

I sat through hours of people heckling rabbis, laughing at Jewish community leaders, shouting social media memes that Zionists are evil; that Jews have all the money, that Israel, not Hamas, raped, killed and mutilated its own people; that Jews aren’t Semites and have no connection to the Holy Land; that Hamas is a powerless, benign force, etc. And Zoom attendees? Some had swastika backgrounds and dollar sign backgrounds. I saw few people modeling the peace they were advocating for.

When I sought to share my talking points about Hamas (five facts from Palestinian sources) with a red-headed, freckle-faced young man, he accepted my paper and tore it up. Then laughed at me.

It broke my heart: I’ve always assumed that speaking face-to-face, human-to-human can move us from positions to shared interests. Not in a mob, it appears. The atmosphere in the room was akin, honestly, to a Trump rally with people chanting, “Lock her up! Lock her up!” It was a mob drunken with righteousness.

This is what you will inviting to the City of Alameda (and beyond) if you put a ceasefire resolution on. Is this what you want? Is this the wise way forward for sweet Alameda? The history of the Holy Land is complex and complicated — it is a history of battle and strife, as it’s an ancient trade-route crossroad. Did you know the term “Armeggedon” comes from a plain in central Israel called Meggido, next to a mountain the word for which in Aramaic and Hebrew is har. “Har Meggido” was the name of this plain where important trade routes crossed. Hellish, gruesome clashes between ancient tribes broke out often enough that, by the time of the Christian Bible, the name had become equated with the end of the world.

The last 75 years of history, since the establishment of the State of Israel, is a product of that long, fractious history. Without this Body understanding all that history, to wade into the debate, no matter how noble a desire, will add to, not lessen hatreds.

I would absolutely encourage this body to aid the path to local peace around this war. Creating a space where the local Jewish and Muslim leaders can speak to each other and share each others’ pain, perhaps? Or a forum where people of all faiths who want to listen to each other and replicate the peace we all presumably want, perhaps? But a resolution that changes nothing in the actual war, and creates a forum for hatred here at home, I would urge, is neither wise politics nor wise humanity.

Thank you so much for your time,
Judith Klinger
From: Judith Klinger
To: Tony Daysog
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:11:48 PM
Thank you, Vice Mayor.

On Dec 29, 2023, at 11:58 AM, Tony Daysog <[email protected]> wrote:

Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024.
-- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Judith Klinger <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 10:33:44 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution

Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Councilmembers:

There are many reasons for a city council not to weigh in on this matter, and here are mine: I urge this body not to consider a ceasefire resolution.

When I sought to share my talking points about Hamas (five facts from Palestinian sources) with a red-headed, freckle-faced young man, he accepted my paper and tore it up. Then laughed at me.

It broke my heart: I’ve always assumed that speaking face-to-face, human-to- human can move us from positions to shared interests. Not in a mob, it appears.

The atmosphere in the room was akin, honestly, to a Trump rally with people chanting, “Lock her up! Lock her up!” It was a mob drunken with righteousness.

This is what you will inviting to the City of Alameda (and beyond) if you put a ceasefire resolution on. Is this what you want? Is this the wise way forward for sweet Alameda?
The history of the Holy Land is complex and complicated — it is a history of battle and strife, as it’s an ancient trade-route crossroad. Did you know the term “Armeggedon” comes from a plain in central Israel called Meggido, next to a mountain the word for which in Aramaic and Hebrew is har. “Har Meggido” was the name of this plain where important trade routes crossed. Hellish, gruesome clashes between ancient tribes broke out often enough that, by the time of the Christian Bible, the name had become equated with the end of the world.

I would absolutely encourage this body to aid the path to local peace around this war. Creating a space where the local Jewish and Muslim leaders can speak to each other and share each others’ pain, perhaps? Or a forum where people of all faiths who want to listen to each other and replicate the peace we all presumably want, perhaps?
But a resolution that changes nothing in the actual war, and creates a forum for hatred here at home, I would urge, is neither wise politics nor wise humanity.

Thank you so much for your time,
Judith Klinger
From: Tony Daysog
To: Ailsa Steckel
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:57:14 AM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Ailsa Steckel <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 11:01:33 AM
To: CityCouncil-List; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire resolution

Sincerely,
Ailsa Steckel
From: Tony Daysog
To: Jessica Teisch
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] ceasefire resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:00:08 PM
Attachments: facebook-icon_16x16.png
PastedGraphic-3.tiff
Thank you, Jessica, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Jessica Teisch <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2023 8:20:39 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] ceasefire resolution

Why Alameda feels the need to get involved in international politics (i.e. the “ceasefire” resolution) is absolutely beyoond me.

Stop crime, feed the hungry, get the houseless folk off the street. Keep residents fed, housed, and safe.

Then worry about the Jewish “oppressors” and international affairs.

Jessica Teisch
Editor & Publisher | Bookmarks magazine
[email protected]
www.bookmarksmagazine.com
bookmarks magazine
@BookmarksMag
From: Tony Daysog
To: Judith Klinger
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:58:55 AM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Judith Klinger <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 10:33:44 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution

Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Councilmembers:

There are many reasons for a city council not to weigh in on this matter, and here are mine: I urge this body not to consider a ceasefire resolution.

When I sought to share my talking points about Hamas (five facts from Palestinian sources) with a red-headed, freckle-faced young man, he accepted my paper and tore it up. Then laughed at me.

Thank you so much for your time,
Judith Klinger
From: Tony Daysog
To: Maxim Gurevich
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Concerns over proposed ceasefire resolution Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:41:59 PM
Thank you, Maxim, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Maxim Gurevich <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 2:16:57 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Concerns over proposed ceasefire resolution

Dear Council Members,
My name is Maxim Gurevich and I have been a resident of Alameda for more than 6 years.

I am writing to you regarding the proposed agenda item about the Middle East conflict and the call for a ceasefire, scheduled for discussion in the upcoming meeting. As a concerned member of our community, I appreciate the Council's willingness to engage with significant global issues. However, I wish to express my reservations about the appropriateness and potential impact of bringing this specific topic to our local government forum.

The Middle East conflict, with its deep historical roots and complex geopolitical implications, poses a challenge to even the most seasoned diplomats and experts.

The recent refusal of Hamas to consider a permanent ceasefire, as detailed in a Reuters report
, underscores the intricate nature of these issues. Furthermore, influential figures like Senator Bernie Sanders have publicly questioned the practicality of a ceasefire, highlighting the complexity of finding a solution that accommodates all parties.

My concern is that addressing such a contentious and multifaceted topic in our local council could inadvertently lead to division within our community. This is not a theoretical risk but one grounded in real examples. In other cities, such as Ottawa ,
Brooklin, and Oakland, it has been linked to increased antisemitism and community discord. Additionally, the recent vandalism of a menorah in Oakland serves as a stark reminder of how local actions can unintentionally contribute to a rise in hate crimes.

Furthermore, I believe our local government, like the City of San Jose, should focus on issues where we can have a direct and meaningful impact. The complexities of international conflicts like the one in the Middle East often exceed the purview and expertise of city governments, which are better suited to addressing immediate local civic matters.

The recent congressional hearing on antisemitism involving the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT highlights the challenges of addressing complex and sensitive issues like the Middle East conflict. This hearing, intended to address rising antisemitism on college campuses, resulted in a significant controversy, with the House of Representatives condemning the presidents' responses as evasive and dismissive, and leading to at least one resignation. The incident underscores how even well-intentioned discussions on such topics can lead to misunderstandings, divisiveness, and unintended consequences, even among seasoned leaders and experts.

In addition to the points raised, I wish to highlight the impact of our actions and discussions on the younger generation. Our community's youth are not only observant of our actions but also form their understanding of complex global issues based on the examples we set. It is crucial, therefore, that we approach topics like the Middle East conflict with a sense of responsibility, aiming to educate rather than polarize.

I urge the Council to reconsider the inclusion of this item on the agenda. Our community’s strength lies in our unity, respect for diversity, and the ability to address local challenges effectively. Engaging in a discussion that may not only polarize our community but also distract from pressing local issues could be counterproductive to these goals.

In no way do I diminish the significance or the humanitarian aspects of the conflict.

Like many in our community, I am deeply moved by the plight of all affected.

However, I believe that our efforts to foster peace and understanding are best directed within the scope of our local community, where we can make the most significant and positive impact.

I am open to and respectful of different viewpoints and welcome further dialogue on how our community can constructively contribute to global peace and understanding, within the appropriate context.

Thank you for considering my perspective. I trust in the Council's wisdom to lead our community with a focus on inclusivity, respect, and constructive engagement.

Sincerely, Maxim
From: Tony Daysog
To: Victoria Steinberg
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Hamas - Israel Agenda
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:00:33 PM
Thank you, Victoria, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Victoria Steinberg <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2023 11:34:54 AM
To: CityCouncil-List; Malia Vella; Manager Manager; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Hamas - Israel Agenda

Hello Mayor Ashcraft,
I understand that you have chosen to include the Hamas-Israel War in the agenda for the next Alameda City Council meeting in January. Our family has resided in Alameda for the last 7 years, with my son attending Franklin and Wood schools. Not during any time within his schooling, has he been taught the actual history of the Middle East, about Israel or the continuous conflicts. While this does not at all surprise me, I am very heartbroken and concerned to learn that you have chosen to put such a divisive issue on the agenda.

We have seen the widespread divisiveness this war has caused around the country, and the globe, and Alameda has no place for division. Our city is about family, inclusion and love, and we should not allow those looking to make a political statement about such a fragile topic, and one they very likely do not have first-hand knowledge on, impact the unity and strength of our city. These are extremely difficult times for Jewish people around the globe, with antisemitism spreading like wildfire and becoming an acceptable trend. It is unfathomable to those of us who lost 95% of their family just 72 years ago, The City of Alameda cannot chose a side for a war they have no part in, it will only lead to more hate, more violence, more misinformation, more fear, and a very divided city. This is NOT who we, Alamedeans are., I am asking you, Mayor Ashcraft, as your Constituent, that you do not allow our city to fall victim to division and hate, and promptly remove this topic from the agenda and ensure it does not have a place in our City.

Regards,
--
Victoria Steinberg
875 Cedar St.

Alameda, CA 94501
From: Tony Daysog
To: Noah Rosenthal
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Gaza ceasefire letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:04:04 PM
Thank you, Noah, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Noah Rosenthal <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2023 4:03:30 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gaza ceasefire letter

Dear Alameda City Council,
I am writing to urge you to vote no on authorizing the mayor to send a letter on behalf of the counsel regarding a ceasefire in Gaza. As a Jewish parent of three children who has long been, and continues to be, critical of Israel’s policies on Palestine, I care deeply about those who are suffering, and who have suffered devastating atrocities, on both sides of this both long-running and recent war. I am confident the Council and most in Alameda feel a mutual horror at what is occurring in Israel and Gaza.

Nevertheless, we have seen that rhetoric calling for a ceasefire and criticizing Israel has been used as an excuse and motivator for antisemitism in the United States and has largely obfuscated what little criticism there was at the atrocities by Hamas that triggered the current (and horrifying and wrong) war. While I’m sure this is not the intent of the Council, sending this letter will run directly counter to the City’s motto “Everyone Belongs Here,” because it contributes to an environment that is neither welcoming nor safe for Jews.

If members of the Council wish to make statements in their role as a citizen, it is their prerogative to do that. But the City should not take a stance, outside of its ordinary duties, that will so clearly devalue the belonging of Jewish people in Alameda. Thank you for considering this important issue.

Noah Rosenthal
From: Tony Daysog
To: Jeff Lipsett
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Gaza/Israel Referral
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:32:46 PM
Thank you, Jeff, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Jeff Lipsett <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:18:32 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Cc: Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gaza/Israel Referral

Dear Mayor,
I live in Moraga and have been a frequent visitor to Alameda which I have thought of as one of the true gems of the Bay Area.

I stand with you in wanting an end to the bloodshed, war and tragedy in both Gaza and Israel. I urge you to withdraw your referral to the City Council.

Sincerely,
Jeff Lipsett
From: Tony Daysog
To: Jeanne Ormsby
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Hamas
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:28:58 PM
Thank you, Jeanne, for your email. The bit about key priorities was a great point. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Jeanne Ormsby <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:15:50 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Hamas

Please consider any statement on the Hamas/Israeli conflict very carefully. I live in Oakland and can tell you how dismayed and angry I am over the statement by the Oakland City Council. I will remember their actions in the next election and plan to do what I can to defeat those that supported it. While I understand that you are planning something more "nuanced," I fail to comprehend why you need to do this at all. It sure doesn't fit the Council Key Priorities I see on your website. It will only divide your community like it has here in Oakland. It is a no-gain situation, unless you need the favor of the Pro-Palestinian activists that have been making the rounds of local governments.

There is absolutely no reason for you to step into this discussion. None at all.

Jeanne Ormsby
4125 Kuhnle Ave
Oakland, CA 94605.

From: Tony Daysog
To: Abe
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:52:04 PM
Thank you, Abe, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Abe <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:40:03 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters!

Dear Alameda City Council,
A resolution like this will do nothing to end the fighting in the Middle East, but will do a lot to sow division and inflame hatred of Jews and Israel in Alameda, as it has in Oakland.

I have been spending time in Alameda since my childhood, visit frequently, and my son works there. This proposed letter/reso makes me feel really bad about the city. Show that you have the moral courage (like Berkeley) does and not the immoral confusion and cowardice of Oakland or Richmond.

I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
A.L.

From: Tony Daysog
To: Mina Y
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:52:37 PM
Thank you, Mina, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Mina Y <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:35:23 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters!

Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Mina Bressler
From: Tony Daysog
To: Zoe Levine
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters! Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:51:28 PM
Thank you, Zoe, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Zoe Levine <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:36:19 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] I oppose Item 10-D. No inflammatory resolutions or letters!

Dear Alameda City Council,
I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy. Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Of course, the loss of innocent lives anywhere is painful. It horrifies me that Hamas chose to start this war, continues to hold hostages, and hides behind the civilians of Gaza. I pray for peace.

Sincerely,
Zoe Levine
From: Tony Daysog
To: Vlad Tepes
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Israel - Gaza Conflict
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:38:51 PM
Thank you, Vlad, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Vlad Tepes <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 8:27:53 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Israel - Gaza Conflict

Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am writing in response to your recent letter regarding the situation in Gaza. While I understand and respect your desire to advocate for peace and a cessation of violence, I must express concerns regarding the approach and rhetoric adopted in your communication.

Your letter, while calling for a ceasefire, appears to predominantly place blame for the ongoing conflict solely on Israel. This perspective overlooks the complexity of the situation and the various factors contributing to the conflict.

It is crucial to recognize that there are many proposals and efforts to ensure the safety and security of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians. Peace and security in the region are multifaceted issues that require balanced consideration of all parties involved.

Additionally, the language used in some city council meetings and in your letter, particularly the characterization of the situation in Gaza as a “genocide,” is not only factually inaccurate but also harmful. Such rhetoric has the unintended consequence of decreasing the quality of life for Jewish residents in Alameda. It fosters an environment where Jews, whether living in or visiting Alameda, may feel unfairly targeted or unsafe.

Furthermore, it is important to consider the broader impact of this narrative on community relations. The portrayal of the conflict in such a one-sided manner can inadvertently escalate tensions and hostility towards not only Jews but also Muslims and Arab Americans in our community. It is essential to foster a dialogue that promotes understanding and peace, rather than deepening divides.

In pursuing the noble goal of advocating for peace and an end to violence, I urge you to consider a more balanced approach that recognizes the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and refrains from assigning unilateral blame. Promoting a narrative that understands the legitimate concerns and rights of all parties involved is key to contributing to a meaningful and sustainable resolution.

Respectfully,
Vlad Svechkin
From: Tony Daysog
To: Vlad Tepes
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Israel - Gaza Conflict
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:00:11 PM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Vlad Tepes <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 8:27:53 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Israel - Gaza Conflict

Respectfully,
Vlad Svechkin
From: Tony Daysog
To: JERRY WAGNER
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Israel Hamas Ceasefire resolution Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:45:45 PM
Thank you, Jerry, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: JERRY WAGNER <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2023 7:03:59 AM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Israel Hamas Ceasefire resolution

As a long life Alameda resident living on Bay farm island I am asking the City Council to NOT adopt any resolution regarding the Israel Hamas war.

Hamas attached the state of Israel and murdered, raped and kidnapped two hundred citizens of Israel from their homes and community
You don't fully understand the situation there, stick with the concerns that you were voted to office to for and that is the concerns of the city of Alameda stay out of international issues as even though you think you are doing the right thing you are playing into the hands of Hamas and Terrorists and doing exactly what they want
Jerry Wagner
Alameda CA 94502
From: Tony Daysog
To: Beth MacLean
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] item 2024-3687
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:44:17 PM
Thank you, Beth, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Beth MacLean <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 11:15:32 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] item 2024-3687

Dear Mayor and City Council,
I strongly urge you not to bring the ceasefire resolution forward to a vote.

My family and I have lived in Alameda for 19 years. We are longtime and active members of Christ Episcopal Church. Our grown children were educated in the Alameda School District, and we remain active community members. I have Jewish and non-Jewish friends in Alameda, and am greatly concerned for both should you consider this resolution.

The reasons we are concerned enough to write to you are threefold: 1) the resolution itself, and the public discourse around it is divisive and serves no positive outcome for our community; 2) the public hearing will spread hate that will further traumatize our Jewish community; and 3) the underlying political history and current situation is complex and not a local matter, no matter how it is framed, and is beyond the scope of your mandate.

Mayor Ashcroft has stated, “[W]hen Alamedans hear about someone in need they ask, ‘How can I help?’” This is a time for the City Leaders to ask the same. “When we see our Jewish and Palestinian community frightened and in pain, ‘How can we help?’” The answer must not be to encourage anti-semitism and false facts and further divisiveness that threatens the safety and well-being of our Jewish neighbors.

In advance of the January 2 meeting, it is your duty to watch the entire video of what happened at the Oakland City Council during public comment on its ceasefire resolution, which is exactly what you are bringing to Alameda. It made international news, and not for a good reason. This Alameda City Council meeting will inevitably make at least the national news, and hateful remarks that unfortunately are likely to be spoken will be viral and forever associated with our island.

Sincerely,
Beth MacLean
Alameda resident since 2004
Mom of 2 AUSD graduates
From: Tony Daysog
To: Rabbi at Temple Israel of Alameda
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Meeting and Item 10-D on Jan 2 City Council Agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:01:34 PM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Rabbi at Temple Israel of Alameda <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 9:50:48 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Cc: Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer Subject: [EXTERNAL] Meeting and Item 10-D on Jan 2 City Council Agenda

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft,
Thank you for meeting with Jewish Alamedans and myself today. I am sorry that illness kept me from attending in person.

As I said during our meeting, I do not believe a letter on behalf of our city is an appropriate use of council time. I recognize that you placed it on the agenda from a place of deep concern for all civilians affected by the conflict. On the other hand, I disagree with you that there is only one morally appropriate response to the state of war Hamas created on October 7.

I was involved in peace activism for many years prior to attending rabbinical school. While serving as the Program Chair for the US Section of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, I was selected to co-lead a fact-finding mission to Israel and Palestine. Yet, despite my years of work on the issue, other American activists distrusted me so much that they got the trip scuttled by cutting off funding. Why did people who had worked with me for years distrust me so much? First because I’m a Jew and second, because I didn’t want to use rhetoric that painted all Israelis / Jews as Evil.

Ultimately, after using an extraordinary amount of personal time on peace activism, I formally cut ties with the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom. Though I remain quite proud of many of its accomplishments during my time as a member (especially UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions that insist on women’s involvement in peace-building), I realized that the primary thing being accomplished by its activism on Israel and Palestine was making Jews less safe globally.

Similarly, my activism with the US Conference of Mayors was as an outsider, lobbying local mayors and working with a national coalition of activists to promote the passage of the resolution Calling on Congress to End the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Bring the Money Home to the Needs of Our Cities.

That was 10 years after those wars began, not two months. Additionally, my political perspective has widened since 2011. It is quite difficult for citizens, even locally-elected politicians, to affect foreign policy. I deeply understand how frustrating that is, as the proper functioning of the UN and international norms was what I cared about most as an activist.

I am willing to participate in listening sessions that help bridge the divides between communities on the island. I believe in the power of well-facilitated dialog. I do not believe your letter, or the public comments to the agenda item at the January 2nd Alameda City Council Meeting, will improve the quality of life for citizens of Alameda or civilians anywhere in the world. It will only increase division and animosity between people here in Alameda and will not have any affect on US foreign policy.

All this referral does is legitimize anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bias, by making it seem that the primary impediment to peace is Israel and Israel’s military choices. As Superintendent Scuderi said in his letter to the AUSD community, we aren’t going to figure out the solution to the war in Alameda. The most we can do is hold space where everyone is truly welcome.

Respectfully,
Rabbi Cynthia Minster
Temple Israel of Alameda
From: Tony Daysog
To: Stephanie Mendelsohn
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Opposition to Referral re Ceasefire Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:31:48 PM
Thank you, Stephanie, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Stephanie Mendelsohn <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:02:43 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Opposition to Referral re Ceasefire

Dear Mayor and City Council,
I strongly urge you to take no further action on the Mayor’s referral for a letter urging a ceasefire in Israel, which is to be heard on January 2, and that the Mayor withdraw the referral prior to the Council meeting.

Mayor Ashcroft, here are some of the facts of what Hamas perpetuated on October 7.

The facts are relevant to understanding why your referral shows bias in suggesting Israel should abandon its response to Hamas, especially while hostages remain in Gaza.

Hamas murdered babies.

Hamas took babies, children, young adults, parents and elderly hostage.

Hamas raped girls and women.

Hamas butchered young women by slicing their vaginas after rape.

Hamas cut off the breasts of young women while raping them.

Hamas burned families alive.

Hamas blew off the arm of a young man from Berkeley and took him hostage immediately thereafter.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Mendelsohn
Alameda resident since 1998
Mom of 2 AUSD graduates
Member, Temple Beth Abraham
Associate General Counsel, Sr. Director
From: Tony Daysog
To: D Dorenz
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Reject a ceasefire resolution
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:09:12 PM
Thank you, Dorothea, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: D Dorenz <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:43:45 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; City Clerk Cc: Tracy Jensen
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Reject a ceasefire resolution

Dear Alameda City Council,
I am a Bay Area citizen who visits the City of Alameda and does business in the City. I am disheartened to learn that Item 10-D on the January 2 City Council Agenda is a letter demanding a change to U.S. foreign policy regarding the Hamas - Israel War.

First, city councils are not elected to speak on behalf of their communities regarding foreign policy.

Further, there is more than one morally reasonable response to the ongoing war.

Sincerely,
Dorothea Dorenz
Berkeley, CA
--
Dorothea Dorenz
From: Tony Daysog
To: Marc Klein
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Resolution on Gaza
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:30:36 PM
Thank you, Marc, for your email. The bit about key priorities was a great point. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Marc Klein <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:40:06 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Resolution on Gaza

December 29, 2023
Dear member of Alameda City Council:

I write to you today to oppose the resolution you are considering on Gaza. As a 40-year resident of Alameda, this is the first time I’ve reached out to all of you.

Is the war in Gaza genocide? Not when you compare it to the Holocaust where six million Jews were put to death for no other reason than their religion.

That shows how little regard Hamas has for the people of Gaza.

If Israel is to end the war, it must be assured that Hamas cannot attack again. For that reason, Israel can’t stop current hostilities until Hamas is crippled.

Lastly I want to offer you a story from the New York Times that explains Israel’s mindset in this regard. It describes the events of Oct. 7. I wonder how any one of you would feel if it was your daughter, your wife or one of your relatives who were the victims of such torture on Oct. 7. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/world/middleeast/oct-7-attacks-hamas-israel-sexual- violence.html
‘Screams Without Words’: How
Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence
on Oct. 7
A Times invesigation uncovered new details showing
a pattern of rape, mutilation and extreme brutality
agains women in the attacks on Israel.

Dec. 28, 2023Updated 1:23 p.m. ET
Gal Abdush’s parents, center, and her sisers. The photograph on the wall shows Gal and her husband, Nagi.

The couple had been together since they were teenagers.

Gal Abdush’s parents, center, and her sisers. The photograph on the wall shows Gal and her husband, Nagi. The couple had been together since they were teenagers.

By Jefrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz and Adam Sella
Photographs by Avishag Shaar-Yashuv
Jefrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz and Adam Sella reported from across Israel and interviewed more than 150 people.

At frs, she was known simply as “the woman in the black dress.” In a grainy video, you can see her, lying on her back, dress torn, legs spread, vagina exposed. Her face is burned beyond recognition and her right hand covers her eyes.

The video was shot in the early hours of Oct. 8 by a woman searching for a missing friend at the site of the rave in southern Israel where, the day before, Hamas terroriss massacred hundreds of young Israelis.

The video went viral, with thousands of people responding, desperate to know if the woman in the black dress was their missing friend, siser or daughter.

One family knew exactly who she was — Gal Abdush, mother of two from a working-class town in central Israel, who disappeared from the rave that night with her husband.

As the terroriss closed in on her, trapped on a highway in a line of cars of people trying to fee the party, she sent one fnal WhatsApp message to her family: “You don’t undersand.”
Based largely on the video evidence — which was verifed by The New York Times — Israeli police ofcials said they believed that Ms. Abdush was raped, and she has become a symbol of the horrors visited upon Israeli women and girls during the Oct. 7 attacks.

Israeli ofcials say that everywhere Hamas terroriss sruck — the rave, the military bases along the Gaza border and the kibbutzim — they brutalized women.

A two-month invesigation by The Times uncovered painful new details, esablishing that the attacks agains women were not isolated events but part of a broader pattern of gender-based violence on Oct. 7.

Relying on video footage, photographs, GPS data from mobile phones and interviews with more than 150 people, including witnesses, medical personnel, soldiers and rape counselors, The Times identifed at leas seven locations where Israeli women and girls appear to have been sexually assaulted or mutilated.

Four witnesses described in graphic detail seeing women raped and killed at two diferent places along Route 232, the same highway where Ms. Abdush’s half-naked body was found sprawled on the road at a third location.

And The Times interviewed several soldiers and volunteer medics who together described fnding more than 30 bodies of women and girls in and around the rave site and in two kibbutzim in a similar sate as Ms. Abdush’s — legs spread, clothes torn of, signs of abuse in their genital areas.

Cars — some desroyed by fre, others damaged — in a clearing among trees.

A camp area on Oct. 11 at the rave site in southern Israel.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times Many of the accounts are difcult to bear, and the visual evidence is disurbing to see.

The Times viewed photographs of one woman’s corpse that emergency responders discovered in the rubble of a besieged kibbutz with dozens of nails driven into her thighs and groin.

The Times also viewed a video, provided by the Israeli military, showing two dead Israeli soldiers at a base near Gaza who appeared to have been shot directly in their vaginas.

Hamas has denied Israel’s accusations of sexual violence. Israeli activiss have been outraged that the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, and the agency U.N. Women did not acknowledge the many accusations until weeks after the attacks.

Invesigators with Israel’s top national police unit, Lahav 433, have been seadily gathering evidence but they have not put a number on how many women were raped, saying that mos are dead — and buried — and that they will never know. No survivors have spoken publicly.

The Israeli police have acknowledged that, during the shock and confusion of Oct. 7, the deadlies day in Israeli hisory, they were not focused on collecting semen samples from women’s bodies, requesing autopsies or closely examining crime scenes. At that moment, the authorities said, they were intent on repelling Hamas and identifying the dead.

A combination of chaos, enormous grief and Jewish religious duties meant that many bodies were buried as quickly as possible. Mos were never examined, and in some cases, like at the rave scene, where more than 360 people were slaughtered in a few hours, the bodies were hauled away by the truckload.

That has left the Israeli authorities at a loss to fully explain to families what happened to their loved ones in their fnal moments. Ms. Abdush’s relatives, for insance, never received a death certifcate. They are sill searching for answers.

In cases of widespread sexual violence during a war, it is not unusual to have limited forensic evidence, experts said.
“Armed confict is so chaotic,” said Adil Haque, a Rutgers law professor and war crimes expert. “People are more focused on their safety than on building a criminal case down the road.”
Very often, he said, sex crime cases will be prosecuted years later on the basis of tesimony from victims and witnesses.
“The eyewitness might not even know the name of the victim,” he added. “But if they can tesify as, ‘I saw a woman being raped by this armed group,’ that can be enough.”
‘Screams without words’
Sapir, a 24-year-old accountant, has become one of the Israeli police’s key witnesses. She does not want to be fully identifed, saying she would be hounded for the res of her life if her las name were revealed.

She attended the rave with several friends and provided invesigators with graphic tesimony. She also spoke to The Times. In a two-hour interview outside a cafe in southern Israel, she recounted seeing groups of heavily armed gunmen rape and kill at leas fve women.

She said that at 8 a.m. on Oct. 7, she was hiding under the low branches of a bushy tamarisk tree, jus of Route 232, about four miles southwes of the party.

She had been shot in the back. She felt faint. She covered herself in dry grass and lay as sill as she could.

About 15 meters from her hiding place, she said, she saw motorcycles, cars and trucks pulling up. She said that she saw “about 100 men,” mos of them dressed in military fatigues and combat boots, a few in dark sweatsuits, getting in and out of the vehicles. She said the men congregated along the road and passed between them assault rifes, grenades, small missiles — and badly wounded women.
“It was like an assembly point,” she said.

The frs victim she said she saw was a young woman with copper-color hair, blood running down her back, pants pushed down to her knees. One man pulled her by the hair and made her bend over. Another penetrated her, Sapir said, and every time she finched, he plunged a knife into her back.

She said she then watched another woman “shredded into pieces.” While one terroris raped her, she said, another pulled out a box cutter and sliced of her breas.
“One continues to rape her, and the other throws her breas to someone else, and they play with it, throw it, and it falls on the road,” Sapir said.

She said the men sliced her face and then the woman fell out of view. Around the same time, she said, she saw three other women raped and terroriss carrying the severed heads of three more women.

Sapir provided photographs of her hiding place and her wounds, and police ofcials have sood by her tesimony and released a video of her, with her face blurred, recounting some of what she saw.

Since that day, Sapir said, she has sruggled with a painful rash that spread across her torso, and she can barely sleep, waking up at night, heart pounding, covered in sweat.
“That day, I became an animal,” she said. “I was emotionally detached, sharp, jus the adrenaline of survival. I looked at all this as if I was photographing them with my eyes, not forgetting any detail. I told myself: I should remember everything.”
That same morning, along Route 232 but in a diferent location about a mile southwes of the party area, Raz Cohen — a young Israeli who had also attended the rave and had worked recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo training Congolese soldiers — said that he was hiding in a dried-up sreambed. It provided some cover from the assailants combing the area and shooting anyone they found, he said in an hour-and-a-half interview in a Tel Aviv resaurant.

Maybe 40 yards in front of him, he recalled, a white van pulled up and its doors few open.

He said he then saw fve men, wearing civilian clothes, all carrying knives and one carrying a hammer, dragging a woman across the ground. She was young, naked and screaming.
“They all gather around her,” Mr. Cohen said. “She’s sanding up. They sart raping her. I saw the men sanding in a half circle around her. One penetrates her. She screams. I sill remember her voice, screams without words.” “Then one of them raises a knife,” he said, “and they jus slaughtered her.” Shoam Gueta, one of Mr. Cohen’s friends and a fashion designer, said the two were hiding together in the sreambed. He said he saw at leas four men sep out of the van and attack the woman, who ended up “between their legs.” He said that they were “talking, giggling and shouting,” and that one of them sabbed her with a knife repeatedly, “literally butchering her.” Hours later, the frs wave of volunteer emergency medical technicians arrived at the rave site. In interviews, four of them said that they discovered bodies of dead women with their legs spread and underwear missing — some with their hands tied by rope and zipties — in the party area, along the road, in the parking area and in the open felds around the rave site.

Jamal Waraki, a volunteer medic with the nonproft ZAKA emergency response team, said he could not get out of his head a young woman in a rawhide ves found between the main sage and the bar.
“Her hands were tied behind her back,” he said. “She was bent over, half naked, her underwear rolled down below her knees.”
Yinon Rivlin, a member of the rave’s production team who los two brothers in the attacks, said that after hiding from the killers, he emerged from a ditch and made his way to the parking area, eas of the party, along Route 232, looking for survivors.

Near the highway, he said, he found the body of a young woman, on her somach, no pants or underwear, legs spread apart. He said her vagina area appeared to have been sliced open, “as if someone tore her apart.” Similar discoveries were made in two kibbutzim, Be’eri and Kfar Aza. Eight volunteer medics and two Israeli soldiers told The Times that in at leas six diferent houses, they had come across a total of at leas 24 bodies of women and girls naked or half naked, some mutilated, others tied up, and often alone.

A paramedic in an Israeli commando unit said that he had found the bodies of two teenage girls in a room in Be’eri.

One was lying on her side, he said, boxer shorts ripped, bruises by her groin.

The other was sprawled on the foor face down, he said, pajama pants pulled to her knees, bottom exposed, semen smeared on her back.

Because his job was to look for survivors, he said, he kept moving and did not document the scene. Neighbors of the two girls killed — who were sisers, 13 and 16 — said their bodies had been found alone, separated from the res of their family.

The Israeli military allowed the paramedic to speak with reporters on the condition that he not be identifed because he serves in an elite unit.

Many of the dead were brought to the Shura military base, in central Israel, for identifcation. Here, too, witnesses said they saw signs of sexual violence.

Shari Mendes, an architect called up as a reserve soldier to help prepare the bodies of female soldiers for burial, said she had seen four with signs of sexual violence, including some with “a lot of blood in their pelvic areas.” A dentis, Captain Maayan, who worked at the same identifcation center, said that she had seen at leas 10 bodies of female soldiers from Gaza observation poss with signs of sexual violence.

Captain Maayan asked to be identifed only by her rank and surname because of the sensitivity of the subject. She said she had seen several bodies with cuts in their vaginas and underwear soaked in blood and one whose fngernails had been pulled out.

The invesigation
The Israeli authorities have no shortage of video evidence from the Oct. 7 attacks. They have gathered hours of footage from Hamas body cameras, dashcams, security cameras and mobile phones showing Hamas terroriss killing civilians and many images of mutilated bodies.

But Moshe Fintzy, a deputy superintendent and senior spokesman of Israel’s national police, said, “We have zero autopsies, zero,” making an O with his right hand.

In the aftermath of the attack, police ofcials said, forensic examiners were dispatched to the Shura military base to help identify the hundreds of bodies — Israeli ofcials say around 1,200 people were killed that day.

The examiners worked quickly to give the agonized families of the missing a sense of closure and to determine, by a process of elimination, who was dead and who was being held hosage in Gaza.

According to Jewish tradition, funerals are held promptly. The result was that many bodies with signs of sexual abuse were put to res without medical examinations, meaning that potential evidence now lies buried in the ground.

International forensic experts said that it would be possible to recover some evidence from the corpses, but that it would be difcult.

Mr. Fintzy said Israeli security forces were sill fnding imagery that shows women were brutalized. Sitting at his desk at an imposing police building in Jerusalem, he swiped open his phone, tapped and produced the video of the two soldiers shot in the vagina, which he said was recorded by Hamas gunmen and recently recovered by Israeli soldiers.

A colleague sitting next to him, Mirit Ben Mayor, a police chief superintendent, said she believed that the brutality agains women was a combination of two ferocious forces, “the hatred for Jews and the hatred for women.” Some emergency medical workers now wish they had documented more of what they saw. In interviews, they said they had moved bodies, cut of zip ties and cleaned up scenes of carnage. Trying to be respectful to the dead, they inadvertently desroyed evidence.

Many volunteers working for ZAKA, the emergency response team, are religious Jews and operate under srict rules that command deep respect for the dead.
“I did not take pictures because we are not allowed to take pictures,” said Yossi Landau, a ZAKA volunteer. “In retrospect, I regret it.” There are at leas three women and one man who were sexually assaulted and survived, according to Gil Horev, a spokesman for Israel’s Minisry of Welfare and Social Afairs. “None of them has been willing to come physically for treatment,” he said. Two therapiss said they were working with a woman who was gang raped at the rave and was in no condition to talk to invesigators or reporters.

The trauma from sexual assault can be so heavy that sometimes survivors do not speak about it for years, several rape counselors said. “Many people are looking for the golden evidence, of a woman who will tesify about what happened to her. But don’t look for that, don’t put this pressure on this woman,” said Orit Sulitzeanu, executive director of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel. “The corpses tell the sory.” The woman in the black dress
One of the las images of Ms. Abdush alive — captured by a security camera mounted on her front door — shows her leaving home with her husband, Nagi, at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 for the rave.

He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. She was dressed in a short black dress, a black shawl tied around her wais and combat boots. As she sruts out, she takes a swig from a glass (her brother-in-law remembers it was Red Bull and vodka) and laughs.

You’ve got to live life like it’s your las moments. That was her motto, her sisers said.

At daybreak, hundreds of terroriss closed in on the party from several directions, blocking the highways leading out. The couple jumped into their Audi, dashing of a sring of messages as they moved.
“We’re on the border,” Ms. Abdush wrote to her family. “We’re leaving.” “Explosions.”
Her husband made his own calls to his family, leaving a fnal audio message for his brother, Nissim, at 7:44 a.m. “Take care of the kids,” he said. “I love you.” Gunshots rang out, and the message sopped.

Abdush.

She saw other burned cars and other bodies, and shot videos of several — hoping that they would help people to identify missing relatives. When she posed the video of the woman in the black dress on her Insagram sory, she was deluged with messages.
“Hi, based on your description of the woman in the black dress, did she have blonde hair?” one message read.
“Eden, the woman you described with the black dress, do you remember the color of her eyes?” another said.

Some members of the Abdush family saw that video and another version of it flmed by one of Ms. Wessely’s friends. They immediately suspected that the body was Ms. Abdush, and based on the way her body was found, they feared that she might have been raped.

But they kept alive a ficker of hope that somehow, it wasn’t true.

The videos caught the eye of Israeli ofcials as well — very quickly after Oct. 7 they began gathering evidence of atrocities. They included footage of Ms.

Abdush’s body in a presentation made to foreign governments and media organizations, using Ms. Abdush as a representation of violence committed agains women that day.

A week after her body was found, three government social workers appeared at the gate of the family’s home in Kiryat Ekron, a small town in central Israel.

They broke the news that Ms. Abdush, 34, had been found dead.

But the only document the family received was a one-page form letter from Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, expressing his condolences and sending a hug.

The body of Mr. Abdush, 35, was identifed two days after his wife’s. It was badly burned and invesigators determined who he was based on a DNA sample and his wedding ring.

The couple had been together since they were teenagers. To the family, it seems only yeserday that Mr. Abdush was heading of to work to fx water heaters, a bag of tools slung over his shoulder, and Ms. Abdush was cooking up mashed potatoes and schnitzel for their two sons, Eliav, 10, and Refael, 7.

The boys are now orphans. They were sleeping over at an aunt’s the night their parents were killed. Ms. Abdush’s mother and father have applied for permanent cusody, and everyone is chipping in to help.

Night after night, Ms. Abdush’s mother, Eti Bracha, lies in bed with the boys until they drift of. A few weeks ago, she said she tried to quietly leave their bedroom when the younger boy sopped her.
“Grandma,” he said, “I want to ask you a quesion.”
“Honey,” she said, “you can ask anything.”
“Grandma, how did mom die?”
Thanks,
Marc S. Klein
415-516-7853
1326 Versailles Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
From: Tony Daysog
To: Hilda Poulson
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Support for Ceasefire Letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:43:03 PM
Thank you, Hilda, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Hilda Poulson <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 1:51:29 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for Ceasefire Letter

Dear Councilmembers,
I am a Jewish mother and a homeowner here in Alameda. I have lived here since 2017 and my kids go to My Escuela and Paden Elementary School.

I am writing as a concerned member of our community to urge you to support Mayor Ashcraft’s letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The recent escalation of violence has resulted in tragic loss of life and widespread suffering for innocent Palestinian civilians, and it is imperative that our city council takes a stand for peace and humanitarian values.

During a recent walkout, students at Encinal High School reported feeling unsafe demonstrating solidarity with Palestine. The conflation of Zionism with Judaism has also led to Jewish community members feeling unsafe and targeted. Mayor Ashcraft’s letter
sends a message to impacted community members that their representatives hear their safety concerns.

Endorsing a ceasefire in Alameda not only follows her leadership, but adds constituent weight to her position and adds our city to the growing list of municipalities taking a moral stand.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and trust that you will consider the urgency of the situation. As a constituent, I believe that our elected representatives have the power to influence positive change, and I urge you to use your platform to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing about any actions our city council may take to address this critical issue.

Sincerely,
--
Hilda Poulson
(310) 251-9667
From: Tony Daysog
To: Alexis Roizen
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Vote NO on Ceasefire Letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:03:09 PM
Thank you, Alexis, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Alexis Roizen <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 22, 2023 7:06:34 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Cc: Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella; CityCouncil-List Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote NO on Ceasefire Letter

Dear Mayor Ashcroft, Vice Mayor Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Councilmember Jensen, and Councilmember Vella,
Regarding a letter about a Gaza ceasefire:

I hope we follow the lead of Berkeley’s mayor and vote NO on sending a letter about a ceasefire.
“These resolutions will not end the violence abroad, but they do fan the flames of hatred here at home,” Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín said in a statement. “That’s a threat I cannot ignore.”
Your responsibility is to our local citizens and local governance. Please do not fan the flames of hatred in our community. This is a long and complicated history and a letter picking a side will not solve it. It will only encourage anger and division between our neighbors. By voting No, you will demonstrate your focus on ALL of Alameda’s citizens and the problems our city council CAN and SHOULD focus on.

Please vote NO.

Sincerely,
Alexis Roizen Harris
Bay Farm Resident with a Kindergartener at Bay Farm Elementary Sent from my iPad
From: Tony Daysog
To: Alexis Roizen
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Vote NO on Ceasefire Letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:01:34 PM
Thank you, Alexis, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

Dear Mayor Ashcroft, Vice Mayor Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Councilmember Jensen, and Councilmember Vella,
Regarding a letter about a Gaza ceasefire:

Please vote NO.

Sincerely,
Alexis Roizen Harris
Bay Farm Resident with a Kindergartener at Bay Farm Elementary Sent from my iPad
From: Tony Daysog
To: Robyn Jamner
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Vote YES on Sending Ceasefire Letter Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:38:00 PM
Thank you, Robyn, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Robyn Jamner <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 10:32:26 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote YES on Sending Ceasefire Letter

Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Councilmember Jensen, and Councilmember Vella,
I am writing in support of the council voting yes to authorize Mayor Ashcraft to send a letter in favor of a ceasefire. I am a Jewish resident of Alameda who is a songleader and music educator at a prominent synagogue in the East Bay. My own Jewish values have led me to stand unequivocally in favor of a ceasefire.

As the grandchild of two Holocaust survivors, I understand the intergenerational fear and trauma within my community. I am horrified both by the attacks on October 7 and by the ongoing mass casualties and population displacement in Gaza. This violence will not make anyone safer; in the long run, only ceasefire and de-escalation can make everyone safer.

Mayor Ashcraft’s letter is incredibly thoughtful. I appreciate that she condemns the actions of both Hamas and Israel, and that she calls for the release of all hostages and the establishment of lasting peace.

Some people might say that this issue is outside the scope of the city of Alameda. I would argue that this is very much a local issue. There are people in Alameda with deep connections both to Israel and to Palestine, and this letter is a way of expressing support for those who are in harm’s way. Furthermore, our federal tax dollars are directly funding the ongoing invasion and bombardment of Gaza. If we do not speak up and put pressure on the federal government, our silence can be taken as support.

Some members within my community believe that Mayor Ashcraft’s letter will lead to divisive and hateful rhetoric. Antisemitism is a real and present threat, but sending a letter to the federal government in support of a ceasefire will not stoke hatred that does not already exist. We must stand against antisemitism, and we must also work through fear and discomfort as a community to stand up for what is right. These two things are not in opposition. In fact, I believe that one is not possible without the other.

Thank you for public service and your thoughtfulness regarding this incredibly difficult situation.

Sincerely,
Robyn Jamner
From: Tony Daysog
To: Robyn Jamner
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Vote YES on Sending Ceasefire Letter Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:59:29 AM
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Robyn Jamner <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 10:32:26 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote YES on Sending Ceasefire Letter

Thank you for public service and your thoughtfulness regarding this incredibly difficult situation.

Sincerely,
Robyn Jamner
From: Tony Daysog
To: Oleg Ivanov
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: AJC Northern California Urges You Not To Bring the Israel-Hamas War Home Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 11:58:26 AM
Attachments: image001.png
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Oleg Ivanov <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 10:46:34 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] AJC Northern California Urges You Not To Bring the Israel-Hamas War Home

Dear Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Alameda City Council Members, As a representative of AJC (American Jewish Committee) Northern California, I am deeply concerned by the consideration of a resolution concerning the Israel-Hamas war at the meeting of the Alameda City Council. Here are just a few reasons to vote no on considering any resolution related to the Israel-Hamas war:

1. Resolutions like this have caused harm and sowed division in every city where they have been considered; the public comments on the resolution will inevitably elicit extreme and antisemitic opinions that will create strife in the community (even if the resolution is not passed.)

2. Such resolutions do nothing to further the cause of peace either in a geopolitical conflict halfway around the world or here in our community.

3. Similar resolutions in Richmond and Oakland fomented hateful rhetoric , promoted
antisemitic conspiracy theories, and caused the Jewish members of those communities to feel unsafe there.

This is not acceptable in any community. Please help ensure that Alameda remains a safe place for all of its residents.

Sincerely,
Oleg Ivanov

Oleg Ivanov, PhD
Assistant Director
AJC Northern California
American Jewish Committee (AJC)
[email protected]

415.777.3820 (Office)
415.596.1983 (Mobile)
AJC.org
facebook.com/AJCSanFrancisco
twitter.com/AJCGlobal

From: Rebecca Peterson-Fisher
To: Tony Daysog
Cc: Ashley Zieba; City Clerk; Lara Weisiger
Subject: Re: Fw: [EXTERNAL] Re Gaza ceasefire letter
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 5:02:06 PM
Is that standard procedure? I was not aware this letter would be publicly available on a website and that raises some concerns for me, particularly with regard to using my full name publicly.

On Fri, Dec 29, 2023 at 1:52 PM Tony Daysog <[email protected]> wrote:

Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Rebecca Peterson-Fisher <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2023 6:59:26 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re Gaza ceasefire letter

Dear City Council,
I write to share with you the letter I have sent to Mayor Ashcraft:

Sincerely,
Rebecca Peterson-Fisher
From: Tony Daysog
To: Murray Toas
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: Gazan Ceasefire Only When Hamas is Eliminated Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:45:21 PM
Thank you, Murray, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Murray Toas <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2023 7:44:57 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gazan Ceasefire Only When Hamas is Eliminated

Dear Honorable Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, and Councilmembers Jensen, Spencer, and Vella, Please consider not joining those who call for an immediate, unconditional Gazan ceasefire which will result in more evil, barbarous torture and killing of Israelis. As the Hamas leader has stated, Hamas is dedicated to conducting more October 7 attacks. Hamas must be defeated and destroyed for the safety of the people of Israel and of Gaza. It’s painful for all Americans, Israelis, and many Palestinians to see the death of innocents anytime, including in war. However, Hamas’ goal is innocents' and noncombatants' deaths and their rule in Gaza and existence will only come to an end with military force. Let’s all of us who love life agree that use of force must come to an end as soon as possible with the defeat of Hamas.

Only the elimination of Hamas will bring peace and the preservation of life. Hamas is dedicated to killing Israelis and ignoring the safety of Palestinians.

From news reports https://nationalpost.com/news/senior-hamas-official-we-will-repeat-oct-7-until-israel-is-finished Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Lebanon’s LBC TV on Oct. 24 that the terror group would continue to carry out massacres like the one it carried out in southern Israel on Oct. 7 until the Jewish state is destroyed. “Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country because it constitutes a security, military and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished,” said Hamad, according to a translation of the interview provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

We are not ashamed to say this, with full force,” he added.

Israel’s existence was “illogical,” he said, adding, “The existence of Israel is what causes all that pain, blood and tears.” “The Al-Aqsa Flood [Hamas’s name for the Oct. 7 mass terror attack] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve and the capabilities to fight,” said Hamad.

An NBC News video: https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/hamas-official-vows-repeat-attacks-on-israel-this-is-our-legal-right-196999237771

In your letter, you suggest that the people of Alameda may know what's better for the safety of the people of Israel than they themselves.

Please help your constituents understand that included in Israeli citizens are elderly who survived the horrors of theHolocaust, their children and grandchildren, and the descendants and relatives of the six million slaughtered. Also living in Israel are those who were exiled from all Arab lands and their descendants. They cannot accept more persecution, death, and exile.

Total Estimated Holocaust Deaths by Country from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/estimated-number-of-jews-killed-in-the-final-solution

USHMM US
Holocaust Memorial Museum
Yad Vashem Israel
Holocaust Memorial
Country
Number
of Jews
Killed
% of Jewish
Population Murdered
Number of
Jews
Killed
% of Jewish
Population Murdered
Austria 65,459 35% 50,000 27%
Belgium 24,387 27% 28,900 44%
Czechoslovakia 260,000 73%
Bohemia &
Moravia 77,297 66% 78,150 66%
Slovakia 75,000 83% 68,000-
71,000 75%
Sudetenland 360 15%
Denmark 52-116 2% 60 1%
Estonia 963 21% 1,500-
2,000 44%
France 72,900-
74,000 22% 77,320 22%
Germany 165,200 69% 134,500 24%
Greece 58,800-
65,000 91% 60,000-
67,000 87%
Hungary** 564,507 68% 550,000-
569,000 69%
Italy 7,858 13% 7,680 17%
Latvia 70,000 75% 70,000-
71,500
Lithuania 130,000 85% 140,000-
143,000
Luxembourg 1,200 24% 1,950 20%
Netherlands 102,000 73% 100,000
Norway 758 42% 762 50%
Poland 2,770,000-
3,000,000 90% 2,900,000-
3,000,000 90%
Romania 211,214–
260,000 34% 271,000-
287,000 50%
Soviet Union 1,340,000 44% 1,000,000-
1,100,000 33-36%
Yugoslavia 67,228 82% 56,200 60%
Slovenia 1,300 87%
Serbia 15,060 88%
Macedonia 6,982 90%
Albanian-
annexed
Kosovo
210 38%
Croatia 30,148 77%
Montenegro 28 93%
Backa and
Baranja 13,500 84%
TOTAL 6,636,235 63% 5,846,032 60%

From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_exodus_from_the_Muslim_world

Table of the Jewish population exiled from Muslim countries In 1948, there were between 758,000 and 881,000 Jews (see table below) living in communities throughout the Arab world. Today, there are fewer than 8,600. In some Arab states, such as Libya, which was about 3% Jewish, the Jewish community no longer exists; in other Arab countries, only a few dozen to a few hundred Jews remain.

Jewish Population by country: 1948, 1972 and recent times Country or
territory
1948 Jewish 1972
Jewish Recent estimates
population population
Morocco 250,000
[76]–265,000[77] 31,000[263] 2,100
(2019)[264][better source needed]
Algeria 140,000[76][77] 1,000[263] 50–200 (2021)[265][266] Tunisia 50,000[76]–105,000[77] 8,000[263] 1,000 (2019)[264] Libya 35,000[76]–38,000[77] 50[263] 0 (2014)[267]
North Africa
Total ~500,000 ~40,000 ~3,000
Iraq 135,000
[77]–140,000[76] 500[263] 5–7 (2014)[267]
Egypt 75,000[77]–80,000[76] 500[263] 100 (2019)[267]
Yemen and
Aden 53,000
[76]–63,000[77] 500[263] 50 (2016)[268]
Syria 15,000[76]–30,000[77] 4,000[263] 100 (2019)[267] Lebanon 5,000[77]–
20,000[269][better source needed] 2,000[263] 100 (2012)[269] Bahrain 550–
600[270][better source needed]    36 (2007)[271]
Sudan 350[257]    ≈0
Middle East
(excluding
Palestine/Israel)
Total
~300,000 ~7,500 ~400
Afghanistan 5,000 500[263] 0 (2021)[250]
Bangladesh Unknown    75–100 (2012)[272]
Iran 65,232 (1956)[273]
62,258
(1976)[273]
[274] -
80,000[263]
9,000–20,000 (2022)
[275]
Pakistan 2,000–2,500[276] 250[263] >900 (2017)[277]
Turkey 80,000[278] 30,000[263] 12,000–16,000 (2022)
[279]
Non-Arab
Muslim
Countries Total
~150,000 ~100,000 ~24,000

The Israelis are also survivors of numerous attacks from their neighbors attempting to annihilate them. It seems unwise and a bit presumptuous for any of us here in the United States to tell Israelis how best to protect themselves from neighbors dedicated to their death.

Hamas are not just terrorist murderers and evil rapists and butchers of humans; they have been elected by Gazans to be their governing authority. They keep their instruments of death, including suicide vests for children, in Gazan homes, schools, mosques, and hospitals.

There are both Gazan residents who are innocent bystanders and those who are not. Below is a link to an article with visual evidence of Gazan civilians’ participation in the October 7 massacre. I did not watch the embedded video, fearful of seeing gruesome violence that would stay in my head.
https://israelnewspulse.com/hundreds-of-palestinian-civilians-from-gaza-took-part-in-the-looting-raping-and-killing-of-israelis-on-october-7th/

Here also are links to articles reporting on two polls showing the Palestinian people's support for the October 7 attack. The first reports on a November poll, the second on a December poll. https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-773791 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/poll-shows-palestinians-back-oct-7-attack-israel-support-hamas-rises-2023-12-14/

There is less support for the Hamas October 7 attack in Gaza than in the West Bank. It's truly unfortunate and tragic for the Gazans who are not Hamas adherents to live among people who support and assist in killing their neighbors. Their best hope is for Israel to eliminate Hamas as quickly as possible. The Palestinians in Gaza sorely need a new government that will consider their needs rather than exclusively the needs of terrorists and murderers. The same is true in the West Bank. Unfortunately, the Palestinians do not seek peaceful coexistence with Israel. The article linked below includes President Bill Clinton’s experience with Palestinian rejection of a "two state solution." President Clinton stated, “I killed myself to give the Palestinians a state.” https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/bill-clinton-palestinians-israel-223176

The Israel Defense Forces do more than any other military force trying to avoid civilian casualties, even more than the U.S. military. Hamas seeks the death of innocents, Israel does not. In this article, https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-aide-israel-taking-steps-to-protect- civilians-that-even-us-might-not-have/ we learn what Admiral Kirby, our national security spokesman, said when referring to a map of neighborhoods planned for attacks provided by the IDF to Gazan residents: “That’s basically telegraphing your punches. There are very few modern militaries in the world that would do that. I don’t know that we would do that.”

Hamas has no desire to protect the people of Gaza. Please see this video. https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1719461893146866026? ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1719461893146866026%7Ctwgr%5E1bbb6d6bb917f65e63ade0ac452696f30e12b54a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Fmattvespa%2F2023%2F11%2F03%2Fthe- weapon-israel-plans-to-use-in-dealing-with-hamas-terror-tunnels-n2630726

In WWII, our country purposely dropped atomic bombs on two civilian population centers to bring an end to the war and a Japanese surrender. Japan was certainly a powerful force, but it was not an existential threat to the Umited States in 1945. Israel does not and will not target civilians..

Americans and Israelis share a common goal and ethic of preserving and protecting life and living in peace with our neighbors. Please lead your constituents into a better understanding of Israel's extremely difficult situation and the danger of death that would result from a ceasefire without a surrender and elimination of Hamas. The end of Hamas will also lead to a better future for all Gazans, the Middle East, and the world, The choice to move on a different path than others have taken is one that will give you and the citizens of Alameda the most self-respect and respect from others. Please do not advocate an immediate, unconditional ceasefire.

Sincerely,
Murray Toas

From: Tony Daysog
To: paul lau
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: Mayor and Council: Please say NO to say “NO” to Cease Fire Resolution Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:53:09 PM
Thank you, Paul, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: paul lau <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 3:17:25 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Lara Weisiger Subject: [EXTERNAL] Mayor and Council: Please say NO to say “NO” to Cease Fire Resolution

Dear Mayor and Council members,
I strongly object to the 1/2/24 Agenda item 10D (hopefully I am correct with the item number): Resolution for a Cease Fire. Please withdraw it and oppose it. Per the Alameda City Charter, the responsibility of our City is to deal with municipal affairs -- not national or international affairs. Our City is already very divisive. Please stop doing anything further to make it worse.

Thanks. Mr Lau
Alameda resident.

From: Tony Daysog
To: Sharon Alva
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: No to City Council Taking a Position on International Issues Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:41:12 PM
Attachments: image001.png
Thank you, Sharon, for your email. Thank you for the reminders of anti-semiticism at ausd. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Sharon Alva <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 10:56:09 PM
To: Tony Daysog
Subject: [EXTERNAL] No to City Council Taking a Position on International Issues

Dear Vice Mayor Daysong,

I have been an Alameda resident for 22 years, and a local realtor for 18 of those years. I raised a son in town into adulthood, himself a proud Alamedan.

The city council has been charged with addressing the many challenges of education, housing, base development, and climate change. Appropriately the council has not been dealing with international issues that do not relate to the specific responsibilities with which it has been tasked. The council has not taken a position on the Syria war, Ukraine/Russia war, the conflict in Yemen, or Myanmar. I can’t imagine why that should change. The council in not in a position to address international issues, no matter the personal feelings of its members. And if a letter about the Israel/Gaza conflict goes out, there should be similar letters demanding a ceasefire in every other conflict. Why take a position only about one that involves Israel, the only Jewish state in the world? Choosing ONLY this conflict in which Alameda has a position shows a clear bias.

Other cities that have taken a position on the tragic war in Israel/Gaza have resulted in heightened antisemitism. The videos of vitriolic antisemitism at the Oakland city council have made their way around the world. Whether the speakers were simply misinformed or truly and deeply antisemitic their words, through social media, have tainted the city.

Many of our own leaders, including Governor Newsom, expressed horror at the video footage of the October 7th atrocities. Yet at the Oakland city council meeting antisemites accused
Israelis of killing their own people. Are we to have a similar spectacle here in Alameda?

Soon after the council meeting there were antisemitic confrontations and vandalism in
Oakland, clearly related to the actions taken by the city council. Alameda already has a serious problem with antisemitism in our schools
in 2021 and again in 2022. Are we to add to that by
opening the floodgates with this discussion.

I urge you to stop this before it starts. I hope the council can spent its time addressing local needs, protecting all the citizens of Alameda including the Jewish Community that already feels threatened.

Thank you for your service to the people of Alameda.

Sharon Alva

Sharon Alva
San Francisco East Bay
415.572.8759
[email protected]
DRE #01755862

From: Tony Daysog
To: Sharon Alva
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: No to City Council Taking a Position on International Issues Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 12:00:44 PM
Attachments: image001.png
Fyi: I am forwarding this email and attachment to the City Clerk so it can be included in the set of correspondences uploaded to our city's web site for Agenda 10-D for January 2, 2024. -- Tony Daysog, Alameda Vice Mayor
From: Sharon Alva <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 10:56:09 PM
To: Tony Daysog
Subject: [EXTERNAL] No to City Council Taking a Position on International Issues

Dear Vice Mayor Daysong,

I have been an Alameda resident for 22 years, and a local realtor for 18 of those years. I raised a son in town into adulthood, himself a proud Alamedan.

Thank you for your service to the people of Alameda.

Sharon Alva

Sharon Alva
San Francisco East Bay
415.572.8759
[email protected]
DRE #01755862

From: Tony Daysog
To: Ashraf El-Nakhal
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: Re: Please support Ceasefire in Gaza
Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 1:43:35 PM
Thank you, Ashraf, for your email. I'll cc this email to the City clerk so they can include your email below as part of correspondences (minus email address) submitted as part of official agenda item 10-D. -- Tony
City clerk: please include the email below as part of 10-D correspondences received. Thank you.

From: Ashraf El-Nakhal <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 12:28:29 PM
To: Tony Daysog
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support Ceasefire in Gaza

Hi Tony,
My name is Ashraf El-Nakhal. I am a resident and Homeowner in Alameda. I have 3 children who attend Alameda Schools. I am deeply disturbed by the death and destruction that the Israeli military is placing on Gaza. As an Arab American, I feel unsafe seeing images of innocent children brutally killed and maimed as a result of the aggression with the United States government fully backing this aggression. I am unable to sleep at night knowing that my voice is being silence in this mass murder of civilians. There is no justification for this, and will not resolve anything or make us safer. Not calling for an immediate end to the aggression creates division within the community. The lives of Arabs or Palestenians matter just as much as those of any other race, whether they be Israeli, black, white or anything in between. I would make the same request if our Tax dollars were used to murder innocent civilians in Israel or anywhere else in the world. Ultimately, there is no such thing as Palestinian or Israeli, there is only one race, the Human Race. Please help us stay united and call for a permanent ceasefire.

Thanks,
Ashraf
From: Alameda Citizens Task Force
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager; Lara Weisiger; Yibin Shen
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Opposition to Item 10-D on Jan. 2, 2024, City Council Meeting Agenda Date: Friday, December 29, 2023 9:05:13 AM
ACT
Alameda Citizens Task Force
Vigilance, Truth, Civility

Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog & Council Members Vella, Spencer & Jensen:

The horrible human cost of the events of the last three months in Israel and Gaza have touched us all. We join in the widespread striving for peace and tolerance and hope for a negotiated settlement.

However, there is no demonstrated consensus of Alamedans. Therefore, we believe that it would be inappropriate for a representative of our city government to publish an argument that would be presented as representing the opinion of the majority of our citizens.

Sincerely,

ACT Board of Directors

Alameda City CouncilJanuary 2, 2024

Alameda City Council
January 2, 2024