From: Cheryl Rosenstein
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Israel and Gaza
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 5:05:19 PM
Dear Council,
As a concerned resident of Santa Rosa, I implore you to listen to Sam Harris' podcast, linked below, before you consider passage of any resolution regarding Israel and Gaza.
Nothing is as black and white as it seems.
https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/351-5-myths-about-israel-and-the-war-in-gaza Blessings,
Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein
From: Marisa Smith
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] CEASEFIRE NOW
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 5:13:06 PM
Hello,
My name is Marisa Smith - as a Sonoma County Resident here in Sebastopol, I am urging Santa Rosa City Council to include a ceasefire resolution on the city council meeting agenda.
Our tax dollars are funding Israel’s genocidal project to destroy Gazan lives and land. It is imperative that we raise our voices to take action to protect innocent lives and prevent further destruction.
Thank you,
Marisa
From: Karen Platt
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] this Jew urges you to put ceasefire on the agenda Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 5:22:55 PM
I'm a 73 year old Jewish woman with a conscience.
I visited Gaza in 2005 and this issue is personal to me.
I don't want my tax dollars to fund a genocide.
Dealing with this issue on city gov't agendas is one way for people to speak up.
Absolutely nobody will be safe if Israel continues its genocide.
Please follow your consciences - Karen Platt
From: Tegra Fisk
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Palestinian ceasefire
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 5:32:41 PM
To whom it may concern,
I am a local woman who would like
to urge the city council to put a Palestinian ceasefire resolution on the agenda.
This community is full of people who believe
the Israeli occupation and bombardment of Palestine
to be illegal. Please stand with other cities of conscience around the country and call for ceasefire.
Thank you,
Tegra Fisk
From: David Issenberg
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14David Issenberg Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 6:20:44 PM
My name is David Issenberg, and I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa, deeply concerned about the council bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Bringing such resolutions gives an opening for hate and division within our community.
I witnessed this firsthand when I lived in Pittsburgh and mysynagogue lost 11 innocent lives from a deranged killer who echoed Anti-Jewish
sentiments he heard in certain news channels and fromunevolved government officials. I lost 3 friends that day and 8 otherpeople who shared a common bond. Jews who wanted nothingmore than to congregate and feel part of a community.
Consider the potential outcome of any resolution. I despise war, Idon't want innocent people to die. Most people don't. However, thecity of Santa Rosa bringing forward any opinion on this conflict willnot change the outcome of the Israel-Hamas conflict but has thepotential to create conflict here.
Regards
David Issenberg
From: Birgit Sacher
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda item 14, February 13
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 8:27:41 PM
To Whom it May Concern,
I have been a Santa Rosa resident and home owner here for 22 years. I am a member of the Jewish community, with a Masters Degree in Jewish Education from the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, the same institution that trains and ordains the Reform rabbis in this great country.
It has come to my attention that the Santa Rosa City Council will hear for a resolution aimed at putting voice toward a push for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.
I am opposed to this resolution or anything of its kind.
Not only is a resolution for a ceasefire in the Land of Israel beyond the scope of the Santa Rosa City Council, it is destined to cause only division, conflict, and disunity in our community as it has in many other communities across America.
The City of Santa Rosa does not need to take any actions or make any statements that contribute to the current vitriol that is rampant in this country, and it does not need to contribute to the voices that speak independently and without understanding of the full and complex context of this serious situation across the globe.
Respectfully,
Birgit Sacher
From: Anna Frattolillo
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Cease Fire Resolution
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 8:59:12 PM
Please pass a cease fire resolution in Santa Rosa- this matters on the local level Thank you
Anna
Wars
Four major wars have been imposed on Israel since the nation obtained independent statehood in 1948. Although Israel prevailed in all these wars, it has faced demands that were imposed on the sides that were defeated in the wars, a twisted logic that was previously unheard of in world history.
1948 The Israel War of Independence
Although the newly founded independent State of Israel called on the Arab countries and its Arab residents for peace and cooperation, their leaders chose war and attacked the one-day-old state with the intention of slaughtering its people and ending its existence. Israel was attacked by the armies of seven neighboring countries as well as by its local Arab population. Israel prevailed in this war and ended up occupying an area larger than what the UN voted to be allocated for the new state of Israel in the 1947 partition plan.
Here is a quote from the Israel Declaration of Independence (translated from the original Hebrew):
"WE APPEAL to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel – in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months – to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions."
"WE EXTEND our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples with an offer of peace and good neighborliness and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East."
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/peace/guide/pages/declaration%20of%20establishment%2 0of%20state%20of%20israel.aspx
1957 The Sinai War
Israel attempted to stop the Egyptian-based fedayeen terrorist infiltrators from killing its citizens, to end the blockade of its southern sea in the Straits of Tiran, and to open the Suez Canal that had been blocked to all Israeli ships. Israel conquered large parts of Sinai, took over the Gaza Strip, and destroyed fedayeen terrorist bases there. Israel prevailed in this war, stopped the fedayeen, and terrorist infiltrators, and ended the blockade of its southern sea in the Straits of Tiran, but was not successful in opening the Suez Canal to Israeli ships.
1967 The Six-Day War
Egypt positioned its armies along Israel’s southern border, blockaded the southern sea in the Straits of Tiran, and threatened to invade and commit genocide. Israel attacked preemptively, on the morning of June 5 within three hours the Israeli air force destroyed entirely the Egyptian air force while their fighter planes were on the ground in the airfields. Later on, that day Syria and Jordan attacked Israel and they suffered similar fates, their air forces were destroyed. Israel fought on three fronts and in six days it conquered the old city of Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Golan Highs, the entire Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip.
1973 The Yom Kippur War
On October 6, Israel suffered a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria. In the beginning, the Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal to the east and took over parts of western Sinai, The Syrians invaded and took over large parts of the Golan Heights. Within eighteen days the Israeli forces pushed back the Egyptian forces from most of the gained territories, crossed the Suez Canal, took over land west of the Suez, and encircled and besieged a quarter of the Egyptian army west of the Suez. The ceasefire halted the Israeli forces at the southern edge of Ismailia and seventeen miles from Cairo.
In the north, the Syrian forces were pushed back from the Golan and Israeli forces took over territory east of the Golan.
War has never brought peace
War is ugly and terrible. War does not plant orchards nor plow fields. War does not build houses. It causes grave suffering and massive displacement of people. Between 1920 and 1970 (and the majority after 1947), 900,000 Arab Jews endured government-sponsored pogroms, were expelled from lands where their ancestors had lived for thousands of yea rs before Islam, and had their homes, properties, and wealth confiscated by the governments of their countries of residence. A majority of these refugees, 600,000 were resettled in Israel and stopped being refugees upon their arrival. The Arab countries, by attacking Israel on May 14, 1948, created the Arab refugee problem. The Arabs that fled the war are deliberately kept as refugees to USE them as fuel to feed the fire of hatred and war. These refugees have been used cynically and cruelly by their official leadership, by the Arab countries where they reside, and by their allies until this day.
Anwar Sadat - Peace Treaty Between Egypt, Jordan and Israel Golda Meir, the Israeli Prime Minster during Yom Kippur was the best to express the Israeli mindset about the Israeli-Arab conflict, a translation from Hebrew: "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but unable to forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will have peace with the Arabs when they will love their children more than they hate us." This was the state of mind that enabled Israel to sign a peace treaty with Egypt after Anwar Sadat made a historic visit to Israel. On 19 November 1977, Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel officially when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and spoke before the Knesset in Jerusalem about his views on how to achieve comprehensive peace and end the Arab–Israeli conflict. Thousands of Israelis lined up along the road from Tel Aviv Airport to Jerusalem greeting the leader that was willing to stop being an adversary and giving him a hero welcome. In 1981 Anwar Sadat was assassinated by his people but his bold move ended the hostilities between Israel and Egypt till this day. Egypt and Israel are an example to the whole world, after many years of young men from both sides murdering each other it is possible to negotiate peace, make it happen, and keep it. The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was signed in a ceremony at the White House on March 26, 1979, and the three leaders—Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin—joined hands and shared big smiles. In 1994 King Hussein of Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel. Since then, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel had disputes and diplomatic disagreements, but have never had armed confrontations. http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/03/on‐this‐day‐36‐years‐ago‐the‐signing‐of‐the‐egyptisrael‐ peace‐treaty/388781/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Jordan peace treaty
A CALL FOR PEACE
THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS IF ALL ITS PEOPLE: ARABS, JEWS, DRUZE, MUSLIMS, AND CHRISTIANS, REALIZE THAT
NOBODY IS GOING AWAY, STOP BLAMING EACH OTHER, AGREE UPON A COMMON
GOAL OF SHARING THE LAND AND ITS RESOURCES AND BETTERING THE LIVES OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE REGION. THEN THE DESERT WILL TRULY BLOOM.
The destructive and seems to be simplistic wording “an end to occupation and illegal settlements” and similar statements may reappear, but this expression represents the mindset that was tried before, has never worked, and will only increase war and suffering. I am suggesting a balanced and no adversarial statement:
From: Kendra Chatfield
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public comment for council meeting
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 9:29:11 PM
Hello
My name is Kendra and I live in Rohnert Park. I am writing to you as a concerned citizen of Sonoma County. I would like to see Santa Rosa pass a Ceasefire Resolution, just as the city of Cotati already has. I believe that it is imperative for Santa Rosa to join the chorus of voices who say that these murders have gone too far and to put pressure on Israel and Palestine to bring this to an immediate and permanent end.
Santa Rosa could set an example of compassion for human life, and acknowledgment of the severity of the ongoing situation. This is not just an issue that is happening far away. We are all watching it in real time and it is touching our lives deeply.
It may seem like a small and unimportant gesture, however a Ceasefire Resolution is necessary to send the message that what is happening is wrong, and Santa Rosa will not tolerate racism or genocide.
To be silent during these historic events is a disservice to those you represent.
I hope you will choose to use your position of power and visibility to put humanity first.
Thank you.
2 El had Egyptian names, an indication that the refuge priests joined and influenced the evolving One God religion.
The arriving refugees were able to settle and mix with the Hebrew-speaking tribes. The large number of refugees escaping ancient Egypt can be referenced to the Biblical story of the Exodus. 1100 BC, the first known Hebrew king, Sahul.
1050 BC, King David united the Hebrew tribes and set Jerusalem as the capital of his Israelite kingdom.
1000 BC, King Solomon succeeded his father, David.
950 BC, King Yerovaam succeeded his father, Solomon. King Yerovaam did not do well and the kingdom split into two, Israel in the north with the capital Dan ruled by King Rechavaam, and Judea with its capital Jerusalem.
720 BC, The Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire and most of its people were exiled to North Mesopotamia (Iraq today).
King Hezekiah, 725-696 BC, decadent of King David, his royal seal was found recently in Jerusalem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezekiah
In 587 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar II besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, bringing an end to the kingdom. A large number of Judeans were exiled to Babylon, and the fallen kingdom was then annexed as a Babylonian province. Seventy Years later the Persians destroyed the Babylonian Empire the let the Kingdom of Judea recover and rebuild Jerusalem. Seventy years later Jerusalem and the Temple were rebuilt with the support and Encouragement of the new conqueror, the Persian empire, Cyrus the Great.
Maccabean revolt against the Greeks, 165-160, liberated Jerusalem and Judea and established a Jewish (Israelite) kingdom that lasted for 71 years until the Roman conquest. 63 BC, Roman rule and end of independent Judea
6 to 4 BC, the Jewish prophet, Jesus of Nazareth was born and was killed by the Romans in 33 to 36 AD.
70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
73 AD, the Romans siege on Masada
144 AD, the Bar Chochvah revolts against the Romans, The Israelites who are called Jews too, were murdered, enslaved, and exiled by the victories Romans. The land of Israel was turned into a wasteland and that was the beginning of the Jewish exile.
During the changing Empires that ruled the land of Israel, Roman, Byzantine, Muslim, Seljuk, Uthman, and the last British until 1947; the land was neglected and undeveloped. Through that empire ruling times small populations of Jews, Arabs, Druse, Shomronits, and Cherkesians lived there.
From: Leanne Schy
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, Leanne Schy Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 9:50:02 PM
My name is Leanne Schy. I'm a member of Congregation Beth Ami. While we support the public's right to make views on foreign policy known to the Federal Government, we have seen that local resolutions on the Israel-Hamas war have not affected the course of the war, but they have fueled a rise in hate speech and vandalism directed against Jews and Jewish businesses and institutions in cities where these non-binding resolutions have been passed. We are already keeping our doors locked during events, and have to deal with expletive-filled emails. We are not looking forward to this getting worse.
With hopes for a better future,
Leanne Schy
From: Roberta Berg
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Cease fire resolution--I am against it Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 10:09:16 PM
Please put your energies into local issues like schools, homeless, mental health, the economy.
You have enough on your plate to make our city a good place to live and to take care of the needy.
Don't waste time or taxpayers money to pursue foreign affairs. Don't contribute to items that promote hate among our citizens.
Roberta Berg
District 4
From: Howard Glickman
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on Agenda Item 14 -Howard Glickman Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 7:03:49 AM
To the honorable members of the City Council,
As a resident of Santa Rosa, a Jewish resident, I am appalled that my City Council would spend its time on a matter so far outside its purview, and one that is as divisive at that. At a time when our city has issues that the council must address, to spend your time debating whether or not to demand that Jews in Israel not defend themselves from terror, and to instill fear in your Jewish constituents is a shameful neglect of your duties.
To make any group of your
constituents feel unsafe and unwelcome would be shameful, and one need only the most cursory understanding of history to know that debates and resolutions such as the one being proposed here are the beginning and not the end.
Should you choose to participate in, and align yourselves with this growing anti-Semitic movement, and encourage anti-semitism in Santa Rosa, I will not be able to support any of you for re-election to the council, or any other public office in the future.
Respectfully,
Howard Glickman
From: [email protected]
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gaza ceasefire
Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 7:53:35 AM
I urge the City Council to put on a future agenda a discussion of a Resolution to call for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza. Cotati has adopted such a resolution and other cities in Sonoma County are considering it. I understand that the councils want to focus on local issues over which they have control but this is a very special situation., City councils all over the country are weighing in on the issue as the general public is more engaged in this than anything else in recent history. Local governments are providing a forum for an aroused public can engage in direct discussion of something of critical importance to the country. That should be a function of local government.
As an American Jew I am appalled at Israel’s actions. I understand the trauma of Oct 7 attack but feel the reaction has been as Biden says ”over the top.” Oct 7 did not happen in a vacuum – there is a long history of Israeli injustices towards Palestinians. ns can engage in dialogue on the issue.
But aside from my particular views the important thing for the City Council is to provide the forum in which its citizens can dialogue.
From: Ruth Wilson
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 14, by Ruth Wilson Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 7:55:39 AM
To the Council,
As a member of the Sonoma County Jewish community I write to express my concern about the Council making a resolution regarding the Israel-Hamas War.
I don’t think any resolution can accurately reflect a majority of opinion on such an inflammatory issue.
The New York Times stated on last December 8 that:
Local resolutions on international affairs largely amount to symbolic gestures that play no direct role in foreign
policymaking. But they can send a signal to allies abroad over the domestic political temperature and provide a vehicle for some of the most opinionated voters to say their piece.
Bringing such resolutions only fuels hate and division within our community. As seen in other cities, these non-binding measures have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish families like mine.
Respectfully,
Ruth Wilson
From: Rob Gitlin
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Meeting today regarding Resolution
Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 1:43:53 PM
Dear Honorable Members of Santa Rosa City Counsel,
I write in Opposition To Resolutions on the Israel-Hamas War. I believe local governments should focus on local issues. Recent events in Northern California and worldwide have proven that Non-Binding Resolutions inflame hate, targeting the Jewish Community; according to studies, there has been a 360%
increase in hate crimes against Jews. It is reported that 55% of all religiously motivated hate crimes are against Jews, who represent 2.4% of the population- one of the larger minority groups.
In short, the history in the Middle East is very complex and Non-Binding Resolutions only inflame existing racial tension and create more division. While Non-Binding Resolutions have little effect Internationally, I would hope that this Council seriously recognizes their role in creating unity in the community in a more constructive way. Should this Council decide that it wants to state anything about the recent events in the Middle East, I implore the Council to take up issues that no American will debate;
advocating against sexual violence and
immediate release of Americans and other hostages.
I respectfully request that this Council make a statement about supporting an immediate release of our 7 American citizens who remain hostage as well as all of the other hostages. I also request that the Council condemn Hamas for the rape and sexual violence against the women and girls that occurred on October 7, 2023. Having attended the recent Santa Rosa Human Rights Commission meeting, I do not believe there is anything polarizing about either of these issues.
Thank you all for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert Gitlin
Sebastopol, CA
From: Joshua Pinaula
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please Pass a Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire Resolution Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 6:04:23 PM
Personally -I've always been the kind of person who want to believe that I when the hallocaust was happening, I would have not laid back and down nothing. Do you share that feeling with me?
Please Pass a Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire Resolution
Some examples text:
Whereas, the City of Santa Rosa condemns genocide.
Whereas, the City of Santa Rosa has residents who are from Israel and Palestine.
Whereas, as US citizens our country has funded and supplied weapons that are used in the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and we are tacitly implicated in the deaths in Israel and Palestine.
Hereby be it resolved that the City of Santa Rosa vote in favor of the implementation of a ceasefire in the current Israeli Palestinian conflict
Thanks,
Joshua Pinaula
From: Robyn Prusky
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Cc: Sergio Prusky
Subject: [EXTERNAL] My mic wouldn"t work. Please read. Please consider.
Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024 7:31:05 AM
Dear SR City Council,
Two weeks ago, a leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal did a podcast from a luxurious hotel. He called for a "Ceasefire." He also called for a one-state solution, for Palestine to exist from the river to the sea. That means the destruction of Israel. When we ask for a ceasefire, do we even know what we are asking for? If you do call for a ceasefire, it should be defined very clearly.
We have seen Jewish students across the country dealing with the huge uptick in antisemitism; including, hiding in a library, harassed and hiding their Jewish stars.
Your council represents
all Santa Rosa residents. PLEASE protect our local Jewish children/students by not asking for a ceasefire. It can lead to more antisemitism and more division.
Thank you,
A Mother with Jewish Children in Your Community
From: Sonia Cook
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire now
Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2024 4:00:26 PM
As a citizen I’d Sonoma county I absolutely do it want funding to go towards supporting Israel in war. This is incredibly horrible. I urge you representatives to call for a ceasefire now.
Sent from my iPhone