Some of Chicago’s Jewish leaders took out a full page ad in Sunday’s newspaper strongly denouncing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of the city council’s Gaza cease-fire resolution, and his tiebreaking vote to get the symbolic measure passed.
“He angered the real mainstream part of the Jewish community,” said Daniel Goldwin of the Jewish United Fund.
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In its letter, the Jewish United Fund, or JUF, said it is not only “appalled” that Johnson helped pass what Jewish groups called a one-sided resolution, but they took aim at the way the mayor handled the meeting, which they said fanned the flames of antisemitism.
“We had antisemitic threats, we had people denying what happened on October 7th, a member of community got up to speak she was heckled, Ald. Silverstein was heckled, and no one came to their defense,” Goldwin said.
RELATED: City council passes resolution calling for Gaza cease-fire
Ald. Deborah Silverstein, the council’s only Jewish member, and the JUF unsuccessfully tried to add language to the resolution that would satisfy supporters of Israel and Palestine. Since the cease-fire resolution passed and made national headlines, Silverstein said she has received wide support.