This commentary is by Rabbi Amy Small, Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, Burlington; Rabbi Jan Salzman, Ruach haMaqom, Burlington; Rabbi David Edleson, Temple Sinai, South Burlington; and Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin, Chabad of Burlington.
As rabbis, we represent the four synagogues in the Burlington area that serve more than 1,000 Greater Burlington residents.
While we plan to share our thoughts in person at the upcoming council meeting, we also feel compelled to immediately show our solidarity as religious leaders in strongly opposing the upcoming resolution that is misleading, supports the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement, desires to delegitimize Israel and will result in further divisiveness in our small community and state.
We invite you to reach out to any one of us to discuss this further.
While the resolution title, “Calling for Justice and a Peaceful End to the Palestine and Israel Conflict,” appears to be productive and one which we support, the content of the resolution indicates a one-sided effort to position Israel as the sole impediment to peace and security in the region. This we cannot support.
The resolution’s answer to the false accusations being made is for the city of Burlington to support the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement. An organization with one guiding purpose — the elimination of the state of Israel.
Sen. Sanders, Sen. Leahy, Congressman Welch, President Biden, former President Obama, governors from all 50 states, and every mainstream Jewish organization have rejected BDS. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “BDS promotes a biased and simplistic approach to a complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict and presents this dispute over territorial and nationalist claims as the fault of only one party — Israel. The BDS campaign does not support Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and rejects a two-state solution to the conflict.”
Why would Burlington support such a movement? Why would Burlington choose to be the only city in the country that demonizes Israel? We recommend focusing on the many ways to positively influence the region by supporting organizations comprised of Palestinians and Jews working together, neighborhood by neighborhood, community by community, to create the solutions that we all want.
While we are deeply concerned about the misleading context of this resolution, our primary concern is the negative impact it will have on our city and our region. This resolution serves as a flash point that divides us further, rather than advancing an agenda of peace. As well, such a divisive resolution creates an unsafe environment for Jewish students in our public schools, Jewish students at UVM and other area colleges, and heightens fear for many in our community.
We are now at the beginning of the most important Holy Days in the Jewish calendar — a period filled with reflections, forgiveness, learning and new beginnings. We encourage the city council to join us during this time of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur to thoughtfully reflect on whether this is the best action in support of the citizens of Burlington and our statewide community.
We encourage you to oppose this resolution which divides us, and consider creating a more productive path forward.
