Amid an outpouring of residents weighing in on the Israel-Hamas war, the Gilroy City Council has decided against adopting a cease-fire resolution, becoming the latest city in the Bay Area to take a stand on an issue that has heavily divided communities.
Many of those who jammed the Gilroy council chambers on Monday night waved handmade signs that read “ceasefire now” or “stop the genocide” while others carried images of kidnapped children with “#bringthemhome.” Those who did not fit inside the council chambers watched the meeting livestream in the antechamber.
At the tension-filled meeting, many community members expressed their concerns that a cease-fire resolution would be divisive and argued that it was outside the purview of the city council.
“My heart breaks for the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians,” said Faith Joy Dantowitz, a Rabbi at Morgan Hill’s Congregation Emeth. “When I learned about Gilroy City Council engaging in global affairs, instead of feeling a sense of support, I and members of the Jewish community felt dread and attacked. The role of the Gilroy city council is not to address the problems of the Middle East, but to attend to the local needs of the community… a cease-fire resolution will cause division among individuals in our community.”
Others emphasized the emotional and personal impact of the atrocities committed by Hamas and the fear of rising antisemitism.
“The shocking, senseless slaughter (on Oct 7) … has left scars that I struggle to overcome. The trauma keeps me awake at night worried for the safety of my family,” said Natalia Michael, her voice cracking. “I find myself increasingly concerned about the rise in antisemitism and its potential threat to my children’s safety.”
Some of those in favor of a cease-fire argued that the conflict directly affected the community, since many had lost loved ones in the conflict since Oct. 7. “It’s not about taking political sides. It’s not about antisemitism. Being critical of government policies is not condemnation of an entire people,” said Sal Actor. “Many members of our community have been directly affected by this conflict. But we cannot kill our way to a resolution. The killings must stop.”
Others highlighted the immense death toll in Gaza, the lack of humanitarian aid, and the risk of starvation. “I heard one Rabbi say that Jewish tradition values each human life as being an entire world. The Israeli government has already killed galaxies,” said resident Wendy Greenfield. “We need to protect all Israeli and Palestinian hostages and all human life.”
In response to the comments, Councilmember Carol Marques said that the conflict was beyond the city council. “While my heart goes out to everything that is happening in the Middle East, at the end of the day, nothing changes. It has to be dealt with at a higher level,” she said. “We can’t let something 7,000 miles away tear us apart.”
“A resolution is a reminder, but it’s not changing anything because it can’t,” said Councilmember Tom Cline. “We can’t look to the government for the comfort we seek. We need to look to God.”
Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz disagreed. “I want to acknowledge the pain of all those who have lost loved ones as a result of the ongoing violence,” she said. “(The resolution) represents our refusal to remain complicit with the government that is spending our tax dollars on genocide.”
Before calling for a vote, Mayor Marie Blankley said, “It’s been very difficult and it’s made my heart race. I’m uncomfortable, so I can only imagine how everybody else is, this has created such discomfort… I absolutely empathize with all of the pain that is going on, the issue is the pain is on all sides.”
A motion by councilmember Dion Bracco to “reject any and all resolutions on this matter” passed 5-2, with councilmembers Zach Hilton and Armendariz dissenting.
After the vote, one audience member cried out “Long live Israel. Long live Jews.” Another said “it’s a stain on our community,” as the room burst into a dull roar and police officers directed community members to leave the room so that council business could continue.
