Late last week, I received notice from the American Jewish Committee concerning a pair of resolutions before Cambridge City Council in support of BDS against Israel.
Although this is not the first time such a resolution has been brought forward in Cambridge, it did mark the first time I got directly involved in opposing such a resolution.
I spoke against the resolution at last night's Cambridge City Council meeting which I attended via Zoom. Five and a half hours would pass before I would get my turn to speak just after 11 p.m. Officially I was Speaker #309 of 352 people who signed up although only 260 people actually spoke.
All things considered, Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui did a reasonable job in allowing people everyone to speak to their allocated minute. There was an attempt by Cambridge city councilor and former mayor E. Denise Simmons to close debate at 10 p.m. as the meeting was scheduled to adjourn at that hour.
Mayor Siddiqui wanted to continue debate but Simmons insisted on having the city solicitor weigh in. The city solicitor weighed in and gave the mayor the discretion to continue which was supported by a majority of the council.
Had the debate been adjourned right then and there then my landlady would not have been permitted to speak. Alas, she spoke in favor of the resolution.
Indeed, approximately two thirds of the speakers rose in favor of the resolution. The word genocide rolled off their lips with near orgasmic ecstasy. When they weren't uttering genocide, they uttered occupation and apartheid with speakers frequently citing South Africa thus demonstrating their historical illiteracy.
None of the speakers who spoke in support of the resolution condemned Hamas for its actions on October 7th. They were also indifferent to the anti-Semitic bullying the children of those who spoke against the resolution have experienced. One speaker referred to charges of anti-Semitism as abstract.
Of course, hatred is a learned behavior. It is taught. I suspect that many of those who spoke in support of the resolution have either taught their children to hate Jews or have been Jew hatred themselves. Shamefully, many of those who spoke in favor of the resolution are Jewish.
For all the talk of genocide, those who supported the resolution don't really give a shit about genocide. At least where it concerns the Sudanese, the Rohingya or Uighur Muslims. Their rationalization is that the U.S. government and corporations support Israel. That is the real agenda. Make up claims of genocide as a justification for their hatred of this country and their hatred of Jews and Israel. In other words, they don't care for the Uighurs because they can't blame Jews for it.
In case you're curious, here are my prepared remarks from last night:
My name is Aaron Goldstein. I have been a resident of Cambridge for more than five years.
I rise to speak in opposition to Policy Orders 2026-195 and 2026-196 mandating the City of Cambridge commit to a policy of boycotting of and divestment from the State of Israel.
The order is predicated on the false premises that Israel has engaged in apartheid, occupation and genocide. And while claiming to oppose anti-Semitism, this order also ignores the terrorist violence committed by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023 and its longstanding objective to kill all Jews in Israel.Therefore, the only purpose this order serves is to willfully promote hatred against the Jewish community here in Cambridge.If implemented, it would not only be a stain on the city's reputation, but I fear could lead to October 7th inspired attacks against Jews within city limits.
As of this writing, the resolutions have been tabled by Cambridge City Council. They were tabled this morning. There is a distinct possibility the resolutions could be amended. If they wanted to vote in favor of the resolution they could have done so this morning. Or perhaps they will wait a few weeks, quietly make it a last-minute agenda item and then vote in favor of it before anyone is the wiser.
The process was an exhausting one. That exhaustion would have been tenfold had I attended in person. Sleep did not come easy last night.
Should Cambridge City Council either vote down the resolution or significantly water down the resolution so as not to single out Israel, it won't be long before such a resolution is introduced again because the Jew haters smell blood in the water. In which case, it will become necessary to speak out against it once more no matter how exhausting the process might be. Because if I am not for myself then who is for me?
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