Chicago business leaders criticize council's Gaza cease-fire action as antisemitic incidents rise.

In the midst of a surge of antisemitic incidents, Chicago business leaders have released a strong statement to Mayor Brandon Johnson regarding a Chicago City Council resolution that calls for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza without completely dismantling Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

On Jan. 31, the resolution passed 24-23, with Johnson casting the tie-breaking vote in favor of it.

Neil Book, the Chairman and CEO of Jet Support Services, told Fox Digital News that the Chicago business community was outraged and stunned by the resolution. In response to their frustration and desire to hold leaders accountable, Book wrote a full-page letter to the mayor, published in the Chicago Tribune on Mar. 24 and signed by 31 business leaders. The letter urged the mayor to prioritize the needs of Chicago over a conflict 6,000 miles away.

The mayor used his own political capital and resources on something he knows little about, rather than addressing urgent issues in Chicago. The mayor explained that it's a hard sell to convince business executives to come to Chicago because outsiders see the violence, homicide rate, looting, destruction, and lack of accountability in the court systems.

The city is facing the challenge of increasing hatred, as reported by a book author who has observed "Jews being labeled as baby killers and accused of genocide in Chicago's streets." At anti-Israel protests, people waving Israeli flags have been physically threatened and harassed, the author added.

Book stated that the council's resolution was "at worst misguided." He reminded the mayor that after Hamas "committed heinous acts of violence against Israel, including the butchering, raping, mutilating, and torturing of over 1,200 innocents," it began to "use innocent Palestinians in Gaza as human shields in tunnels, bunkers, and hideouts built with humanitarian dollars amidst civilian infrastructure."

In December, Book traveled to southern Israel and observed firsthand the devastation caused by Hamas' cruelty in the town of Kibbutz Be'eri. He saw blood on the ground and smelled decomposition in the air. He also met with survivors of Oct. 7, including Margalit Mozes, a 78-year-old cancer survivor who was held hostage for 50 days in the tunnels of Gaza after being kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on that day.

The leaders agreed that a cease-fire would ensure Hamas's survival, which would hinder the "vision of peace and stability in the Middle East." Book pointed out that Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad publicly declared that the Oct. 7 attack was "just the beginning," and that the group would "teach Israel a lesson and continue to do so repeatedly."

In the Feb. 4 edition of the Chicago Tribune, Mayor Johnson received an open letter from almost two dozen Chicago Jewish leaders, who condemned him for "further dividing the city," "failing to demand Hamas' disarmament," and "fanning the flames of antisemitism" in Chicago.

The Jewish United Fund expressed its dismay over the mayor's support for the walkouts at 12 Chicago Public Schools high schools on January 30. The letter stated that students were subjected to harassment during the walkouts and had to hide in bathrooms as their peers chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which is commonly interpreted as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state.

Since October 7th, Chicago's Jewish community has experienced vandalism, online hate, and physical and verbal attacks. Jane Charney, assistant vice president for government affairs of the Jewish United Fund, stated that the organization does not believe the mayor has taken sufficient action to address antisemitism.

Despite not responding to multiple requests for comment from Mayor Johnson regarding the City Council resolution and anti-Jewish hate in Chicago, Planet Chronicle Digital has learned that the mayor has invited Jewish community leaders, including the Jewish United Fund, to discuss addressing antisemitism in the city.

The Anti-Defamation League did not provide a specific number of antisemitic incidents in Chicago in 2023, but they did mention that they surpassed the total of 75 incidents reported in 2021 and 2022 combined.

Since sponsoring a resolution condemning Hamas' terror attack on Oct. 13, 2023, Debra Silverstein, the sole Jewish Alderman on the Chicago City Council, has faced antisemitic hate. Silverstein told Planet Chronicle Digital that she was assigned a security detail of plainclothes policemen at city council meetings and a police car was stationed for days in front of her house.

The protesters' "noise and yelling" were so loud during the Jan. 31 hearing over the cease-fire resolution that Silverstein had to wait for Mayor Johnson to control the crowd. Eventually, the mayor cleared the gallery because it was too chaotic.

Since Oct. 7, some protesters have falsely accused Silverstein of genocide, an allegation that has been made against many Jews and Israel supporters. Charney argues that such statements are antisemitic because they assign personal responsibility for an alleged genocide to American Jews. She also notes that the term "genocide" is often misused. On Jan. 26, the International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling that it did not find Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, as executive vice president of Orthodox Union, represents more than 1,000 synagogues across the country. Hauer stated that the Chicago City Council's cease-fire resolution does not acknowledge Israel's "moral obligation" to prevent Hamas from achieving its goal of attacking Israel. Hauer explained that Israel aims to minimize civilian casualties and provide humanitarian aid while decisively defeating its enemy, but Hamas only wants to destroy and puts its citizens intentionally in harm's way.

Hauer stated that Chicago's "flawed" cease-fire resolution reflects an "animosity" towards Israel and the Jewish people, which has intensified in recent months. He added that the anti-Israel narrative is being amplified in "threatening and menacing rallies" nationwide, making life "uncertain and uncomfortable" for the Jewish community.