A proposed resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza will need the support of at least four Reading City Council members before it can be placed on an upcoming voting agenda.
Council at its committee of the whole meeting Monday discussed the legislation proposed by Councilman Jaime Baez Jr.
“I think the main thing that we want is peace,” Baez said. “And the first step to peace is a cease-fire. Jewish people are hurting; Palestinian people are hurting.”
Baez said council members have a duty to speak out on state, national and world issues.
“Taking a stand on international issues, especially those involving human rights, reflects our community values, our community ethics,” he said. “And as a council member who has taken an oath to the Constitution, our primary duty is to uphold the principles and values outlined in the Constitution at all levels of governance, including national affairs, and we have to ensure that these principles align with democracy, justice and equality.”
Prior to Monday’s discussion, council heard a presentation by Nicolas Camacho, head chaplain of the Reading police department.
A retired Army Reserve chaplain, Camacho joined a group of law enforcement chaplains, who visited Israel in February to meet with government officials, police officers and families of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
The group saw firsthand the sites of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the impact on the community, he said. Camacho urged council members to gather facts before voting on the proposal.
Reading is far from the first city to consider legislation calling for a cease-fire. More than 70 municipalities nationwide have passed such resolutions.
Council President Donna Reed said she believes council should concentrate on local issues and not those at the state, national or international levels.
“My overall feeling is strongly that the work of the city council should be devoted to the city of Reading,” she said.
Councilman Rafael Nunez said he does not believe it would be wrong for council to call for a cease-fire. However, he has reservations about the possible repercussions within the community.
“We are here in the city of Reading to unify the community,” he said. “We are not looking to divide our community.”
Baez said he introduced the legislation at the urging of a constituent and has spoken with representatives of the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks.
“We all want peace here and abroad,” he said.
Prior to the meeting, city resident Ruby Mora and others rallied outside City Hall to call for a cease-fire.
Members of the group held signs and chanted calls for “Cease-fire now.”
Mora and fellow city resident Sarah Chudnovsky urged council at its meeting last week to adopt a resolution supporting a cease-fire.
Mora said holding the state of Israel accountable is not antisemitic.
“Anti-Zionism does not equate to antisemitism,” she said. “It is asking for peace, for an end to this terror.”
Palestinians have been going through unfathomable horrors for 156 days, Mora said.
“We have been seeing this genocide in real time,” she said. “This is an active Zionist colonization of Palestine, not a conflict. A horrific ethnic cleansing of a people is happening.”
Several other residents, including former Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, spoke against such action.
Goodman-Hinnershitz advised council not to get caught up in the rhetoric.
“Sadly, today’s world is fragile and beset by violence — both in our backyards across the United States and abroad,” she said. “Together, as citizens and as elected officials, we have a responsibility to respond to this violence in a measured and thoughtful manner.”
“We should not be pushing for immediate taking stands on international issues,” she added, “but take the time to truly understand the scope of the problem.”
Margo Levin, program coordinator at the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, also expressed concerns about a possible resolution regarding what she called a complicated issue.
“The Jewish Federation is concerned for a myriad of reasons,” she said, “including that the city council could invertedly contribute to an increase in antisemitism.”
Michael Fromm, a former chairman of the Jewish Federation, said council does not have the fact-finding capabilities or the standing to consider a resolution demanding action on a part of another country that is defending itself from terrorist attacks.
“This is an extremely complex issue warranting deep study in foreign affairs,” he said, noting such qualifications are arguably well beyond the mission and scope of the city charter.
Baez disagreed. He acknowledged that the previous council might not have passed resolutions on world affairs but argued that shouldn’t limit what current city leaders can do.
“This is a new council body,” Baez noted. “I do believe that we do have a moral responsibility to call for peace. It is not beyond our scope of practice or our scope as council to use our voices, especially when we have a moral obligation to do so.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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