The group Syracuse Jews for Peace is calling on representatives to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence in Palestine and Israel.
As violence continues in Palestine and Israel a group of 23 Syracuse-area Jews delivered a letter Thursday to the Syracuse offices of U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, calling for an end to the violence in Gaza. Jess Posner, a participant with Syracuse Jews for Peace who signed the letter, said their request is simple.
“Our call is a very clear one,” Posner said. “It is to cease fire, which means to end the firing. I think that this is something that is urgently needed because of the incredible amount of deaths, of murders of civilians in Palestine and in Israel and the ongoing humanitarian crisis that is unfolding.”
Syracuse Jews for Peace and advocates gathered outside the federal building in downtown Syracuse to share the letter out loud before delivering it. Posner said it is important for local communities to let their voices be heard.
“Our tax dollars are literally going to buy these bombs, they are literally going to a blank check to enable genocide,” Posner said. “So as people who pay taxes and vote, it is our responsibility to voice our concerns when we are unhappy with what our government is doing with it because it is our government and it is our voice that can course correct for some of the horrible things that are happening now.”
Mara Sapon-Shevin, a member of the group Syracuse Jews for Peace, said it is important for Jewish voices to be heard.
“As Jews, we think our voice is important in this moment,” Sapon-Shevin said. “We were of course, like everyone, devastated by the attacks of Hamas on Israel. But we were also devastated by the retaliation against the people of Gaza and the collective punishment that is going on there.”
