Open letter to Chicago’s mayor on cease-fire

Dear Mayor Johnson,

Middle East education is sorely lacking from your professional portfolio as demonstrated by your shameful endorsement of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire resolution. In fact, it reveals profound and extremely concerning ignorance. As a reminder to you and other City Council members who voted in favor of the resolution, Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization and a proxy of Iran.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas committed – and continues to commit today – heinous war crimes including rape, beheadings, using civilians as human shields and holding civilian hostages. They transform schools into arsenals, hospitals into armories, and heavily populated Palestinian civilian residential and business neighborhoods into munition sites.

A ceasefire at this time would be the worst possible thing to do. Hamas would stay in power and continue to inflict pain and incitement upon Palestinians and Israelis alike. They would continue to hold over 100 Israeli hostages including some with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, continue to steal much needed humanitarian aid from Palestinian civilians and, just like Iran, burn and trample upon Israeli and American flags while chanting “Death to Israel. Death to America.”

Hamas has clear goals: the destruction of the State of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people. Their ideology glorifies death, and their children are indoctrinated through lessons of senseless hatred.

This, Mayor Johnson, is what you endorsed with your deciding vote in favor of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire resolution. I am disgusted. Shame on you.

Rabbi Morris Zimbalist

Congregation Beth Judea

Long Grove