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Regular readers of my newsletter know I tend to stick to state and local issues and the work of our office, with very few exceptions. Since the horrific Hamas attacks in October, I’ve not shared very much. To view my past statement regarding this conflict click here. I also tend to not return to an issue unless there’s something new to share or a development directly impacting our community.
As the public debate has intensified around Israel’s response to the attacks in Gaza, we’ve seen ever-increasing tensions in our communities and on our college campuses which are making all of us less safe. Antisemitic and anti-Islamic attacks are becoming a daily occurrence. Just last week in Andersonville we saw a series of events that illustrated just how quickly these circumstances can escalate. Antisemitic flyers in the Lakewood-Balmoral neighborhood were followed by both anti-Palestinian and antisemitic graffiti that I am grateful did not continue to escalate.
This week I co-signed a letter with hundreds of state and local elected officials around the country calling for a negotiated ceasefire. You can view the letter here. Given the challenges of large sign-on messages that reflect a broad array of lived experiences, this morning my colleague Rep. Will Guzzardi and I published an op-ed in the Sun-Times reflecting our perspectives as progressive leaders and Jewish elected officials navigating this challenging time. To view the letter please click here.
We’ll return to our regular newsletter schedule tomorrow with a preview of our spring session that begins on Tuesday.
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