Keep up the pressure: Tell the MoCo Council the Reject the harmful and anti-Palestinian IHRA definition

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Write to
Councilmember Tom Hucker
Councilmember Nancy Navarro
Incoming Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe
Councilmember Andrew Friedson
Councilmember Will Jawando
Councilmember Craig Rice
Councilmember Hans Riemer
Incoming Councilmember Kate Stewart
Incoming Councilmember Kristin Mink
Incoming Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles
County Executive Marc Elrich
Councilmember Sidney Katz
Incoming Councilmember Natali Fani-GonzÃ¡lez
Incoming Councilmember Dawn Luedtke
Council President Gabe Albornoz
Councilmember Evan Glass

Your Letter

Dear Montgomery County Executive Elrich, Council President Albornoz, and Councilmembers Friedson, Glass, Hucker, Jawando, Katz, Navarro, Rice and Riemer, and incoming Councilmembers Balcombe, Fani-González, Luedtke, Mink, Sayles, and Stewart,

I understand that you have been receiving messages indicating that the resolution on the IHRA redefinition is harmless without implications. However, the resolution has dangerous underpinnings. The reason both sides in this debate are pushing so hard on this resolution is because it will have implications.
 
Palestinians have been excluded from the closed door negotiations currently taking place regarding this resolution. The Council needs to hold a public hearing to provide an opportunity for community members to share their concerns in an open, democratic and transparent manner.
 
Definitions do not keep us safe. Any mention of the IHRA definition in a Council resolution is unacceptable, and threatens our collective safety. 
 
It would be unprecedented for the Council to adopt such a contentious and divisive resolution. It is imperative that if the Council proceed with such contentious legislation, that a public hearing be scheduled well in advance of the vote. 
 
Here are just two disconcerting implications about why the IHRA definition is harmful.

One of the goals of the resolution is to use the harmful IHRA definition for Police Department Tracking of hate bias incidents. This will create a reporting mechanism that can potentially target students, teachers, county employees, and community members for their political speech. We have learned that one of the main purposes of the IHRA definition in Montgomery County is to  “…. assist the county in tracking...antisemitism.”

These cases are investigated and documented by the Montgomery County Police Department and forwarded to the Maryland’s State database. The 2019 Executive Order from President Trump, which similarly adopts the IHRA definition, enables the Department of Education to withhold funds to colleges based on this harmful and wrong definition of antisemitism. So the County Resolution will provide data to implement the Executive Order, which is binding.

MCPS Leadership has Already Used the Anti-Israel = Anti-Semitism Definition. In June 2021, during the height of the Israeli assault on Gaza and the forced displacement and dispossession of families in Sheikh Jarrah, the MCPS Superintendent and Board President sent out an e-bulletin which read: “The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in a significant uptick of threats of violence, expressions of bigotry and antisemitism in Montgomery County and across the nation.”

Internal documents collected through a FOIA request show that the original statement was more inclusive, then changed to be more one-sided due to pressure from a pro-Israel organization, even after one staff person tried to push back unsuccessfully to keep the statement more sensitive to Palestinian and Muslim families. The documents also show that the underlying request very clearly ties criticism of Israel as being defined as anti-Semitic.
 
This definition is divisive and creates an atmosphere of fear and employs a politics of distraction. Just the past several days, Israeli violence against Palestinians has been escalating  as over 100,000 Palestinians in Shuafat Refugee Camp were placed under siege by the Israeli occupation forces for 5 days, and 50+ Palestinian prisoners continue their hunger strike demanding freedom with 900+ prisoners refusing meals at Ofer Prison on October 13th in solidarity.
 
I continue to ask that you do not support any mention of the harmful IHRA definition in a Council resolution. Definitions that conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism are a form of anti-Palestinian racism. We need to stand united in our opposition to all forms of bigotry, including antisemitism, by following Council precedents from 2016 and 2021 which address multiple forms of bigotry and do not single-out any one group. If such a resolution will be considered, a public hearing must be scheduled well in advance of the vote.

Keep up the pressure: Tell the MoCo Council the Reject the harmful and anti-Palestinian IHRA definition

Write to

Councilmember Tom Hucker

Councilmember Nancy Navarro

Incoming Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe

Councilmember Andrew Friedson

Councilmember Will Jawando

Councilmember Craig Rice

Councilmember Hans Riemer

Incoming Councilmember Kate Stewart

Incoming Councilmember Kristin Mink

Incoming Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles

County Executive Marc Elrich

Councilmember Sidney Katz

Incoming Councilmember Natali Fani-GonzÃ¡lez

Incoming Councilmember Dawn Luedtke

Council President Gabe Albornoz

Councilmember Evan Glass

Your Letter