As a city resident, I am proud of the City Council of Newburgh for having passed the ceasefire resolution regarding Israel and Gaza in the face of strong pressure. The resolution is a small but meaningful gesture. Having attended the meeting, I can say with confidence that there was little opposition shown, the bulk of which came from people who are not residents of the city.

I don’t understand the decision to include in the article the hostile statement by Rabbi Douglas Kohn, who refused to attend the meeting to give his views, and who discouraged his community from attending while claiming without evidence that they would be subjected to humiliation if they.

I would encourage anyone who thinks they oppose the resolution to read it. Is a statement that “[c]ondemns the killing of civilians, collective punishment, and all forms of Islamophobia and antisemitism” in some way controversial? Is it wrong to call for a permanent ceasefire that would save lives on all sides?