Commemorating 180 days in captivity

[Karen Schwartz]

Hi, 

We are inviting members of the Northern Colorado Task Force Against Antisemitism and Discrimintation to attend a vigil in Old Town Square next Wednesday, April 3rd at 5pm to mark the 180th day that more than 150 people of varying nationalities, religions and ages, including two babies, 19 women and 4 octogenarians, have been held hostage by Hamas and other jihadist terror groups in Gaza. 

The number '180' is significant in Judaism because in numerology, '18' represents 'chai' or 'life.'  It is time to #BringThemHomeNow. 

We hope we can count on your support 

Sincerely, 

Rabbi Gorelick

Renee Cohn-Jones

Karen Schwartz 

[Karen Schwartz]

Commissioner, 

Thank you so much for taking the time to RSVP. I so appreciate your support to bring the hostages home. I have a daughter who lives in Israel, and she is the same age as so many of the kids who were at Nova. She had one friend murdered on Oct. 7 at the festival, his finance was shot and recently testified before the UN, and another who was taken hostage was recently declared dead. She also has many friends who are serving in the IDF, so we are all painfully aware of the high price or war. 

That being said, I do want to followup on your comment about a ceasefire. I am in agreement that a temporary pause to return hostages would be ideal. However, I also know that there are a lot of calls for a 'permanent' ceasefire. With regards to that, I want to note that a ceasefire was in effect on Oct. 6. And another was in effect at the end of November. And ceasefires were in effect when Hamas launched tens of thousands of missiles into Israel over the years, and so on. 

I want the antisemetic jihadist group that is a recognized by the United States as terrorist organization, that has vowed to repeat the Oct. 7 massacre over and over, that is devoted to the destruction of all of Israel, that steals food and $11 billion from its own Palestinian civilians, that uses its women, children, schools and hospitals as shields, not to be in control of the lives of the Palestines and to not be living next to Israel. 

I spent the month of February volunteering in Israel. I started doing agriculture work, then heard of a program in the evacuated area near Gaza that was rebuilding the schools and other buildings that were damaged in the attacks, so I extended my trip. It was incredibly meaningfully. And I learned so much, because the security guards and first responders who have remained in the communities talked with us. The community I lived in lost more than 60 people on Oct. 7. One where I worked, Netiv HaAsara, lost 20 people. It’s actually the closest community to Gaza, having relocated there from its original location in the Sinai as part of the Camp David Accords that saw the Sinai to to Egypt. But the history of attacks from Hamas in Netiv HaAsara goes back as long as Hamas has been in power. A 22-year-old woman was killed there in 2005 by a rocket. In 2007, a nine-year-old school girl was killed. That same year, two terrorists infiltrated but were killed before they attacked anyone.  In 2010, a Thai worker was killed. This is just one village. I can give you others. Hamas has to go if there is ever going to be a change. The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel didn't want this war. It didn't start this war. But it has the right to finish it in accordance with international law. 

I'm attaching here two articles written by John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare at the Modern War Institute at West Point.  He writes: "Hamas’s strategy is also not to hold terrain or defeat an attacking force. Its strategy is about time. It is about creating time for international pressure on Israel to stop its military operation ... ."

So I urge you when you speak about a ceasefire, to qualify that you are talking about a temporary one for return of the hostages, and that you support Israel removing Hamas from power. 

Sincerely

Karen Schwartz

On Sat, Mar 30, 2024 at 12:48 PM John Kefalas <kefa...@co.larimer.co.us> wrote:

Thank you for this invitation Karen, and yes it is time to bring the hostages home and establish a ceasefire now. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend this important gathering on Wednesday because of scheduling conflicts that I cannot change. Best wishes for a successful event, and I continue to engage and pray for the hostages to come home safely and for the war and humanitarian crisis to end with a peaceful, just and secure path forward. 

	John Kefalas County Commissioner, District 1
	Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St | 2nd Floor PO Box 1190, Fort Collins, CO 80522-1190 W: (970) 498-7001 Cell:  (720) 254-7598 jkef...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org

--

Karen Schwartz

ph: 503-515-2026

[Karen Schwartz]

Hi Commissioner, 

I would love to meet in person. It is indeed a complicated and tragic issue, and sadly, I think it’s worse now that it was in 2001. I heard an interview a few months ago with Ambassador Ross, who participated in the 2000 Camp David Accord with President Clinton. He said Arafat’s own advisors at the summit told him to take the deal and he wouldn’t. Imagine if we’d had nearly a quarter century of peace instead of war. It’s just heartbreaking to think of the lost possibilities. 

Renee is off for spring break this week and the rabbi has a trip coming up, I believe, but I’ll see them both on Tuesday morning when we meet with PSD officials and will let them know of your interest. 

Happy Easter

Karen 

On Mar 30, 2024, at 9:15 PM, John Kefalas <kefa...@co.larimer.co.us> wrote:

Dear Karen,

Thank you for your thoughtful and informed response, and I am most grateful for your good works on so many fronts. When I was in Israel/Palestine in 2001, as a member of a Compassionate Listening delegation, I listened to Isarelis who lost friends and family members from suicide bombings on buses and I listened to Palestinians whohad heir neighborhoods bulldozed. This is a very complicated and tragic issue that in my opinion does not lend itself to proper discourse via email. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you, Rabbi Gorelik and other members of the Task Force Against Anti-Semitism and Discrimination to have a conversation in person. Be well.