Nelson’s Jewish community is asking city council not to choose sides in the Israeli- Hamas war.
The request came after councillor Jesse Pineiro shared his experience at a pro-Palestinian rally held in front of city hall last Sunday.
Pineiro said the afternoon was held to facilitate meaningful conversations between the Israeli and Palestinian communities and urge others to also engage in and learn more about the topic to understand its effect on community members.
“I felt that it was a good thing. Good for the people in this community affected by the events in Gaza and that area to have the ability to be heard and talk to each other,” said Pineiro.
“There were people from both sides of that situation and there were very difficult and important conversations. It felt hard to be there but also very necessary, so I urge people to be open to other points of view and to reach out to people they know who may need support because a lot of people are holding in a lot of pain right now.”
However, Pineiro’s attendance at the rally didn’t sit well with other community members.
When it came time for public participation Tuesday, three members of Nelson’s Jewish and Israeli community said a councillor’s presence at the Palestinian event was inappropriate and alarming.
Yael Finer and Topaz Zafrir, Israeli-Canadians living in Nelson, said the Israeli and Jewish communities are scared right now after experiencing increasing acts of antisemitism following the events in Gaza.
Finer said she tried to attend Sunday’s rally as she had hoped it would facilitate peaceful conversations and mutual understanding. However, she claims once she arrived, she realized it was not a pro-Palestinian rally, but rather antisemitic.
“I feel for Palestinians, and I empathize with their struggle. I wanted to listen and learn and open myself up about their pain,” she said
“The event was supposed to be about peace and education, but it wasn’t at all. This was an anti-Israeli and antisemitic rally. Speeches and signs repeating lies about the events in Gaza and supporting Hamas were shared, and I couldn’t stay to bear it.”
Finer was emotional as she recounted antisemitic and pro-Hamas comments she heard from speakers and attendees on Sunday but added her fears intensified when she saw Pineiro speak.
“To top it all off, a city councillor spoke at the rally, creating a perception of legitimacy. While there was no direct threat to us or to the Jewish community, it was implied and that terrifies me. We’re in full support of Palestine with full support of dialogue, but there is a line that must be drawn about hate speech, inciting violence and supporting terrible crime.”
Zafrir said local politicians should not take a public political stance on these types of topics.
She said when community leaders publicly support these types of events it misleads the public, creating false and biased narratives.
“We ask council members to not take a political stand. When a public representative participates in a rally, supporting one side or the other, it contributes to rhetoric’s of alienating parts of the community,” she said
“It misleads the public to believe that council supported this event, potentially endangering citizens in the future. And just to clarify, we encourage the presence of council in any open dialogue with participation of both sides.”
Council had no immediate response, but mayor Janice Morrison requested a brief recess after Zafrir and Finer spoke.
