Beacon Parent Asks For Palestinian Flag To Be Added To Flag Mural In Rombout Middle School Cafeteria

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After a learning-session about the 7th grade Boston trip one night at Rombout Middle School, where Principal Soltish was standing in front of the flag mural on the front wall of the cafeteria, presenting need-to-know facts about the 7th grade Boston trip to prepare parents, this parent/writer was noticing the mural artwork and flags from around the globe, but noticed that there may not have been a Palestinian flag. Or a Yemeni flag, and maybe not a Lebanese flag. Or a Syrian flag

After the meeting, this parent/writer emailed Principal Soltish to inquire if the flags were there, and if they were not there, could they be considered to be added there, since there are Palestinian Americans living in the Beacon community, as well as Yemeni Americans, Lebanese Americans, and Syrian Americans.

However, Principal Soltish did not seem to respond, unless the email went missed somewhere. During this week’s BCSD Long-Range Planning Community Survey, in the question box asking if there was anything else the district could do, this parent/writer asked for them to consider adding the Palestinian, Yemeni, Lebanese, and Syrian flags to the mural wall in Rombout Middle School. If there is such a flag mural in the High School or Elementary Schools, could such an inclusive gesture be considered as well.

On the flag mural wall in the middle school is a quote from Steven Covey that reads:

“Strength Lies In Differences, Not In Similarities.” This quote has been attached to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work, the framework you can read briefly about here, which adds more considerations.

Perhaps students in the Beacon City School District would start a petition to request this addition be made by the administration.

Remembering That Time The Old Dutchess Mall Was Marked "Free Palestine"

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On December 17, 2023, just 3 months into the genocide carried out by Israel on Palestine which is financially and legislatively supported by the United States, but not condemned by most local politicians who watch the tax dollars get spent on mass murder for maintaining imperialism, under the guise of “safety” and a “war on terror,” the Old Dutchess Mall was tagged with the message “Free Palestine” almost a year ago.

The Old Dutchess Mall is next to Home Depot in Fishkill on US-9. Once a retail destination, is remains a dilapidated, neglected building surrounded by trash and flooding from its parking lot. However, the “Free Palestine” message was cleaned within days of its marking. It is a wonder why the property owners are allowed to keep it in this unmaintained condition.

In terms of development, The Old Dutchess Mall has a long history of “almosts,” which you can read about here. Among other things, it almost became a women’s prison as part of a “Dead Malls” competition, according to Wikipedia. While it is deserted, someone or someones appeared quickly to make the “Free Palestine” disappear.

"Free Palestine" Spray Painted Onto American Flag Mural In Wappingers Falls

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On what appeared to be Tuesday evening, October 8, 2024, the American Flag mural in Wappingers Falls on the khaki building on East Main Street and Market Street had the message “Free Palestine” spray painted onto it in black, with splatters of red paint dripping down, a technique used in the past to symbolize blood of those slaughtered in Palestine during the Israeli assault on Gaza, the West Bank, other parts of Palestine, and now Lebanon, that has been intensified during the past year. Many international institutions call it a genocide, and popular opinion has been referring to it as a holocaust, with recent burning of people alive and rounding up of people to be executed or tortured.

Wappingers Department of Public Works covering a “Free Palestine” message spray painted onto a building.
Photo Credit: Possibly North Nelson in a Wappingers Falls Facebook group.

According to reporting at ESPN Radio 104.5FM, the “Free Palestine” message on the building was covered up and the flag repainted by noon on Wednesday by the Wappingers Department of Public Works and a local businessman Anthony Hardisty, who is a real estate agent with Sam’s Realty in Beacon, and a developer in Wappingers.

Reporting at ESPN Radio 104.5PM personified the building in the description of the application of the message, assigning emotions and actions to it: “The iconic American flag mural that greets visitors to the Village of Wappingers Falls has been vandalized with a political message.”

And “The flag has been a source of inspiration and pride for the village, standing tall during some of its darkest times, such as building collapses, fires and the devastating explosion on Market Street that occurred a year ago,” even though these events had nothing to do with the message written onto the building.

According to the article: “Wappingers Town Supervisor Joseph Cavaccini criticized the act, saying ‘Disrespecting the American Flag and acts of vandalism have no place in our community.’"

Not The First Time “Free Palestine” Tagged On A Building

In Fishkill near Home Depot, in December 2017, the Old Dutchess Mall was tagged with an enormous mural saying “Free Palestine.” While that part of the mall is trash, is surrounded by trash and is falling apart, someone or someones appeared within days to clean the message to make it disappear. They cleaned nothing else. The same trash lay in the puddles that had been there the day before the cleanup.

In Beacon in March 2024, a temporary “Free Palestine” was chalked onto a building in removable chalk. It was the back of the Sun River Health building. The first time it happened, someone threw white permanent paint over it. The person who threw the paint was never pursued, punished or discussed as a perpetrator. Only the artist who used temporary chalk was targeted with police action.

The ESPN Radio 104.5FM article pointed out that this is not the first time an American Flag was targeted with the “Free Palestine” message. An American Flag sculpture in New Paltz, as well as other objects, were painted with “Free Palestine,” as reported by the currently country radio station, The Wolf 97.7FM.

Fragility In The “Free Palestine” Message

Addressing the marking of a building without mentioning the message indicates the fragility of those who oppose its implication, which is a breakage of American imperialism, and thus, some may feel, a kink in their feelings of “safety” if they cannot be allowed to bomb Black and Brown and Arab and Muslim and Palestinian people with impunity.

“Free Palestine” means freedom to not be bombed and occupied, and it has also come to have more meanings for Americans, now that most of the country has become aware that billions of American tax dollars are and have been consistently sent to Israel to pay for the weaponry committing the mass murder in this genocide, as well as lifestyle amenities like free healthcare. Therefore, the “Free Palestine” message has patriotic meaning in America for Americans:

  • Free Healthcare for all Americans.

  • Free healthcare and mental health care and housing and groceries for all American Veterans.

  • Free School Lunches for all students in America.

  • Free politicians from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) bullies and money so that American politicians will listen to their constituents demanding an arms embargo.

  • Free College tuition for all students in America.

  • Free Senior Living communities for all Americans.

  • Free care for people taken by Alzheimers so that they can be safer.

  • Free _____(fill in the blank) for all Americans. For all of this money spent to murder Black and Brown children, men and women, you might as well stick out your hand and demand free amenities for living here.

Jews In The Hudson Valley Dedicate Tashlich Ritual To Call For Arms Embargo On Israel

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On Sunday, October 6th, 2024, Jewish Voice for Peace Hudson Valley organized a Tashlich ritual "to acknowledge the horrors of the past year, and to take action together to end the genocide" at Kingston Point Park on Delaware Avenue. They explain: "Tashlich is a ritual 'casting off' to help us repent, reject and begin to repair harm done in our names." All were welcome to participate in this ritual.

Little sale boat that reads “FREE PALESTINE” on the sail.
Photo Credit: JVPHV

Tashlich is a customary Jewish atonement ritual performed at the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. The ritual is performed, if possible, at a large body of flowing water. During the Tashlich prayer, participants throw their sins into the water.

Some in the group paddled out canoes with a large sign that read "ARMS EMBARGO," while others floated little sail boats with "FREE PALESTINE" typed onto the sails.

Photo Credit: JVPHV

Said Jewish Voice For Peace Hudson Valley of the event: "Community came together today to 'cast off' and mourn the past year of horrors that Israel and U.S. are carrying out against the people of Palestine. We recommit ourselves to escalating our efforts and mobilizing to end the genocide. We say 'not in our name' and call for an ARMS EMBARGO NOW!"

Follow JVP HV on Instagram.

Photo Credit: JVPHV

Photo Credit: JVPHV

Beacon Bread Co. and Ziatün Invite You To Share Beauty, Power, Resilience of Palestinian People One Year Since Genocide Began

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Artwork by Adam Osterfeld

You are invited on a journey to share the beauty, power, and resilience of Palestinian people and culture as these Palestinian-owned businesses commemorate a year since the genocide began.

Kamel Jamal of Ziatün and Beacon Bread Company, his wife Lena, and members of his family will prepare a traditional Palestinian supper. Music will be played by John Vergara of Lord of the Strings.

Capacity is limited to 40 seats at each seating, so be sure to book your tickets on Eventbrite asap, and bring a friend!

Click to Reserve for 5pm

Click to Reserve for 7:30pm

Editorial Note: Ziatün and Beacon Bread Company are sponsors of A Little Beacon Blog’s Restaurant Guide. ALBB posts this with support, pleasure and in partnership.

Beacon/Newburgh Photojournalist Captures NYPD Cell Phone Text And Pro-Palestine/Lebanon Protesters At UN

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Texts on a “White shirt” phone text with NYPD Chief McCarthy, as reported by Independent Photojournalist Alexa B. Wilkinson at a Pro-Palestine protest the day before Netanyahu's arrival to the UN in NYC.

Alexa B. Wilkinson (they/them) is an independent Photojournalist and digital media strategist living in Newburgh after moving out of Beacon. They have been capturing the Pro-Palestinian movement for months, and attended the protests this week at the UN in New York City in anticipation for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu’s arrival and speech at the UN.

Alexa captured the screen of a phone with a text that confirmed Netenyahu had landed in NY on September 26, 2024, and said: “Taken this morning at 8:37am during a @jvpny (Jewish Voices For Peace NY) @nycpym (NYC Chapter Of The Palestinian Youth Movement) @nycpsl (The New York City branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation) shut down of 48th & 1st Ave outside the UN. White shirt phone text with Chief McCarthy (peppa pig) confirm Netanyahu will be landing this morning. Proof of their ongoing daily communication and links to the IOF. Screen protectors apparently not in the budget. Stay safe today, Free Palestine.”

Alexa confirmed that they do have several zoomed out shots of the person holding the phone, for verification of the individual. While Netenyahu delivered his speech to the UN, suburbs were bombed by Israel in Lebanon. Al Jazeera reported: “Israel’s military launches an ‘unprecedented’ attack on southern Beirut with dead and wounded at the scene and a block of buildings brought down as the assault on Lebanon intensifies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decries ‘lies and slander’ at the UN General Assembly, threatens Iran, and vows to continue ‘degrading’ Hezbollah in Lebanon as delegates storm out in protest.”

What follows below is Alexa’s reporting of what they experienced at this Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Lebanon protest in NYC:

First Photo Series By Alexa B. Wilkinson

By Alexa B. Wilkinson
First published on their Instagram.

“By the time I’m posting this I’m sure we will have all seen multiple angles of police violence through many different lenses. Last nights protest was somehow more of the same and also smaller pockets of escalation. The number of cops during Palestinian led rallies and marches has increased tenfold since Oct 2023 resulting in thousands of frivolous arrests, hospitalizations, injuries, witch hunts, & lives ruined. Millions paid out in overtime to turn NYC into a militarized zone from the rooftops down into the subway.

“While this city and state’s top officials host an indicted war criminal to speak at the UN (protected with frozen zones and federal level security), the SRG is given orders from the top down to suppress and silence anyone who dares stand up and speak out against a genocide. Even while corruption at the highest level has opened up public investigations into Mayor Adams’s administration, he continues to wield his power as top cop to unleash the full military might of the NYPD on peaceful protestors… even as he now has become the first mayor brought up on criminal charges.

“It’s been almost a year. A anniversary we never hoped to have. Through the assaults, the rain, the snow, the broken bones, the 10 mile marches, the encampments, the sit ins, the disruptions, and the shutdowns… we have exposed the corruption of this empire at every level. We have found community and friends. We have connected with and let some people go we probably never thought we would have. The success of this movement will be in inches and interactions, but as we continue to weave our webs of community and solidarity we will keep reaching branches that will span the globe.

“Keep fighting, and remember that when an empire feels itself falling it will try to hold on through violence and chaos. We must persevere by any means necessary.

“For Palestine, for Lebanon, for Syria, for Congo, for you…for us. Globalize the intifada.”

Second Photo Series By Alexa B. Wilkinson

By Alexa B. Wilkinson
First published on their Instagram.

“Last night, thousands flooded the streets to protest and disrupt Netanyahu’s appearance and speech at the UN. As the NYPD created “frozen zones” all around the east side of Manhattan, WOL lead a march from GCT stopping at the MET and onto the Lowes Regency Hotel where Netanyahu is staying.

“For the first hour and a half, the NYPD and SRG largely stayed ahead of or on the sides of the march, being uncharacteristically tame about marching up avenues and on cross streets. There was no obvious violence or arrests up until we got to the MET, where a UN reception was being held and a demonstration was being formed. Through footage from multiple otg reporters like @madisonswart we saw SRG target and grab a protestor through the bike line and body slam them onto the steps before arresting. After that, it was back to business as usual.

“As they kettled us back onto 5th Ave, the protest moved east towards Park Ave where SRG used the LRAD system and state that we were all now “illegally walking in the roadway”. In the course of a 10-15 minute stretch around 20 people were grabbed, tackled (footage of this by @nickybla ), body slammed, knocked unconscious, assaulted, and arrested. In spite of the kettling and typical breakage of protest blocs, the remainder of the anti-genocide protestors made their way to the hotel for a noise demonstration before being brutally pushed out and more arrests made. In the aftermath of the NYPD violence, writing on the building across from the hotel was spotted, like battle scars in the architecture.

“Through barricades and batons, it cannot be denied that the NYPD are amazingly outmatched in strategy and execution of protestors breaking through frozen zones and check points. You can tell they were given orders from the top down to avoid arrests at the start due to numbers and previous days of public violence at the hands of SRG. Their tactics are predictable, but what the lack in imagination they make up for with endless funds and support from a corrupt Mayoral administration and the federal government.

“Numbers matter, and we must keep showing up for Gaza and Lebanon.”

Revisiting Beacon's Ceasefire Resolution Details, And Where Are We Now In Death, Doxxing, and Humanitarian Aid

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After the City of Beacon passed the Ceasefire Resolution on March 4th, 2024, people asked what did it mean. You can read it below in this article. Community members who helped shape the resolution with their input made sure that concerns for both Palestine and Israel were addressed. Five Councilmembers voted in favor (Paloma Wake who introduced the resolution, Pam Weatherbee, Molly Rhodes, Dan Aymar-Blair, Amber Grant) while Mayor Lee Kyriacou and Jeff Domanski abstained.

At the time of the passage of this resolution in March 2024, 30,000 Palestinians were known to have been killed. By September 16, 2024, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, as reported by Middle East Eye, 41,226 Palestinians are known to have been killed. Of those, 710 were newborn babies, and 16,700 of those were children.

On October 7, 2023, it was reported that 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages taken. Since then, it has been reported that Israel killed some of their own hostages at different times, including on the first day. Israeli settler Yasmin Porat described in a radio interview how she survived as a hostage, but those around her did not. “Israeli settler Yasmin Porat has claimed that Israeli civilians were killed by Israeli forces and not by Hamas. This came in an interview by Porat with an Israeli radio station on 15 October, where she said: ‘They eliminated everyone, including the hostages. There was very, very heavy crossfire and even tank shelling.’ The 44-year-old mother of three stated that she and other civilians were held by the Palestinians for several hours and were treated ‘humanely’.”

The issue of humanitarian aid was included in Beacon’s Ceasefire Resolution. Humanitarian aid was being blocked. The BBC reported in May 2024 that “Israeli Protesters Block Aid Trucks Destined For Gaza.” This week, ProPublica published: “Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, Two Government Bodies Concluded. Antony Blinken Rejected Them.” The subheading for the article read: “Blinken told Congress, ‘We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting’ aid, even though the U.S. Agency for International Development and others had determined that Israel had broken the law.”

The ProPublica article further revealed: “The U.S. government’s two foremost authorities on humanitarian assistance concluded this spring that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza. The U.S. Agency for International Development delivered its assessment to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Department’s refugees bureau made its stance known to top diplomats in late April. Their conclusion was explosive because U.S. law requires the government to cut off weapons shipments to countries that prevent the delivery of U.S.-backed humanitarian aid. Israel has been largely dependent on American bombs and other weapons in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.”

Beacon’s Ceasefire Resolution also called for no “doxxing” of people speaking for Palestine or Israel, however, since the passage of this resolution, A Little Beacon Blog has been harassed by an Anonymous Letter Writer who is consumed with the notion that ALBB remove the word “Beacon” from the publication title. It is unknown if the Anonymous Letter Writer is a resident of Beacon, or works in Beacon, or works for the City of Beacon.

The City of Beacon’s Administrator Chris White dismissed the passage of the Ceasefire Resolution in this way to the Chronogram in May 2024: “The council, at first, was not going to pass a resolution because they felt it's not a local issue. After public comments, the majority passed it, mostly so we could get back to city business."

Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White unplugging the microphone while Palestinian Jordanian Speaker Neesee Lee spoke, after she gave some of her time to point out the prior speaker using Islamaracist insults got more time.

Beacon’s Mayor Lee Kyriacou got up after Neesee’s microphone was unplugged by City Administrator Chris White.

Beacon’s Mayor lee Kyriacou approached and stood in front of Neese Lee, calling other people’s names in line, while Neesee finished her pre-written speech that ended shortly after her 3 minute allotment.

The reporter for that Chronogram article reviewed the footage of the second and final large meeting of the night the Ceasefire Resolution passed, describing it this way: “On March 4, tensions flared at a Beacon City Council meeting as 68 speakers debated over adopting a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The room was split. While many there supported the resolution, a sizable group opposed it.

Chaos erupted when audience members objected to a man who compared resolution supporters to "people terrorizing their own citizens." After the interruption, Mayor Lee Kyriacou reset the man's three-minute time limit, prompting Neesee Lee—a Wallkill resident of Palestinian descent—to refuse her own limit, accusing Kyriacou of allowing racist remarks. After her time expired, Lee began to shout, and city administrator Chris White unplugged her microphone. Ultimately, after over three hours of public comments, the measure passed 5-0, with Kyriacou and Ward Two councilmember Jeff Domanski abstaining.”

The Ceasefire Resolution can be read in full below, and has been published by the City of Beacon here.

CITY OF BEACON
CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. 30 OF 2024
CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE, PERMANENT, AND NEGOTIATED MULTILATERAL
CEASEFIRE AND UNITING FOR PEACE

WHEREAS, all human life is precious; and

WHEREAS, the City of Beacon aspires to be a safe and welcoming community, and is

committed to promoting peace, unity and respect for all of its residents and community members; and

WHEREAS, on October 7th, 2023, 1,200 Israeli citizens were killed and 240 taken hostage, and

since then more than 30,000 Palestinian citizens have been killed and more than 1.5 million are at risk of starvation; and

WHEREAS, the City of Beacon expresses its unwavering support and empathy for all members of the Beacon community who have been impacted by the violence happening in Palestine and Israel; and

WHEREAS, the City of Beacon acknowledges the deep personal impact that the violence in Palestine and Israel has had on numerous members of our community, and extends its sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones and extended family members in this conflict; and

WHEREAS, the City of Beacon encourages all residents and community members to treat one another with empathy, compassion, and respect; and

WHEREAS, the City of Beacon condemns all forms of racism, discrimination, and violence (and support thereof) which target Arab, Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish, Israeli, or other communities, as well as any other form of intimidation, “doxxing,” harassment, public shaming, and hate speech, whether online or in-person; and

WHEREAS, the United States holds immense diplomatic power to facilitate an effective peace process; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Beacon urges the Biden Administration to:

1. Call for and facilitate an immediate and permanent negotiated multilateral ceasefire, towards a formal regional peace process, as well as normalized regional relations; and

2. Call for the release of all hostages and those unjustly imprisoned, both Israeli and Palestinian; and

3. Call for the immediate increased flow of humanitarian aid into all of Gaza, facilitated by mutually-trusted third parties.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Beacon:

1. Calls for continued open, honest, respectful, and tolerant conversation among our local community in support of our common humanity; and

2. Recognizes the importance of addressing the root causes of crises to the development of a pathway to lasting peace and justice, and to educating the public on the interconnectedness of climate change, global conflicts, and fostering awareness and dialogues within the community.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon passage, a copy of this Resolution shall be sent to the Office of U.S. President Joe Biden, the Office of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the Office of U.S. Representative Pat Ryan, the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul, the Office of State Senator Rob Rolison, and the Office of State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson

Beacon Jews Signed This Open Letter In Support Of Ceasefire Resolution

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When the City of Beacon/s City Council was debating signing the Ceasefire Resolution which it passed, several Jewish community members in Beacon signed and published an Open Letter In Support Of A Ceasefire Resolution. That was a contentious time that has tempered today, but will not go away, as a Ceasefire was never established, Palestine continues to get bombarded by Israel, funded by the Untied States who is supplying the weapons to massacre Palestinians, and Israel has escalated its bombardment of Lebanon again.

Since that time, A Little Beacon Blog faced harassment from a few people, including an Anonymous Letter Writer who was relentless in sending dozens of letters to businesses in Beacon who do an do not work with A Little Beacon Blog. This action created fear in us, and hesitation to publish more. But we know we must continue on with the rest of the world in resisting this violent, colonialist takeover.

Worse, is the strain it has put on the Jewish community globally, who has risen up shakily but loudly to say “Not in our name.”

Below is the Open Letter as it has been published. Should it be updated, we will update it here as well. The original can be found here. More people who are Jewish and live in Beacon or pay Beacon taxes can sign here.

Open Letter From Beacon Jews In Support of a Ceasefire Resolution

If you are Jewish & you want to sign on, please go to: https://bit.ly/BeaconJews4CF

We are Jewish Beaconites who represent a wide array of Jewish spiritual, religious, and cultural practices and beliefs. We have a range of experiences with, perspectives on, and personal connections to, the land and people of Israel and Palestine. In all our diversity, we are united in our support of a Ceasefire Resolution for the City of Beacon.

Over the past weeks, we’ve heard some Jewish community members cite their fear of speaking out, fear of pro-Palestinian protestors, and fear of their own public comments being posted on social media in their opposition to a Ceasefire Resolution. The Rabbi of BHA wrote in our local newspaper that a Ceasefire Resolution “will strain, if not shred, the social fabric here in Beacon.” We have heard other Jewish leaders suggest that there is a sinister, antisemitic underbelly to the local Ceasefire movement. A highly inflammatory and personally targeted petition is circulating with the aim of discrediting the growing Ceasefire movement and painting it as broadly antisemitic.

As Jews, we understand what antisemitic hate looks and feels like. We know the fear. Our ancestors endured pogroms, concentration camps, expulsion, discrimination, and exclusion. We have lived through the rise of antisemitism and anti-Jewish violence in this country along with a rise in hate-crimes of many kinds over the past decade (and some of us live at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities). These traumas live in our memories and in our bodies.

We, too, were deeply affected by the events of October 7th. Some of us have loved ones in the region for whom safety is a daily concern. Many of us feel fear when speaking out publicly on this issue, due both to antisemitism, and to pressure to conform coming from within our Jewish communities. It is risky to enter a heated and difficult debate that directly affects the people and communities we love.

It is from this place of deep knowing that we say: we will not let our fear be used to silence the urgent cries of our neighbors, who are calling out, “Ceasefire, NOW!”

“In our Ceasefire Resolution debate here in Beacon, we are seeing anti-Zionism and critique of Israeli military actions being conflated with antisemitism. As is often the case when Jews confront criticism of Israel, discomfort is reported as danger, and complex language around activism and resistance is flattened into a simple attack on the Jewish people.

This is dangerous for Jews and non-Jews alike.”
— Beacon Jews In Support Of Ceasefire Resolution

Antisemitism exists in all movements, because antisemitism exists everywhere. It is all of our responsibility to confront antisemitism wherever it surfaces. In our Ceasefire Resolution debate here in Beacon, we are seeing anti-Zionism and critique of Israeli military actions being conflated with antisemitism. As is often the case when Jews confront criticism of Israel, discomfort is reported as danger, and complex language around activism and resistance is flattened into a simple attack on the Jewish people.

This is dangerous for Jews and non-Jews alike. For Jews, the conflation of Israel and Judaism means that Jews can be targeted for the Israeli government’s actions, regardless of their stance on Israel. For non-Jews, antisemitism is a serious accusation. When used broadly, and when not clearly defined, it can be defamatory. To be wrongly accused of antisemitism can result in harsh consequences; it can cost someone their job, reputation and standing, before the accusations can be addressed. We as Jews must call out when the threat of antisemitism is used to mischaracterize a legitimate call to action.

At the same time, we have heard our Palestinian neighbors describe experiences of explicit xenophobia and racism: being called “terrorists'' on our city streets, harassed at their places of work, and warned against wearing their keffiyehs. They confront racism in all its forms, all while their family members in Gaza are dying and their families in the West Bank are under constant threat and surveillance.

As Jews we have been taught about the Nazi Holocaust: never again. With over 100 Palestinians being killed every day, Never again is right now.

There is no time to wait.

“Many local Jews are in community and communication with our Palestinian neighbors, and stand with them. The need for conversation between and among Jews of differing perspectives has also been made clear by this debate.”
— Beacon Jews Who Support Ceasefire Resolution

We agree that dialogue is a productive way of building understanding across lines of difference, and of addressing and rooting out bias in ourselves and others. And in the simplest sense, we are in dialogue. Many local Jews are in community and communication with our Palestinian neighbors, and stand with them. The need for conversation between and among Jews of differing perspectives has also been made clear by this debate.

These last few weeks at City Council we have been in lively and passionate exchanges about these issues. A call for mediated, formal dialogue, no matter how well intentioned or needed, cannot be used to divert attention from the urgent call for a Ceasefire. Palestinians do not have the luxury of tabling this in exchange for careful conversation. People are dying now, and we must act now.

We appreciate that the City Council is listening, and that there is renewed interest in pursuing a Ceasefire resolution.

We stand united for a Ceasefire Resolution, and against all forms of oppression including Islamophobia and antisemitism, and call on the Beacon City Council to pass a resolution now.

SIGNED:

(List in formation, will be updated several times daily. Current number of signers: 76.)

Abigail Shapiro Taylor Ward 4
Arthur Camins Ward 2
Avis Olsen Ward 1
Brandon Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Daniel Fisherman Ward 1
Dan Spitzer Ward 1
Dara Silverman Ward 1
Daria Gates Ward 1
David Ross Ward 1
David Smolen Ward 2
Deborah D. Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Diana Cowdery Ward 4
Donna Minkowitz Ward 1
Elizabeth Greenblatt Ward 1
Emily Joslin-Roher Ward 2
Emma Myers Ward 2
Erica Patterson Ward 2
Eve Morgenstern Ward 4
Gracelyn Woods Ward 2
Hana Feit I work, worship, go to school, or live part time in Beacon
Harper Horwitz Ward 4
Harry Teitelman Ward 4
Ilana Friedman Ward 2
Jen Clapp Ward 1
Jennifer Clair Ward 4
Jessica Simkovic Ward 3
Jillian Heller Ward 3
Joan Unterweger Ward 3
Joshua K. Burghardt Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Julie Beth Napolin Ward 4
Katya Levitan-Reiner Ward 1
Laura Bellizzi Ward 2
Lauren A. Ward 2
Lauren Spiro Ward 4
Lev Olsen I work, worship, go to school, or live part time in Beacon
Lila Barchetto Ward 4
Margo Sivin Ward 4
Martin Z. Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Masha Schmidt Ward 4
Matt Harle Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Matthew Ward 2
MJ Witenberg Ward 2
Nicolette Dakin Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Noga Cabo Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Ori Alon-Ray Ward 3
Parisa Karami Ward 3
Paula K. Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Paula King Ward 1
Peggy Ross Ward 1
Phoebe Zinman Ward 3
Randy Bennis Ward 2
Randy Patterson Ward 1
Ray Roy Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Ray Simons Ward 2
Rebecca Wisotsky Ward 1
Rusty Stahl Ward 1
Ruth Danon Ward 1
Sadie Greene-Kaufman Ward 1
Sam Adels Ward 2
Sarah Capua Vote in Fishkill/Glenham, pay Beacon School Taxes
Sarah From Ward 1
Sarah Richardsen Ward 4
Sasha Stim-Fogel Ward 2
Sergio Perez Ward 2
Sharon Strauss Ward 2
Sheila Webb-Halpern Ward 3
Steve Gold Ward 4
Stuart Gabriel Ward 4
Susan Myers Ward 1
Suzy Konecky Ward 1
Tina Bernstein Ward 2
Tom Stringer Ward 3
Tyler P. Ward 2
Valerie Barela Ward 2
William P. Ward 3
Yael Korman Ward 2

179 Healthcare Workers Across UK Bring Awareness to 179 Detained Palestinian Healthcare Workers Missing In Gaza

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Early in September 2024, nearly a year after Israel’s intensified genocide on Palestine, 179 healthcare workers gathered across the UK to bring awareness to 179 Palestinian healthcare workers detained by Israeli forces, as reported by Amnesty International UK.

In their Instagram post, which was reposted by the retail brand WearThePeace who has taken on a journalistic role after US Media has largely not reported on Palestinian detentions and detainments, Amnesty International UK stated: “Last week, 179 healthcare workers from across the UK gathered outside St Thomas’ Hospital to demand freedom and justice for the 179 Palestinian healthcare workers who are detained without charge or trial by Israeli forces.

“Among those in secret detention is Dr. Khaled Al Serr, who was taken in March this year from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. His family have yet to see him or hear from him.

“These healthcare heroes should be saving lives, not facing torture or being criminalised. We urgently call on the UK government to demand the Israeli authorities reveal the whereabouts of these healthcare workers and release them immediately.”

Palestine Education Event: "Pulling Back The Curtain On The US-Israel 'Special Relationship'"

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Pulling Back The Curtain On The US-Israel "Special Relationship"
Day: Sunday, September 15th
Time: 2-4:30pm
Location: Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street, Kingston, NY

A teach-in and panel discussion about geopolitical interesting driving US support of Israel. Will talk about Zionist propaganda and AIPAC (the Israel lobby), and reports from the front lines of resistance and activism.

LARRY GOLDBETTER, President of the National Writers Union, sister union of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate

ELLEN ISAACS, Retired physician, co-editor of Multiracialunity.org blog, led medical/ general delegations to Israel, Palestine and the West Bank

TALAL JABARI, Palestinian political scientist, award-winning filmmaker, journalist and long-time activist

MALIKA ZOUHALI-WORRALL, Award-winning British-Moroccan film director and organizer of Film Workers for Palestine

Kayak Demonstration For A Free Palestine And Arms Embargo Set For Sunday Sept 15 From Long Dock Park

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Picnic and Paddle for Palestine
Day: Sunday, September 15th
Time: 4:30pm
Location: Long Dock Park Kayak Launch
Join the Beacon Ceasefire and Arms Embargo Now Coalition for Kayak demonstration on the water for a Free Palestine! Meet at the Kayak Launch by 5:10pm (to be seen by train passengers arriving at 5:21PM)

Organizers say: "We will paddle between Long Dock and Pete and Toshi Seeger park and back with signs and flags. Free Palestine! Stop the Genocide! Arms Embargo Now!" Bring a dish! You do not need to be a paddler or kayaker to join in from the shore to show your support and enjoy community of fellow supporters.

Paddle/Boaters can sign up here: bit.ly/paddleforpal

Beacon Ceasefire Coalition Rallying For "Not Another Bomb Campaign" Arms Embargo On Israel Sat/Sun August 17/18

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From a press release issued by the Beacon Casefire Coalition:

Please join the Beacon Ceasefire Coalition for 2 events this weekend on Saturday (Kingston) and Sunday (Woodstock) as part of the Not Another Bomb campaign. Not Another Bomb is a national initiative started by the Uncommitted Movement to rally across the country for an arms embargo on Israel.

From the mission statement on the Not Another Bomb petition page: “We know that in order to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S. must stop arming Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians. That’s why we are calling for an immediate embargo on US arms to Israel. Join us in calling on presidential candidate Kamala Harris to distance herself from Biden’s disastrous policy of arming Israel’s ongoing genocide and occupation in Palestine. Not another bomb!”

This weekend's actions take place just before the Democratic National Convention (DNC), as a way to demand that our politicians in the current and upcoming administrations end the U.S.'s unlimited funding and arming of Israel's violent assault on Palestinians.

Whether you can attend one event, both, or neither, please also sign and share the main Not Another Bomb petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/not-another-bomb-sign-on-letter

We look forward to seeing you this weekend, and thank you for your ongoing support. Free Palestine!

“Not Another Bomb” Weekend of Action 8/17 -8/18

KINGSTON: Saturday 8/17, 12PM
Rally at Pat Ryan's office
307 Wall Street, Kingston

Cosponsored by JVP Hudson Valley, Mid-Hudson Valley DSA, Beacon Climate Action Now, Mid-Hudson Islamic Community, and more!

*Donations of college dorm supplies accepted for the Gaza Scholarship Initiative for Displaced Students!*

More details and RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/nab/event/663649/

WOODSTOCK: Sunday 8/18, 12:30PM
6 Tinker Street, Village Green, Woodstock

More details and RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/nab/event/663605/

Will Beacon Democrats Denounce Kamala/Biden’s $20 Billion Expense To Israel To Continue Bombing Palestinians?

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When Kamala was announced as the candidate replacing Biden, Lisa Jessup, Chair of the Beacon Democrats said via Instagram: "Thank you, Joe Biden, for your leadership and service, and being the most effective and positively consequential President of our lifetime." To which a Beacon resident, Call.Me.Ella.Mar, responded: "Are we talking about the same president? Underwhelmed, once again, by our local dems."

The Beacon Democrats may be gearing up to host voter registration events around this city/town. The question is, at those events, and in their social media, will Beacon Democrats denounce the newest $20 Billion expenditure that the Biden/Kamala administration has authorized to Israel to continue bombing Palestine? According to Al Jazeera: “The Biden administration has approved sending $20B worth of arms to Israel, even as the US publicly calls for restraint in the war on Gaza. Israel has used advanced weaponry to obliterate most of Gaza’s infrastructure and kill tens of thousands of Palestinians.”

As Democrats demand more affordable health care for all, and continued Pre-K for all, would this money not be better spent on those issues? As Democrats call for gun control, why would sending arms that obliterate Palestinian citizens make sense?

Pictured here is a video of a rescue team “cutting into the skin, not out of choice, but necessity, trying to ‘save'' what’s left of a bombed body, dangling from the ruins of a once-safe home.”

Aren’t Beacon Democrats advocates for affordable and safe homes? Yet Israel plans to expand their territory into Palestine, as explained and illustrated in this Washington Post article, “Israel Is Redrawing the West Bank, Cutting Into A Prospective Palestinian State” using American money earmarked for Israel’s “self defense?”

"Israel Just Burned Or Beheaded Over 100 Palestinians While They Were Praying In Less Than 5 Minutes In Gaza City"

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Editorial Note: 🇵🇸 Hello. If you’re new here to A Little Beacon Blog, you should know that we post about Palestine. In addition to the ✨good and troubling things happening in Beacon. If you’re only watching the regular news, like CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, New York Times, Washington Post, then you may not know all of the details of what’s been going on, and how it impacts your life as an American citizen. Smaller brands like this one, and especially this one since we are a media outlet, have taken it upon ourselves to spread the word.

The Palestinian poet, Mosab Abutoha, who was taken by Israeli military IDF while he was waiting in line with his family to evacuate Gaza in December 2023 and wrote about his experience in the New Yorker, reported this:

August 8, 2024: USA urges the resumption of negotiations to reach a ceasefire.

Keep in mind, on July 31, 2024, Israel assassinated Hamas’ political chief and lead ceasefire negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, after having killed 3 of his children, his grandchildren, and at least 60 members of his family, according to Al Jazeera. See also this report from the Washington Post.

August 9, 2024: (CNN) US releases $3.5 billion to Israel to spend on US weapons and military equipment.

See videos below of the twin babies who have died, and the Palestinians who continue to have their bodies shredded alive due to US funding of Israel for these weapons.

August 9 (9:45pm EST) August 10 (4:45pm Gaza time): Israel targets displaced people performing dawn prayer in a school shelter, killing more than 100. (Not yet reported by CNN or any American major news agency or newspaper.)

Photo Credit: @TRTWorld

Photo Credit: Al Jazeera

“A deadly Israeli attack on a school in Gaza has renewed calls for the United States to stop providing staunch support for Israel, including weapons transfers that rights advocates say are fueling atrocities in the Palestinian enclave.

“The Gaza Civil Defense agency said more than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens more were injured on Saturday when Israel launched an attack on al-Tabin school in Gaza City.

“‘The US & allies are claiming a ceasefire is near. But all Palestinians see is more death, dislocation, & despair. The genocide continues,’ James Zogby, co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute, wrote on social media.

“‘It past time to end the charade. Israel doesn’t want peace or a ceasefire. Why are we still sending Israel weapons?’

“On Saturday morning, CNN journalist Allegra Goodwin said in a post on X that the US news network had confirmed a “US-made GBU-39 small diameter bomb” was used in the deadly Israeli attack on al-Tabin school. Al Jazeera could not immediately verify that report.”

Every Weekend This Happens, And The Days Inbetween

Every weekend, Israel has committed some kind of heinous massacre. At first it was shocking, disturbing, life could not go on as normal in the bouncy castle room with the kids on 9D as we passed a Saturday. Now that Israel’s actions have become the norm, the fight is directed toward VP Kamala Harris to step up into her power to stop this, and fight back against the weapons industry she professes to be passionate about, or step aside for Dr. Jill Stein and maybe Cori Bush to break the cycle.

You won’t see much of anything about orange Tea here. We deplore that flavor.