Background: Durham Boycotts Israel
On April 16, 2018, Durham, NC became the first city in the United States to boycott police trainings with Israel – the only Jewish majority country on the planet. As explained by the Mayor Pro Tempore of Durham, the City Council issued “a statement affirming a city policy against police exchanges with Israel.”
Punch in the Gut
In a prominent article, 11 area rabbis explained, “For many Jews in Durham, that vote felt like a punch in the gut.”
The Mainstream Jewish Community Responds to this Injury
Voice4Israel and the Durham Chapel Hill Jewish Federation promptly contacted the Durham Human Relations Commission (HRC), writing:
It Not Over By a Long Shot!
On June 5, 2018, Voice4Israel and the Durham Chapel Hill Jewish Federation presented to the HRC. Based on the merits of the written materials we offered and our oral presentation, the HRC decided to create a subcommittee to research fully the injury the local Jewish community feels it has suffered. We include here our June 5 presentations to the HRC and the additional information provided. We will keep the readership informed as there are new developments.