Documents › Board Of Trustees, 2025-09-10

correspondence 4 pages

‭September 7, 2025‬ ‭Dear Mayor Pugh and Croton Board of Trustees,‬ ‭We,‬‭the‬‭undersigned,‬‭ask‬‭the‬‭Village‬‭to‬‭ratify‬‭language‬‭clarifying‬‭its‬‭intentions‬‭around‬ ‭the‬ ‭adoption‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭International‬ ‭Holocaust‬ ‭Remembrance‬ ‭Alliance‬ ‭definition‬ ‭of‬ ‭antisemitism.‬ ‭We‬‭realize‬‭that‬‭the‬‭three‬‭board‬‭members‬‭who‬‭voted‬‭for‬‭the‬‭resolution‬‭to‬‭adopt‬‭the‬‭IHRA‬ ‭definition‬‭on‬‭August‬‭22‬‭did‬‭so‬‭to‬‭help‬‭members‬‭of‬‭the‬‭community‬‭feel‬‭safer‬‭in‬‭light‬‭of‬ ‭the alarming rise of antisemitism.‬ ‭Unfortunately,‬‭the‬‭way‬‭the‬‭IHRA‬‭definition‬‭has‬‭been‬‭used—both‬‭in‬‭the‬‭past‬‭decade‬‭and‬ ‭currently‬‭—to‬‭penalize‬‭critics‬‭of‬‭Israel‬‭deeply‬‭concerns‬‭a‬‭significant‬‭number‬‭of‬‭Croton’s‬ ‭community.‬‭The‬‭Trump‬‭administration’s‬‭demonstrated‬‭intent‬‭to‬‭further‬‭employ‬‭the‬‭IHRA‬ ‭definition‬ ‭as‬ ‭a‬ ‭tool‬ ‭to‬ ‭suppress‬ ‭free‬ ‭speech‬ ‭has‬ ‭only‬ ‭heightened‬ ‭these‬ ‭concerns.‬ ‭Community members‬‭do not feel safe‬‭with the unqualified adoption of this language.‬ ‭Some‬‭people‬‭have‬‭heard‬‭Mayor‬‭Pugh‬‭and‬‭Trustees‬‭Simon‬‭and‬‭Slippen‬‭assert‬‭that‬‭they‬ ‭have‬ ‭no‬ ‭intention‬ ‭of‬ ‭using‬ ‭the‬ ‭adopted‬ ‭IHRA‬ ‭language‬‭to‬‭limit‬‭community‬‭members’‬ ‭criticism of Israel or advocacy for the Palestinian people.‬ ‭Members‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Croton‬‭community,‬‭including‬‭those‬‭who‬‭may‬‭not‬‭attend‬‭village‬‭board‬ ‭meetings,‬‭also‬‭deserve‬‭to‬‭know‬‭that‬‭the‬‭Village‬‭of‬‭Croton-on-Hudson‬‭will‬‭always‬‭stand‬ ‭up‬‭for‬‭the‬‭First‬‭Amendment‬‭and‬‭uphold‬‭our‬‭right‬‭to‬‭free‬‭speech,‬‭even‬‭beyond‬‭the‬‭terms‬ ‭of the current Mayor and Board of Trustees.‬ ‭We‬‭propose‬‭adoption‬‭of‬‭the‬‭following,‬‭or‬‭similar,‬‭language‬‭to‬‭address‬‭the‬‭needs‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭community:‬ ‭Clarification‬‭of‬‭the‬‭adoption‬‭of‬‭the‬‭IHRA‬‭definition‬‭of‬‭antisemitism‬‭adopted‬‭by‬‭the‬ ‭Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton on 8/20/25.‬ ‭Given‬ ‭the‬ ‭Village‬ ‭Board‬ ‭of‬ ‭Trustees'‬ ‭adoption‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬‭IHRA‬‭definition‬‭of‬‭antisemitism,‬ ‭which‬ ‭includes‬ ‭some‬ ‭ambiguities‬ ‭regarding‬ ‭certain‬ ‭criticisms‬ ‭of‬ ‭Israel‬ ‭and‬ ‭certain‬ ‭pro-Palestinian‬‭sentiments‬‭being‬‭labeled‬‭as‬‭antisemitic,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭Board's‬‭commitment‬‭to‬ ‭not‬ ‭inhibit‬ ‭free‬ ‭speech,‬ ‭we‬ ‭would‬ ‭like‬ ‭to‬ ‭clarify‬ ‭that‬ ‭the‬ ‭following‬ ‭examples‬ ‭are‬ ‭not‬ ‭inherently antisemitic:‬ ‭*Speech‬‭that‬‭advocates‬‭for‬‭equal‬‭rights‬‭for‬‭Palestinians‬‭in‬‭Israel,‬‭the‬‭West‬‭Bank‬‭and‬ ‭Gaza is not antisemitic.‬ ‭*The‬‭suggestion‬‭that‬‭Israel‬‭is‬‭committing‬‭genocide,‬‭ethnic‬‭cleansing‬‭or‬‭apartheid‬‭is‬‭not‬ ‭antisemitic.‬ ‭*Criticizing‬‭our‬‭own‬‭government‬‭for‬‭providing‬‭weaponry‬‭and‬‭military‬‭support‬‭to‬‭Israel‬‭is‬ ‭not antisemitic.‬ ‭*Discussion‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬ ‭Nakba‬ ‭or‬ ‭“catastrophe”‬ ‭in‬ ‭Arabic,‬ ‭which‬ ‭is‬ ‭the‬ ‭displacement‬ ‭and‬ ‭dispossession‬‭of‬‭some‬‭750,000‬‭Palestinians‬‭to‬‭create‬‭the‬‭state‬‭of‬‭Israel‬‭in‬‭1948,‬‭is‬‭not‬ ‭antisemitic.‬ ‭*Stating‬‭that‬‭the‬‭conflict‬‭between‬‭Israel‬‭and‬‭the‬‭Palestinians‬‭did‬‭not‬‭begin‬‭on‬‭Oct.‬‭7,‬ ‭2023, is not antisemitic.‬ ‭*Wearing a keffiyeh or displaying the Palestinian flag is not antisemitic.‬ ‭We‬ ‭appreciate‬ ‭the‬ ‭Board’s‬ ‭commitment‬‭to‬‭ensure‬‭the‬‭safety‬‭and‬‭liberty‬‭of‬‭all‬‭Village‬ ‭residents‬‭and‬‭visitors,‬‭and‬‭we‬‭hope‬‭you‬‭will‬‭see‬‭how‬‭the‬‭above‬‭language‬‭is‬‭a‬‭crucial‬ ‭next step in doing so.‬ ‭Thank you for your consideration and your service to our community.‬ ‭Sincerely,‬ ‭1.‬ ‭Elisa Silverglade‬ ‭2.‬ ‭Nora Regis Odland‬ ‭3.‬ ‭Benjamin Faber‬ ‭4.‬ ‭Cheryl Wong‬ ‭5.‬ ‭Cristina Alvarez-Arnold‬ ‭6.‬ ‭Andrew Courtney‬ ‭7.‬ ‭Andrea Furey Cohen‬ ‭8.‬ ‭Michelle Celarier‬ ‭9.‬ ‭Harry Soloway‬ ‭10.‬‭Taher Shafie‬ ‭11.‬‭Sherry Horowitz‬ ‭12.‬‭Sydney Regier‬ ‭13.‬‭Faith Rivers‬ ‭14.‬‭Alejandro Godoy‬ ‭15.‬‭Joe Rader‬ ‭16.‬‭Laura Mercogliano-Clarke‬ ‭17.‬‭Nia Hough‬ ‭18.‬‭Leila Goldmark‬ ‭19.‬‭David Sternberg‬ ‭20.‬‭Jordan Sternberg‬ ‭21.‬‭Julie Minter‬ ‭22.‬‭Richard Grimaldi‬ ‭23.‬‭Miles Kafka‬ ‭24.‬‭Luisa Godoy-Rosales‬ ‭25.‬‭Francesca Battaglia‬ ‭26.‬‭Joshua Diamond‬ ‭27.‬‭Michael Odland‬ ‭28.‬‭Amanda Victoria Mintz‬ ‭29.‬‭Jessica Das‬ ‭30.‬‭Erik Ferguson‬ ‭31.‬‭Cathie Elliot‬ ‭32.‬‭Elizabeth Spector‬ ‭33.‬‭Tully McGowan‬ ‭34.‬‭Laure Shea‬ ‭35.‬‭Adriana Zavala‬ ‭36.‬‭Alanna Fraase‬ ‭37.‬‭Meredith Phillips‬ ‭38.‬‭Jill Ferson‬ ‭39.‬‭Marlena Horton‬ ‭40.‬‭Ibrahim Jamal‬ ‭41.‬‭Evan Perdomo-Cohen‬ ‭42.‬‭Laura Perdomo-Cohen‬ ‭43.‬‭Anna Adler‬ ‭44.‬‭Feryal Jamal‬ ‭45.‬‭Mahmoud Jamal‬ ‭46.‬‭Lindsay Hoffman‬ ‭47.‬‭Rawan Nahas‬ ‭48.‬‭Sharbel Ayoub‬ ‭49.‬‭Keith Fraase‬ ‭50.‬‭Stephanie Duval‬ ‭51.‬‭Brad Einhorn‬ ‭52.‬‭Yvonne Tony Ayoub‬ ‭53.‬‭Matthew Beckemeyer‬ ‭54.‬‭Matthew Broudy‬ ‭55.‬‭Heather Bishop‬ ‭56.‬‭Danny Ferguson‬ ‭57.‬‭Paolo R. (Full name withheld)‬ ‭58.‬‭Joanna Nnama‬