Over a thousand protesters assembled in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon to demand local Congress Member Dan Goldman seek a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Goldman, who was in Israel during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas that plunged the region into conflict, has staunchly supported Israel in the weeks that followed. But those who swarmed Grand Army Plaza on Nov. 19 say they want the freshman Congress member to use his voice to call for a ceasefire, saying they stand with those caught in the crossfire in both Israel and Gaza.
“Dan, you were in Israel on Oct. 7, and you and your family were able to escape safely — we are grateful for that. But Representative Goldman, are you listening to the pleas of mothers in Palestine, in Israel and the mothers right here in Park Slope?” one protester said. “Or are you abandoning them?”
An estimated 1,400 protesters gathered with flags and signs under the afternoon sun and the surrounding statues in an effort to show Goldman where his constituents lie on the matter. This comes after some 1,100 Brooklynites signed an open letter to Goldman’s office likewise demanding him to take action.
The Congress member has not yet responded to the request. He has, however, publicly condemned violence upon Palestinians by Israeli settlers.
“Imagine being stuck under the rubble. Your home completely shattered all around. Men, women, and children under the rubble,” Sumaya Awad said. “Over 12,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last six weeks, over 4,500 children. We keep repeating these numbers, and I keep thinking they are going to become normalized? It still shocks me to the core.”
While demonstrators took the moment to push for Goldman to take action in peaceful, albeit large-scale fashion, other attempts have not been as peaceful.
On Nov. 17, Goldman’s Brooklyn office in Park Slope was vandalized with “Free Palestine” scrawled over its window and “let Gaza Live” written over its wall.
“Harassing, intimidating, and outright attacking the staff of a Jewish elected official at a time of rising violence and rampant antisemitism is dangerous and unacceptable,” Communications Director Simone Kanter said in response to the vandalism.
amNewYork Metro reached out to Goldman’s office for comment regarding Sunday’s rally, and is awaiting a response.
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