Virginia Beach City Council passes resolution in support of Israel

Terri Denison
As a “show of solidarity for our friends in Israel,” Mayor Robert “Bobby” Dyer announced a resolution by the Virginia Beach City Council in support of Israel, at its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The resolution was introduced by Councilman Joashua P. Shulman. Before reading the resolution, Shulman said, “I’ve learned there’s somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 Jewish people in Hampton Roads and I’m proud to be one of them. I’m even prouder to live in a country where I can be sitting in this seat.”

The Jewish community is a resilient one, he continued, “but we are hurting. In a single day, Oct. 7, more Jewish people were killed than any other day since the Holocaust.
It’s left us all – not just the Jewish community – at a loss for words.”

Shulman also expressed appreciation for the words of support and comfort that he and the community have received, and he thanked and saluted the area military who were on their way to the Middle East, for their bravery.

The resolution concluded with “Now, therefore, be it resolved: That the Virginia Beach City Council pause in its deliberations to condemn the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against the people of Israel, to express its support for an enduring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and to exhibit our solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people of Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads during this unprecedented and difficult time.”

Several members of the Jewish community attended the meeting. David Leon, president, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, and Betty Ann Levin, UJFT executive vice president/CEO, accepted the resolution on behalf of Jewish Tidewater.

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