Democrat 'reaffirms commitment to Jewish safety'

Progressive Chicago mayor joins Israeli consulate Hanukkah party with solidarity message

Brandon Johnson, who has called Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza ‘genocidal,’ fraying ties, says he’s grateful for relationship with Jewish state, sends condolences over Bondi Beach attack

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson attended a Hanukkah party hosted by the Israeli Consulate in the US Midwest US city on Thursday, with the progressive politician using the opportunity to express a message of solidarity days after the Bondi Beach terror attack targeting Jews who had gathered to celebrate the holiday in Australia.

In remarks at the event, Johnson expressed his condolences “to the Jewish community in the wake of yet another tragedy,” saying that the attack serves as “yet another reminder of why we all have to come together to root out the evil of antisemitism.”

His decision to appear at an event hosted by the Israeli consulate and not just one organized by a Jewish organization in the city was hard to ignore, given his fraught relationship with the mission since the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Johnson cast the deciding vote to pass a City Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in February 2024, angering legacy Jewish organizations who argued that the initiative was one-sided and failed to condemn Hamas.

The motion was completely symbolic, but its advocates said it sent a message to then-US president Joe Biden’s administration from one of the most prominent, Democratic-majority cities in the US and host of the Democratic National Convention the following summer. The White House, at the time, was pushing back against such calls for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in favor of extended humanitarian pauses during which hostages held by Hamas could be released.

Johnson later characterized Israel’s war in Gaza as “genocidal,” telling the Mother Jones news site: “We have to acknowledge and name it for what it is and have the moral courage to exercise our authority.”

But against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire that was signed between Israel and Hamas in September and the Bondi Beach attack days earlier, Johnson struck a far more conciliatory tone.

“I did have a conversation just yesterday with [Israeli] Consul General [Elad] Strohmayer… and I assured him that my door will always remain open for us to be able to engage in continued dialogue on matters that affect all of our communities, but specifically the unique challenges that the Jewish community is experiencing,” Johnson said.

“I’m grateful for the strong and important relationship between Chicago and Israel, including our sister city partnership with Petah Tikva. In moments like this, that connection underscores our shared values as well as our mutual support,” he added.

“As mayor, I reaffirm my commitment… to the safety and dignity and the inclusion of all communities, but especially our Jewish community and those who are enduring a great deal of fear right now,” said the mayor.

Strohmayer thanked Johnson for attending the gathering, maintaining that “in a city as diverse and vibrant as Chicago, moments like this matter.”

“Only together can we face this moment. Israelis and Americans, Jews and non-Jews, religious and secular, those who love Israel unconditionally and those who challenge it because they care. By standing together this Hanukkah, we will bring light into the darkness,” said the Israeli diplomat.