Progressive Chicago mayor joins Israeli consulate Hanukkah party with solidarity message |
CHICAGO, Illinois — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson attended a Hanukkah party hosted by the Israeli consulate in the Midwest US city on Thursday, where the progressive politician expressed a message of solidarity days a terror attack targeted Jews who had gathered to celebrate the holiday in Bondi Beach 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 rather than one organized by a Jewish organization in the city was notable 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 that argued that the initiative was one-sided and failed to condemn the Hamas terror group, which had launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel four months earlier.
The motion........