ANN ARBOR, MI – Tensions over weekly anti-Israel protests outside an Ann Arbor synagogue and what some view as anti-Semitic hate speech reached a new level Tuesday night, with bickering between City Council members.

At one point during a tense discussion at the Jan. 21 meeting, Ali Ramlawi, D-5th Ward, walked out in frustration, saying, “Tell me when you want to work on what’s on the agenda.”

Council Member Julie Grand, D-3rd Ward, had just criticized him for accepting a $25 campaign donation in 2018 from Henry Herskovitz, who has led weekly protests outside the Beth Israel Congregation on Washtenaw Avenue for over 16 years.

Herskovitz spoke out at the meeting, taking issue with Council Member Zachary Ackerman calling him an anti-Semite at the council’s last meeting.

Herskovitz, who maintains he’s standing up for Palestinians being oppressed and killed by Israel, said Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, hasn’t countered any of his arguments.

“Did he counter the claim that most Jewish holidays portray Jews as victims in an alleged hostile world? Again, no,” he said. “What he did do is call me a racist.”

Herskovitz leads protests with signs carrying messages such as “Resist Jewish Power,” “Jewish Power Corrupts,” “No More Holocaust Movies,” “Boycott Israel,” “Stop U.S. Aid to Israel” and “End the Palestinian holocaust.”

Ackerman, who is Jewish and grew up in the congregation Herskovitz has targeted, publicly responded Tuesday night.

“I think we’re fortunate to live in a community with an exceptionally big heart, and I think there are a lot of people who see what happens in Palestine and come to their protest from a good place and come to it honestly,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are other people like Mr. Herskovitz.”

Herskovitz is part of a group that was labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2017 as a Holocaust-denying hate group, Ackerman noted.

Herskovitz, who has described his group as “Holocaust revisionists,” considers the label unfair.

“It’s important you know that people like Mr. Herskovitz live in our community,” Ackerman told residents in the audience. “And as we live in a world and an age of hate and a lot of isms that we wish didn’t exist here in the United States, they’re alive and well and among us.”

Grand, who is also Jewish, joined Ackerman in responding, accusing Herskovitz of spreading hate and trying to intimidate people at their place of worship.

Referring to Herskovitz’s friendly relationship with a pro-Israel counter-protester, which Council Member Kathy Griswold mentioned, Grand said “one nice action doesn’t make up for a multitude of really vile actions.”

As Grand said she hated giving the issue more attention, anti-Israel demonstrator Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, who plans to run for council this year, stood up and yelled, “Israel is murdering thousands of Palestinians!”

Mayor Christopher Taylor banged his gavel in attempt to restore order as Savabieasfahani spoke out.

“Ma’am, please be quiet,” Taylor said.

After the commotion, Grand continued, saying, “Here I was trying to speak, and we see that again there’s actions that are taken to intimidate.”

Grand accused Herskovitz of trying to portray Jews as weak. She said she’s not scared of him.

“You can come and you can spew your hate, and we’ll keep telling you that you’re a loathsome individual and that we’re not happy that you’re here,” she said.

Ramlawi took issue at that point.

“Can I have a call to order? I mean, this is getting ridiculous,” he said.

“I’ve been sitting here patiently listening to this. We do not need the spew to come from this body.”

Council Member Jeff Hayner, D-1st Ward, seconded the call to order, while saying he supports free speech.

Hayner noted civil rights activist Angela Davis discussed Israel when she spoke at the University of Michigan on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20.

Davis advocated “saying no to anti-Semitism and at the same time recognizing the deeply racist policies of the state of Israel," and encouraged those in attendance to work together at the local level to affect global change.

It’s not outrageous for people who are trying to do that to speak at council, Hayner said.

Ramlawi, who is of Palestinian descent, said he’s been holding back his own personal opinions, as he’s heard from residents it’s not an issue the city should take up.

“And I think this body should be held to a higher level where we should be able to take attacks and move on and discuss the business that this city has elected us to discuss,” he said.

Council members should not be attacking residents in the audience, Ramlawi added, calling Ackerman and Grand’s remarks “a very troubling direction that we’re going in.”

Grand defended her decision to speak out, saying city leaders should occasionally call out hate when they see it.

“I want to get to the business of our work, too. I really do,” Grand said. “But at the same time, I’m not going to be attacked by my colleagues for my behavior in calling out hate.”

In the past, when hateful comments were made and someone on council was attacked, Grand said, other council members stood up “or certainly didn’t take steps to defend it.”

“What I’ve heard in the last couple weeks at the table is upsetting to me,” she said. “And it’s personal because we are hearing remarks that are clearly anti-Semitic, at a time in our country when we’re seeing increasing attacks on Jews for being Jews.”

Savabieasfahani interjected again.

“As you bicker about these things, they’re murdering Palestinian children!” she yelled at council, causing the mayor to once again call for order.

That’s when Grand, without mentioning Ramlawi by name, criticized his acceptance of a campaign donation from Herskovitz, causing Ramlawi to leave in frustration and return a short while later.

Ramlawi, who has faced criticism from some community members for accepting money from Herskovitz, has said he doesn't necessarily agree with Herskovitz’s views or tactics, but Herskovitz is a 5th Ward resident and he has a right to participate in the democratic process.

As for exercising the right to protest Israel, that’s perfectly legitimate, Ackerman said, but targeting a local synagogue for over 16 years is upsetting.

“And I hope that if it were a black church or a mosque that was picketed for 16 years, all of us would stand up and say something,” Ackerman said.

“At least you can go to worship,” Ramlawi responded, telling Ackerman there are Muslims who can’t get into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Taylor ended the discussion by saying he thinks the synagogue protests are a local issue because they deeply impact community members.

“I believe that those protests are improper,” he said. “I believe that the protests at a house of worship are inconsistent with the values of Ann Arbor and I believe that they should end.”

The protests are now the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by a member of the congregation.

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