Public commenters sharply divided over Israel bonds and divestment at Cuyahoga County Council meeting
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Summary
At the Nov. 12 Cuyahoga County Council meeting, more than a dozen residents used public comment to praise the council for not pursuing anti‑Israel resolutions or to urge the county to stop holding and purchasing Israeli bonds; speakers also urged redirecting funds to local needs.
Cleveland — Public comment at the Cuyahoga County Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, centered on competing appeals over the council’s recent decision not to take up anti‑Israel resolutions and on whether the county should sell or stop buying Israeli bonds.
Speakers on both sides pressed the council to act. Rabbi Sharon Young Marcus of Park Synagogue in Pepper Pike thanked the council "for not passing any anti Israel resolutions" and urged continued support for Jewish residents. Other speakers said the county’s bond holdings — which several commenters described as about $16,000,000 — are morally and practically indefensible and should be redirected to county programs.
The debate mattered to speakers because they said county investments and public rhetoric send a message to local communities and affect county budgeting choices. Supporters of the council’s prior restraint on resolutions framed that stance as protection from antisemitism; opponents said divestment would be a moral response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urged spending on local services instead.
Several commenters described concrete local needs while linking them to the bond debate. Shari Thomas, co‑founder of the nonprofit Rivers in the Desert, described a mobile trauma‑response unit meant to provide immediate emotional support after shootings and other critical incidents; she urged investment in county services. Opposing commenters repeatedly called for redirecting funds to housing, youth programs and other local priorities.
Speakers’ rhetoric ranged from appeals for the release of hostages to direct accusations that county policy supported violence overseas. Jen Amahaddin told the council, "Divest from Israel and save the Palestinians, please." Tyler Goliath said, "An Israeli life is not greater than a Palestinian life," and urged the council to consider local needs over foreign investment. Other speakers, including Brad Schlang and Elizabeth Sunshine, thanked the council for supporting Israel and for not passing a divestment measure.
The council did not take formal action on divestment during the meeting. The items on the published agenda that evening moved forward through the council’s regular legislative process while the public‑comment period closed and the meeting continued.
Public comment closed at the end of the allotted time and the council proceeded to the rest of its agenda, including budget and contract matters.
What was not decided: no vote or ordinance related to selling or buying foreign sovereign bonds appeared on the agenda or was adopted during the meeting; the remarks recorded were part of the public‑comment period and do not themselves change county policy.
