Speaker says council reneged on promised Gaza remembrance program, urges action

A public commenter accused Akron City Council of failing to follow through on a promised educational program and remembrance resolution related to the conflict in Gaza.

Dr. Jadalla told the council she considered recent events in Gaza a genocide and said a previously promised educational program and remembrance resolution had been withdrawn. “We asked for the remembrance resolution. We're trying to do an educational program… it was promised to us, and now people are telling council members not to support this educational program,” Dr. Jadalla said during the public-comment period.

Dr. Jadalla said the community had agreed to remove some language from a prior resolution in exchange for an educational program and that members of the local Jewish community had participated in that compromise. “It was promised to me, but we had Jewish Akron take things out of the resolution, and the compromise was an educational program. And now, people are telling council members not to support this educational program,” she said, asking Council President Margo Somerville and others to clarify the status.

Why it matters: The speaker framed the issue as both a moral appeal and a breach of a local agreement: she asked the council to publicly explain whether the city would deliver the educational program and remembrance the community was told it would receive.

Details and context: Dr. Jadalla referenced an earlier “emergency resolution” condemning atrocities and said the community expected follow-up educational programming; she said attempts to contact council members after new violence received little response. Council did not record a vote on a Gaza-related resolution during the meeting.

What’s next: Dr. Jadalla asked council members to “show some humanity” and to honor the previously discussed compromise; no formal council action or resolution was taken at this meeting.