Residents urge council to rescind Resolution 2005‑03, citing rise in antisemitic incidents

Several residents at the May 20, 2025, City Council meeting urged the council to rescind a prior resolution identified in public comment as "Resolution 2005 0 3," saying the document enshrined language that commentators described as libelous and that it had coincided with increased harassment and threats against Jewish residents.

Sarah Dudley, legal counsel for a local group (Nevada County Bridge), told the council that the resolution’s language accuses Israel (and, by extension, Israelis and Jewish people) of crimes including “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “crimes against humanity” and argued the resolution adopted that language into city policy. Dudley said the resolution “enshrined and legitimized these libelous falsehoods in reckless disregard for the safety and well‑being” of Jewish and Israeli community members and urged the council to rescind the measure urgently.

Other speakers described personal experiences of harassment, threats and targeted abuse that they said increased after the council adopted the prior resolution. A member of the Jewish Pioneer Cemeteries and Landmarks Commission and director of a local preservation foundation described children being targeted and said some community members felt too afraid to give public testimony because it exposes their names and faces on television.

Nut graf: Commenters asked the council to reverse a prior action they say has had community‑safety consequences for Jewish residents. Several speakers tied the call to rescind to recent national events and urged the council to act “with urgency” to rescind the named resolution and to reaffirm protection of all residents.

Ending: Council heard the public comments but did not take immediate action on rescinding the named resolution at the May 20 meeting. Several speakers said they had provided a letter and a drafted resolution rescinding the prior action to the clerk.