Letter: “Parameters of The Bias Inside Us”

Dear Morah Yehudis et al. I enjoyed and appreciated your article (“Parameters of The Bias Inside Us,” Boulder Jewish News, March 24, 2025), and the part I was hoping for appeared at the end:

“G-d willing this powerful exhibit has impacted our community in a positive and permanent way, and is an example of ‘Kiddush Hashem,’ to the extent of helping to conquer the tide of antisemitism in our world, and that will have made the presentation infinitely valuable.”

I would have been pleased if you had called out antisemitism in Boulder, specifically, as part of “our world“. Antisemitism is penetrating Boulder, and I suspect that the offending people who need to see this exhibition, didn’t. For that matter, despite the effort of a few ‘watchdogs’, I suspect that most Boulder Jews are unaware of the situation. 

Some months ago, the Boulder City Council adopted a Declaration against antisemitism. Ironically, City Council chambers is the locus from where some of the most vile antisemitism radiates (though one could reasonably argue that its C.U.). Here’s just the most recent taste, from last week’s City Council meeting: https://www.youtube.com/live/hqvkfjkM7Z0?si=aBymvY8P1OlTrTv9

Watch the Open Comments, Agenda Item 2, and decide for yourselves. When the Mayor calls for recesses because of disruptions – I think there are 2 or 3 – a City logo remains for the duration of the recess. You can drag the slider past those or wait them out. You can also skip the speakers who aren’t talking about Israel and Gaza. A couple things to note and know:

• The speakers don’t use the term nazis, they mostly use Zionazis.
• The offensive speech violates the Council’s own rules of conduct that are read at the beginning of each Open Comments period. 
• The defeated measures that the speakers still complain about – the citizen proposed Ceasefire Resolution and Council Member Adams BDS attempt thinly veiled as an ‘investment policy review’ – were defeated 7-2 and 6-3, respectively. Yet, only the Jews – Tara Winer and Mark Wallach – are targeted by name by the speakers.
• When the recesses are called and the Council members stand up to leave (yes, it’s the Council that leaves, not the disrupters), observe the body language and facial expression of council member Taiysha Adams. She has courted and encouraged this lot since October 7.

Also worth watching is the very last portion of the meeting where Council members respond to the Open Comments. Like me, you might find that after Adams’ gratuitous nod to no-name calling, her invocation of MLK in approval of this style of so-called “civil disobedience” is a gross distortion of the truth. MLK preached, practiced and insisted upon civil decency toward all his opponents, from George Wallace to Lester Maddox to Bull Connor. All of them. 

At the heart of it, it’s not the antisemitic speakers who are the problem. It’s the Mayor and the Council who don’t do anything about this, beyond giving Tara Winer hugs during the breaks. Antisemitism is not just an affront to Tara, Mark and Jews. It should be considered as an affront to the entire City Council and all people of good conscience in Boulder. 

If you find this concerning, please write to Mayor Brockett and all City Council members, demanding clear, unequivocal (they specialize in moral equivalency, but that’s another conversation) and effective action that sends a message to the entire City that antisemitism will not be tolerated.

Thank you for your patience.

Bruce Shaffer
Jerusalem IL
Boulder USA