Boulder council rift widens over antisemitism row
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Protestors hold up signs outside the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building on May 1. Photo: Cliff Grassmick/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
Two Boulder City councilmembers on Monday accused their colleague, Taishya Adams, of antisemitism over her recent social media posts.
Why it matters: The Israel-Gaza war continues to fuel divisions on the Boulder City Council — and with the public.
The latest: Councilmembers Matt Benjamin and Mark Wallach on Monday denounced two of Adams' recent Instagram stories as antisemitic in a Facebook post, calling it a "troubling pattern of behavior."
- Benjamin and Wallach wrote in the post that two of Adams' recent Instagram stories "crossed a serious line into antisemitism."
Zoom in: Instagram stories are available for only 24 hours, but screenshots of Adams' posts could be found in the comments on Benjamin's post.
- One of Adams' recent posts called the slaughter of Native Americans the "biggest genocide" — even compared to the Holocaust — and said they haven't received reparations, "unlike Jewish people."
- Another accused Boulder City Council of "continuing to fund this genocide," in reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Between the lines: Boulder voted in February not to consider a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Adams was one of two members who voted to consider it.
- Pro-ceasefire speakers have packed council meetings since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, prompting new limits on public comment.
- Adams also drew criticism for not signing a statement condemning the June 1 attack on Pearl Street as antisemitic, which had targeted a gathering for Israeli hostages.
Context: Adams has both political and personal Instagram accounts and is active on both.
- Her social media activity was the subject of an investigation when she blocked several residents, though it was determined that neither account was an official one, and she was cleared.
What they're saying: Benjamin and Wallach wrote in the Facebook post that Adams' behavior "reflects a more insidious, modern form of antisemitism."
- "Council members are elected to improve the lives of Boulder residents, not to resolve global conflicts. At present, (Adams) is doing neither," they wrote in a joint post.
- Fellow Councilmember Tara Winer called Benjamin's words "powerful" and said she would share the post in the comment section.
The other side: Adams took to Instagram to respond Monday, calling Benjamin and Wallach's statement an "effort to divide us and distract us."
- "Our (Boulder) council remains silent even when past councils used their power to make ceasefire resolutions and divest from activities that do not align with our city's values," she wrote.