Ahead of Courageous Conversation, Community Members Share Feelings

Tonight, Culver City residents will gather at the Culver City Senior Center to discuss their feelings on issues in the Middle East at the Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee's (EHRAC) Courageous Conversation event.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Culver Crescent engaged with community members to get their thoughts on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The latest escalation was triggered by attacks carried out by Hamas in October 2023, which resulted in a violent response from Israel.

Here are some thoughts from those community members before Tuesday night's event:

Ron Davis is a Culver City resident and a Professor Emeritus of History at Cal State Northridge. He has participated in several demonstrations as part of Culver City Residents for Peace, calling for the city council to pass a ceasefire resolution.

Maurice was born in Egypt and lived in Israel for a time, serving in the Israeli Army. He has lived in Palms since 1977.

Nick Conner is the general manager of Jackson Market in Culver City. His store has prominently posted signs calling for a ceasefire, and he has spoken at several council meetings and rallies in Culver City asking for a ceasefire resolution.

Al the Zionist is an outspoken public commenter at city council meetings, coming to the defense of Israel. He lives outside of Culver City today but was a city resident in the past.

Rabbi Zach Shapiro is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Akiba of Culver City, one of Culver City's major Jewish institutions.

John Matthews is a Culver City resident and mental health professional who is studying Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, with a specialization in Psychological Trauma Studies.

On the state of Israel, and the meaning of the Jewish State...

"I lived there, I have a family there, but I am the kind of guy who moves from country to country, and once I leave the country, that's it. I care about it, but I want to live in the present. I don't want to live in the past." - Maurice

"Israel flies in the face of everything the Jewish state is supposed to represent. You can't ignore the reality of the Holocaust, but that doesn't mean you can't support humanity." - Ron Davis

"Israel means hope; it means dreams; it means democracy. Israel means a homeland; it means a refuge. Israel means a place for our descendants and our ancestors, and it means potential. There's something very important about having that and feeling secure in that space." - Rabbi Zach Shapiro

"I have always seen Israel as a positive idea and solution, but I don't really think of it so much as a Jewish state as I am analyzing it more as a political state." - Nick Conner

"It's frankly amazing that the Jewish people even survived for 2,000 years after Jews were scattered all over the world. In the 1880's, it became clear that Jews needed a state of their own because of all the anti-Semitism in the world." - Al the Zionist

On the importance of a ceasefire resolution and what it represents...

"I love the idea of ceasefire, but not unconditional; Jews have to be able to defend themselves. I see an unconditional resolution as allowing Hamas to regroup, rearm, and murder more Jews in the future." - Al the Zionist

"It's about the values that the ceasefire represents. It is important for people to feel they are being seen. We hear 'when they go low, we go local,' but we can't be selective about it." - Ron Davis

"I have come to see over the past here that resolutions do more to divide rather than unify. I believe that rather than looking for a resolution, the people in Culver City need resolve to build together." - Rabbi Zach Shapiro

"If the city adopts a ceasefire resolution, it may not do a lot in the long run, but it's going to help those communities to feel like they have somebody on their side." - John Matthews

"Even though it may not necessarily influence things on a higher level, it makes a statement about what this community thinks about it. The city could be known as a place that is welcoming to all communities, but part of what has happened through the process of asking for a ceasefire resolution is that it has revealed what feels like a real inequity in how they handle this topic." - Nick Conner

On the emotions behind your and/or other's words...

"When we started hanging a flag in the store and put up signs protesting the war, it was to show that Palestinians are people that deserve compassion and attention too." - Nick Conner

"It's anger towards the other side, who are exploiting language and vagueness to basically promote anti-Semitism." - Al the Zionist

"Something that comes with being a part of the Jewish people is that we are demanding of what the government does; where it crosses over is when people are out there delegitimizing that Israel exists. Not everyone who is pro-Palestinian questions the legitimacy of Israel, and yet there are a lot of people questioning it. It is a very difficult space to decipher." - Rabbi Zach Shapiro

"I know people want to talk about this and that, but I cannot do anything about it. If I cannot do anything, I don't want to talk about it." - Maurice

"I see the Zionists speaking at meetings as afraid and motivated people who are desperate. They are afraid that their identity is being attacked." - John Matthews

On the response of the city council...

"I hope that EHRAC recommends more than they say can be done and not worry about what the city attorney thinks is safe. It was the city council's silence that bothered me the most. What I want to know is why." - Ron Davis

"Obviously, anti-Semites have the freedom of speech to say whatever they want. It's unfortunate that they do, so I go there to say what I do. But I think the Culver City Council members are doing a great job not giving into pressure from them." - Al the Zionist

"With more leadership, we could have been beyond this a little bit faster, but I have some encouragement. Perhaps now that we are out of a political season, we don't have to worry about that stuff and do what actually matters to the residents here." - Nick Conner

On parties potentially misunderstanding each other's message...

"Those who are Arab, Muslim, or Palestinian know exactly what they are saying. I think a lot of the people who only have a passing knowledge of what is going on see that Palestinians are suffering, so they just adopt their language without thinking about it." - Al the Zionist

"It seems like people are pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel, and it's not either or. For example, I am a Zionist, but I believe that Palestinians have the right to self-determination as well." - Rabbi Zach Shapiro

"I was told that to promote a ceasefire means that I want Hamas to win. That is absolutely untrue. I want violence to end. I want peace to win." - Nick Conner

The world is very polarized. We are seeing a lot of black-and-white thinking, but it is really important to try to remember that we have to look at nuances in that middle ground and find ways to connect with each other and to see each other as human beings, regardless of what's happening outside our country." - John Matthews

On the Courageous Conversation and its potential results...

"I don't see [the two sides] talking to each other." - Maurice

"I hope it will produce a rethinking of the conflict. The discussion should not be about people not hearing each other; it is about them learning to understand each other." - Ron Davis

"The concern is that it will become another mouthpiece for those who are angry, and people who want to make even more noise will find a way to make that noise." - Rabbi Zach Shapiro

"Politicians are going to try and impact your emotions in a way to get you to respond to their cause, but if we take that power away from them, then we actually have the opportunity to have more effective and healing conversations." - John Matthews

I am naturally a bit nervous going into it, not totally knowing what to expect, and I imagine people that are on the other side of the topic feel the same way. But I believe that people of good faith who want the process to have a positive result are going to be the prominent people to show up and attend." - Nick Conner