New Castle Looks to Regroup Committee on Race After Mass Resignations

By Martin Wilbur

New Castle’s entire Committee on Race, Equity and Inclusion (CREI) resigned early last week after sharp disagreements arose over its failure to publicly denounce anti-Semitism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.

In a social media message to the community seen by The Examiner last Tuesday, Supervisor Lisa Katz informed the community of the en masse resignations, stating that the committee’s departure stemmed from their “stance that contradicts the very principles of tolerance and understanding that our town upholds.”

Katz said the five-member CREI issued a first statement on or about Oct. 12, roughly five days after the Oct. 7 attacks, that did not reference or include the word anti-Semitism.

The Town Board unanimously decided against publishing the statement and asked the committee to reword it, showing more support for the Jewish community, Katz explained.

About three days later, the committee composed a second statement that included the word anti-Semitism, which the Town Board approved and was to be included in the town’s Wednesday e-newsletter, the supervisor said. But at its monthly meeting, the CREI decided to rescind the second statement and revert to the original, according to Katz.

At that point, Katz said she wrote a letter to the CREI thanking them for their service to the town but that their statement did not align with the town’s values.

“…After considering the passage of time since the initial terrorist attacks on Israel and the Town’s firm stance against hatred and antisemitism which were not addressed in the CREI’s statement, last night the Town Board unanimously made the decision not to publish the CREI’s statement,” Katz’s letter stated in part. “We unanimously believe it is essential that any official communication should align with the Town’s values of condemning antisemitism and ensuring that hate has no home in New Castle.”

Supurna Banerjee, who had been one of the co-chairs of the CREI, declined to speak about the resignations. No other committee member responded to a request for comment.

The Examiner obtained a copy of the CREI’s final statement.

“The reverberations of the unimaginable violence wrought by Hamas against Israeli citizens have been felt keenly in the New Castle community,” the CREI statement read. “The members of the CREI share in the grief and shock at the brutality of these attacks and the continued loss of life, and we wish to support our neighbors connected to the region who are now facing the trauma of war.

“We believe the strength of our tight-knit community lies in our connections, in our coming to each other’s aid in times of need. Please reach out to your neighbors and friends – when avoiding difficult conversations makes it seem like silence is the best path forward, that is when our voices and support matters most.”

It then welcomed the community to reach out to them with their thoughts or for people to contact them who are in need of support.

The Town Board formally accepted the CREI’s resignations at its Oct. 24 meeting.

The CREI was formed in the aftermath of the tensions that arose from the murder of George Floyd in 2020, followed by a months-old racist TikTok video posted by several Horace Greeley High School students that surfaced a short time later.

Last week, Councilwoman Victoria Tipp, the liaison to the CREI who will become the next supervisor on Jan. 1, said events that are playing out on a global stage are having an impact in New Castle and many other communities as well.

Tipp said the challenge for the town now is to try and unite people with different points of view.

“This is a moment of such great sensitivity and what I think is important for us right now is to bring peace and unity at the very least in our community,” Tipp said.

The events leading up to the resignations and the reaction from some community members on social media posts was distressing, Councilman Jeremy Saland said. There were those who had falsely criticized the Town Board for “taking credit” for having the CREI members resign, he said.

Saland said it was disheartening that the CREI failed to acknowledge that many Jews around the world and close to home are hurting and feel threatened following the attacks because of outbursts of anti-Semitism since the attacks and protests against Israel.

However, other commenters also wrongfully blamed the CREI, Saland said.

“I’m incredibly disappointed about it,” Saland said. “I’m also disappointed that there are people online accusing the CREI of anti-Semitism, and that’s not fair.”

Town officials last week pledged to appoint new members to the committee. Tipp acknowledged that it will be challenging to reformulate a committee with diverse membership and views and whose mission is to bring people together, but it’s a responsibility that the town must not shirk.

“The way I operate and my experience has been that it’s in these moments that you have a challenge that feels so insurmountable and so impossible, that is where you have to rise to these challenges…because the issues are so compelling,” Tipp said. “So I don’t think that’s the time to take a step back. This is a time to dig in.”