Wednesday, Dallas City Council’s meeting was packed by Pro-Palestine members of the community either living or working in the Dallas Metroplex in an effort to put greater pressure on city officials to condemn the genocide currently taking place at the hands of Israel.
Comments from the community were overwhelmingly supportive of Palestinians undergoing bombardment and occupation from both settlers and Israeli military. Speakers specifically voiced disapproval with the previous resolution voicing the Council’s “unequivocal support for Israel.”
District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua made a statement the following Thursday evening, calling for a new resolution supporting humanitarian aid to Gaza. But the statement also calls for displacement of Palestinian people to bordering countries and stops short of supporting a ceasefire. While Bazaldua has offered at least a small concession to constituents to acknowledge the violence committed against Palestinian civilians, Mayor Eric Johnson and other members of City Council have been resistant to voice meaningful support for those affected by the Siege.
Upon reviewing campaign finances from the last two election cycles, it is clear that the vast majority of members of City Council have reported receiving consistent support from Zionist or Pro-Israel institutions and public figures from religious bodies, energy corporations, or the defense industry.
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas (JFGD) is a local nonprofit organization that collaborates with several synagogues/temples through various community organizations in Dallas. JFGD is a staunchly Zionist group, organizing ‘crisis support’ funds, solidarity missions to Israel, and Pro-Israel demonstrations. Often collaborating with other Zionist groups such as the American Defamation League (ADL) and Christians United for Israel, the JFGD is affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC is one of the largest donors of Pro-Israeli causes in the United States. The organization has supported the mayor and our City Council for more than five years, either through donations from specific members of the board of the Jewish Community Foundation or congregants of associated institutions such as Temple Emanu-El.
As Mayor Eric Johnson holds the most Zionist connections in his campaign finances overall, his connections to Jewish conservatives seems to stem partially from relationships forged during his time during and after law school. Several Pro-Israel donors of Johnson’s last two campaigns were fellow alumni at Harvard, with even more holding ties to JFGD either through donations or positions/former positions on community boards.
Overall though, campaign finances show that the mayor’s connections to Zionism range from the largely political or symbolic (George Seay – former GOP politician and member of the Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Staubachs) to the financially-invested (Cynthia Trochu of Texas Instruments, PACs from Raytheon, and Pepsico). Both direct and indirect, over 50 of the mayor’s largest donors have connections to Israel.
Other donors of note include Malone Mitchell and Kathleen Bell Cooper of Exxon, members of the ADL-affiliated international law firm Gibson Dunn LLP, and Nash Technology Group President/CEO and Advisor for Transformation and Reform for the US Department of Defense Ron Nash.
While most members of the City Council have received Zionist money through campaign donations — with significantly less connections boasted by members Kathy Stewart and Paul Ridley of District 10 and 14 respectively — Jaynie Schultz holds the strongest connections to the Jewish right. With a huge portion of her donors identified as congregants of JFGD-affiliated Temple Emanu-El, Schultz’s Zionist connections are by far the strongest of any member of the council. As daughter of the late Dallas lawyer and philanthropist Howard Schultz, Jaynie established the Schultz Family Israel Educator Fellowship to give Jewish youth of Dallas a pro-Israel education. Additionally, Schultz has commented on the conflict via X (formerly Twitter), voicing her support for Israel and condemning resistance group Hamas.
While Schultz has been steadfast in her support, none on the council have been as active on social media during the siege as Cara Mendelsohn. The District 12 council member has taken several opportunities to express support for Israel and to spread harmful rhetoric and misinformation regarding Palestinians and Hamas. This includes, but is not limited to, sharing misleading polls such as those released by Center of American Political Studies (CAPS)/Harris Poll, which have been previously pointed out as skewed to support a conservative narrative.
Formerly the President and Member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Family Service of Dallas, Mendelsohn also holds significant support from well-known Dallas families such as the Hunts of Hunt Oil Co. and the Crow family of Trammell Crow Company. Other families supporting Mendelsohn, such as the Garfields of Garfield Public/Private LLC, have held strong associations with JFGD through direct connections. A notable example could be found in family member Karen Garfield’s leadership as Executive Director of State of Israel Bonds, an investment firm funneling money into the settler state. Mendelsohn previously spoke at a Pro-Israel protest organized by Benji Gurshon with assistance from Christians United for Israel.
Among the most consistent donors to the City Council and Mayor Johnson is Neil Goldberg, an owner of Gold Metal Recyclers and a staunch supporter of JFGD. Goldberg has supported members of City Council such as Jaynie Schultz, Gay Donnell Willis, Adam Bazaldua, Tennell Atkins, and Eric Johnson. Others, such as donor Robert Feldman, a lawyer and a former member of the Dallas Real Estate Council, has contributed greatly to JFGD-organizations through his nonprofit the Robert Feldman Foundation while making significant contributions to the Dallas City Council. Prominent Dallas family and affiliates of the JFGD-affiliated Southwest Jewish Congress, the Glendennings have unilaterally supported the campaigns of nine out of 14 total City Council members, as well as Eric Johnson.
Despite disapproval from community members regarding the Council’s unwillingness to call for a ceasefire, Dallas City Council and Mayor Johnson have largely remained silent since Bazaldua’s announcement after Pro-Palestinian activists packed City Hall on Dec. 13.
The City of Dallas, with all of its connections to oil, defense technology, and other corporate sectors, plays an increasingly important role to the State of Israel as the colonization of Palestine continues.