Jewish Democratic leaders on Tuesday called for an end to the “divisive rhetoric” within their party over the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The rhetoric reached its peak over the past several days during the special session of the Colorado General Assembly, when Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the House proceedings. That disruption delayed the end of the special session on Monday, including when Rep. Elisabeth Epps, D-Denver, joined protesters in the House gallery in shouting at lawmakers on the House floor.

At one point, Epps and the protesters called Democrats “fascists.”

The statement from more than 150 Jewish Democrats said they are “deeply concerned about the harmful and divisive narrative that has surfaced within our party” since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

That day, Hamas, which the U.S. government lists as a terrorist organization, stormed across the border into southern Israel and killed at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped some 240 others, including Americans, taking them into Gaza.

The Jewish Democrats did not mention Epps by name.

“Recent statements from individual members and caucuses within the Colorado Democratic Party are undermining our shared values and perpetuating the very marginalization and ‘othering’ we as a party work so hard to combat,” they said in the statement.

“It should go without saying, we believe the loss of one innocent life is too much. That includes Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, Christians and Arabs and Atheists – every single human being. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on coming together to grieve and work through our intense emotions, too much time and energy has been consumed by the actions and statements from individuals and groups that completely ignore the Jewish people, and are at times, blatantly antisemitic,” the leaders added.

That includes social media posts that glorify and celebrate the “brutality of Hamas terrorists,” they said, calling such posts “appalling.”

“Equating a military response to a terrorist attack as ‘ethnic cleansing,’ ‘genocide,’ or “‘colonizing’ is not only inaccurate, it is downright dangerous,” they said. 

The leaders asked why those making those comments did not first reach out to Jewish colleagues before issuing statements “that inherently include and implicate us and our loved ones?”

“We call on you, members of our party and allies in the fight for freedom, equality and justice, to stop this dangerous and divisive rhetoric,” the leaders said, adding that those words and actions are dividing the party at a time when unity is more critical than ever.

Among the more than 150 signatories are current and former state lawmakers, including Sens. Dafna Michaelson Jenet of Aurora, Joann Ginal of Fort Collins, Senate President Steve Fenberg, former Sens. Lois Court and Joyce Foster, former state representative and now Boulder County commissioner Claire Levy and Attorney General Phil Weiser. 

During debate Saturday on a bill on a federal food and nutrition program, Epps spoke for nearly an hour, criticizing Israel for “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” and her fellow Democratic lawmakers for failing to support her position.

Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Loveland Republican who is Jewish, responded to the rhetoric on Sunday, calling the remarks antisemitic. 

On Monday, he was also given wide latitude to speak to the House after Epps’ statements. She shouted at him from the gallery, where she sat with the pro-Palestinian protesters. Weinberg stopped twice, while Speaker Pro tem Chris deGruy Kennedy tried to restore order.

“This past four days has truly been hard because I came from a session of bipartisanship to a special session of nothing,” Weinberg said. “I ask you to stand with me today, be the example this state needs. We are sick of the division. We are not enemies. We are allowed to have different principles and thoughts, but we can come to the table and fix the problems of this state.”

Epps was also criticized by fellow Democrats, including Rep. David Ortiz, D-Centennial, who stated on X: “This is embarrassing … for us & for the people of Colorado. Weinberg wasn’t sitting in the gallery with protestors of his own interrupting Epps. Some people are here to do work … others are here to put on a performance & act like petulant children.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters also disrupted the session in the House on Saturday, as they draped flags and banners in the House gallery and shouted at lawmakers, including yelling, “Blood on your hands.”

The protests were cheered by several lawmakers, including Rep. Tim Hernandez, D-Denver, who said in a post on X that he is “standing in strong solidarity with Coloradans who bravely stood up and disrupted our job this morning calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza. Over a majority of Americans now support a Ceasefire. I urge my colleagues to listen.”

Hernandez also replaced the U.S. flag on his desk Saturday with a Palestinian flag. He was among a group of Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Iman Jodeh, who is Palestinian-American, Javier Mabry, Andrew Boesenecker, Jennifer Bacon, and Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, who met with the protesters after they were removed from the gallery.

The Anti-Defamation League also issued a statement on Tuesday, criticizing Epps directly and calling on Democratic House leaders to review its rules and procedures to “ensure this type of inappropriate attack and interruption by a member of the House does not take place in the future.”

House Rule 23(b) says “no member shall engage in loud private discourse or commit any other act tending to distract the attention of the House from the business before it.”

The House has not invoked that rule in at least 25 years. 

The ADL said it is “deeply disturbed that a Colorado state lawmaker attempted to redirect debate on a summer food program for students into a monologue on the Israel-Hamas war and then shouted down a Jewish member of the legislature attempting to respond to her remarks.”

ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin added, “It is outrageous that a Colorado state lawmaker would divert time and taxpayer resources to force debate on an issue outside the purview of Colorado state government. It is appalling and unacceptable that the same lawmaker would heckle a fellow lawmaker, who is Jewish, while he spoke about being a descendant of Holocaust survivors and explained how the failed amendment impacted him.”

Levin added: “There is a time and place for sincere conversation and debate on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. A special session on property tax relief is not that time and a state legislative body is not that place.”

Gov. Jared Polis did not sign the letter, but, through a spokesman, he told Colorado Politics he is “deeply troubled by the rise in antisemitism and islamophobia” across the state and that he generally agrees with the letter’s sentiment. The spokesman said Polis normally does not sign on to sign-on letters, except with his fellow governors as vice chair of the National Governors Association.

“Governor Polis is deeply troubled by the rise in antisemitism and islamophobia across Colorado and the world, and targeted violence generally. As the letter indicates, the governor believes deeper talks and mutual understanding are critical to stopping incidents of antisemitism and all forms of hate and calls on Coloradans to remember the complex story of Jewish identity and antisemitism and not feed into divisive rhetoric that contributes to intolerance and antisemitism,” the spokesman said.

“The governor generally agrees with the sentiments expressed in the letter. In recent months, and in response to escalating antisemitism, the governor’s office has been engaging with stakeholders in the Jewish and faith communities on ways to combat the rise of antisemitism in Colorado and Governor Polis issued a strong proclamation condemning antisemitism,” the spokesman added.  

Colorado Politics asked House Speaker Julie McCluskie of Dillon to address the incident Monday, but she declined, asking for time for review and discussions with fellow House leaders.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.