A couple of weeks ago, there was a celebration of Eid–ul-Adha—a three-day Islamic holiday honoring Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God—at the City Hall War Memorial.

There was music, art and joy. But some people not in attendance were upset that it was held at all.

A group of people—some from Newton, others from Brookline and other communities—wrote a letter to Mayor Marc Laredo blasting his administration for allowing the Eid celebration to take place.

“Local Jews are on edge in light of recent incidents such as swastikas on synagogues and Nazi salutes in schools,” the letter to the mayor reads. “We seek assurance that you have a process to vet and approve out-of-town organizations involved in events in our community.”

The group’s main concern expressed in the letter is about “community partners” associated with the celebration. The sponsors, which included the Harmony Foundation, Caffe Nero and Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizzeria, also included the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, which the letter accuses of having raised money for terrorist groups in the past.

In fact, the letter names other groups—like the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund—that weren’t even listed as sponsors and accuses them of terrorist activities. And it discusses other events for other Muslim groups that happened outside of Newton.

The letter doesn’t say how they think Newton’s Eid celebration was tied to terrorism, but it demands information on how the city vets outside organizations that host events on city property.

The city rents out the War Memorial Auditorium to a variety of groups. Recently, there was a celebration of the Hindu holiday Holi in that building. If a Christian group wants to hold a Christmas party there, they can do that as well.

The letter alludes to the mayor having already responded to the group’s concerns. The letter also shows the group was not at all satisfied with the mayor’s response.

The mayor did not respond with comment for this story.

You can read the letter in its entirety here.

“Events like these help strengthen the sense of belonging and connection that make Newton such a special place,” organizer Amira Elamri said in a statement after the festival.

Eid is one of two major Islamic festivals and centers around family and community.

The May 30 celebration was originally planned as an outdoor festival, but the rain that weekend moved it inside. The attendees (there were about 300 people there) didn’t seem to mind, as smiles and music filled the auditorium.

“It is easy to live side-by-side in a city, but the real magic happens when we live with one another,” City Councilor Martha Bixby said.