110 rabbis sign petition to boycott Portland, Maine for its BDS resolution

In early September, Portland, Maine’s City Council adopted the BDS resolution divesting from 80 companies doing business with Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

In response to Portland, Maine’s decision to divest from companies doing business with Israel, 110 rabbis signed a petition to boycott the city until it repeals its BDS legislation.

Rabbis from all over the United States signed a letter that began, “We, the undersigned, sign our names to publicly express our hurt and outrage at the City of Portland for their one-sided action against the State of Israel.”

The letter continued, “Portland’s decision to align with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign only fuels the current surge of antisemitism that has overwhelmed our country. FBI statistics have repeatedly shown that more than one in two religious hate crimes are perpetrated against ethnic and religious Jews. Hatred rises where BDS is present.”

“Given the absence of agenda items addressing the 120 other active conflicts around the world—such as the Russia-Ukraine war or the civil war in Sudan, where even more tragic innocent lives have been lost—it is very disheartening to see Portland focusing its criticism solely on Israel, a country grappling with the painful complexities of war and of defense against Iran’s proxies.”

In early September, Portland, Maine’s City Council adopted the BDS resolution that was sponsored by the Maine Coalition for Palestine and Maine’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

Over 80 companies were on the divestment list, including Volvo, Boeing, Chevron, and Intel, which the resolution claims are responsible for the deaths of Gazan civilians.

The resolution cites UN organizations that hold Israel responsible for the war in Gaza and claims that the companies on the list contribute to arming Israel’s military and the expansion of settlements.

Many Jewish residents of Portland, Maine, criticized the resolution, with one speaker saying, “This is not your issue.”

However, some Jews in Portland supported the measure, with Abby Alfred saying, “It is not antisemitic to divest from any company or other entity that is profiting from the murder of children.”