110 leading American rabbis have united in an unprecedented action, signing a petition calling for a boycott of Portland, Maine, following the city council's September decision to cut economic ties with Israel and divest from the country.
The anti-Israel resolution came after lobbying efforts by Maine for Palestine, a Muslim organization in the state, and the JVP – Jewish Voice for Peace Maine chapter. Citing "the ongoing killing of Palestinians in Gaza," the city moved to boycott major corporations including Intel, Boeing, and Caterpillar. In a subsequent development last month, Mayor Mark Dion issued a public apology for his vote, acknowledging it as a "serious error in judgment" and "a betrayal of trust of Jewish people."
The initiative, spearheaded by Rabbi Dovid Asher of Virginia, will appear as a full-page advertisement in newspapers, bearing signatures from prominent religious leaders including Rabbi Pini Dunner of Beverly Hills, Rabbi Menachem Penner, Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Rabbi Yamin Levy of Long Island, Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, and Rabbi Shaul Robinson of Manhattan's Lincoln Square Synagogue.
In their forceful statement, the rabbis declared, "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. While we all love the State of Israel, this letter is not about our support for Israel but rather to inform the City of Portland about the deep pain and lasting damage they have caused to the American Jewish community."
The letter emphasized the dangerous implications of Portland's action: "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. Religious persecution is caused by the demonization and the delegitimization of minorities, often resulting in the targeting of the Jewish community."
The religious leaders pointed out Portland's selective criticism, noting that the city overlooked 120 active conflicts worldwide, including Sudan's civil war with its significant civilian casualties: "it is very disheartening to see Portland focusing its criticism solely on the one Jewish state, grappling with the painful complexities of war and defense against Iran's proxies," they stated.
"Every conflict, every civilian casualty, deserves equal attention and compassion. Rather than embracing a Jewish community still reeling from the shock of the heinous October 7th massacre and the aftershocks of record-high global antisemitic incidents, the Portland City Council has decided to set a double standard that inspires and encourages antisemitism across the United States.
"Whereas, the City of Portland has departed from its natural order by taking sides in a horrific and bloody international conflict, be it advised that we, the undersigned, call upon our congregants and constituencies to avoid doing business with any municipality that anchors hatred of Jews within its bylaws by placing another yellow star upon a Jewish entity. This resolution may also run afoul of anti-discrimination legislation and executive orders passed by 38 states, thereby risking termination of the ongoing contracts it has with them," the rabbis wrote in an unprecedented move.
"We ask our memberships and all people of good conscience, who support the democratic racially diverse leading role of America in the Middle East, to avoid patronizing and financially contributing to the City of Portland until such repeal of the targeted divestment takes effect," they added. The rabbis concluded with a conciliatory note: "With apologies to all fair-minded Portlanders, we hope and pray these actions help restore your city to a more equitable tolerance for all peoples."
