Jewish groups urge boycott of Maine's largest city over divestment plan

Jewish leaders are calling for a boycott of Maine's biggest city over a vote by the city council to pull financial investments tied to Israel over the war in Gaza.

In a paid advertisement published by the Portland Press Herald, a group of more than 100 rabbis and representatives of Jewish organizations blasted the Portland City Council’s unanimous Sept. 4 vote to divest holdings from 85 companies doing business in Israel and called on congregants not to spend their money in the city until the measure is repealed.

"We ask our memberships and all people of good conscience, who support the democratic racially-diverse leading ally of America in the Middle East, to avoid patronizing and financially contributing to the City of Portland until such repeal of the bigoted divestment takes effect," they wrote. "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."

The rabbis said Portland’s decision to align with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign takes a side against Israel in a "horrific and bloody international conflict" and "only fuels the current surge of antisemitism that has overwhelmed our country."

"Hatred rises where BDS is present," they wrote. "Religious persecution is caused by the demonization and the delegitimization of minorities, often resulting in the targeting of the Jewish community."

Members of the City Council who proposed the divestment plan cited Israel's war against Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Lebanon. The unanimous vote made the city of only a handful to approve divestment plans following Israel's declaration of war and response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis and saw hundreds taken hostage.

Portland Mayor Mark Dion later reversed his position on the Israel divestment resolution, calling his approval of the plan a "betrayal" and saying he would support repealing the resolution.

"Upon personal reflection and following many private conversations I have had with our Jewish neighbors, I have come to the conclusion that my vote on the divestment was wrong," he said in remarks last month to the city council. "I had not only failed to stay in my lane, but I went totally off the road."

The measure passed despite objections from many in the city's Jewish community, including the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, which denounced it as a “one-sided” gesture. However, it was backed by local pro-Palestinian groups, including the Maine chapter of the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace.