Jewish community members urge Providence leaders to divest from Israel
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Jewish residents are calling on the Providence City Council to pass an ordinance that would divest city funds from Israel.
Members of Jewish Voice for Peace Rhode Island (JVP-RI) delivered handwritten postcards from hundreds of Providence residents, asking city leaders to "show what democracy looks like" by honoring their constituents' wishes and divesting from "death and destruction."
Jewish Voice for Peace, according to its website, is the "largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization" committed to Palestinian solidarity, racial justice, and collective liberation.
On Thursday evening, the group marked the Jewish holiday Sukkot with a ceremony outside City Hall to advocate for Ordinance No. 45610, introduced on June 6.
SEE ALSO: Providence councilors propose divesting from Israel
If passed, it would prevent the city from investing in Israeli government bonds or the bonds of any government maintaining a prolonged military occupation.
JVP-RI highlighted that Providence has invested in Israeli bonds for over 20 years, holding more than $2 million as recently as 2022. They argue that, in addition to being unethical, these bonds are a poor financial investment. With the city’s direct investments now expired, the group believes it is the right time to ensure the city avoids future investments of this nature.
"As we witness the Israeli military massacring Palestinian refugees, dropping bombs on tents, and burning people alive in Jabalia, we are horrified to know that our city is actively funding this ongoing genocide," JVP-RI said in a press release.
More than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and over 80,000 have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
RI communities reflect on one-year anniversary of Israel-Hamas war
JVP-RI member Jackie Goldman told 12 News she is enraged that more people are doing this in her name and the name of Jewish safety.
"We want to give our city council members these postcards to show them what their constituents want, and to show them that there's this real push to have the city do something that would have such a big impact both financially, as well as signal other cities across the country that this is something that they can do too," Goldman said.
RELATED: Israel confirms it has killed top Hamas leader in Gaza
Meanwhile, Brown University students also rallied for divestment. On Friday, members of the Brown Divest Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine held a march on College Hill, calling on elected representatives to back similar actions.
Niyanta Nepal, a member of the Brown Divest Coalition, was one of the 19 students who went on an eight-day hunger strike in February in support of divestment.
She believes the city's investment in Israel Bonds is "actively perpetrating human rights violations on the ground in Palestine."
"When you are thinking about one percent of a multi-billion dollar endowment, that one percent is actually the same as $66 million," Nepal said. "Many human rights violations that our students on this campus have been subjected to when they've been home are utterly disgraceful."
This follows the Brown Corporation's decision to reject divestment from Israel, based on a recommendation from its Advisory Committee on University Resources Management (ACURM). The committee said that Brown holds no direct investments in the companies targeted for divestment, with any indirect investments being negligible.
According to ACURM, the university is neither directly invested in any of the companies listed in the student-led Brown Divest Coalition’s proposal, nor does its indirect investment exceed 0.01% of the "aggregate market value of the ten companies."
A spokesperson for Brown University provided 12 News with the following statement regarding Friday's protest:
"Brown's policies make very clear that protest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression on campus, provided protests don't interfere with the normal functions of the University or infringe on the rights of others. Students continue to have the ability to hold protests and demonstrations, provided they abide by the University’s codes of conduct and policies and protocols related to protests and demonstration."
MORE: Brown Corporation votes against divesting from Israel
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