Help Defeat BDS

A bill (HB2723) has been introduced in the Illinois House that would repeal Illinois’ decade-old anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) law. We need your help to defeat these bills, starting in the Illinois House of Representatives. Our leaders need to hear from all of us that now is the time to defeat discriminatory boycotts targeting Israel, not empower them.

BDS proponents are telling legislators that the Jewish community supports them and that repealing the anti-BDS law, and advancing the broader BDS movement, benefits Jews. But the voices they are listening to do not reflect our Jewish community; they represent a narrow subset of fringe players. They are not representative of our broad Jewish community and should not be treated as such. We must use our voices to make clear that they are wrong.

The effort to defeat the repeal of Illinois’ anti-BDS law is being led by a broad coalition that includes Agudah Israel, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago, Jewish Federation of Peoria, Jewish Federation of Rockford, Jewish Federation of Springfield, Jewish Federation of Quad Cities, RAC IL, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, StandWithUs and a broad array of Jewish leaders and clergy from across the state. The most important voices our legislators need to hear are yours – their constituents!

Take action today:

FILL OUT THE ACTION ALERT BELOW
Join us for a in-person meeting (in-district or Springfield) by filling out this form.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me, Annie Warshaw, JUF’s Director of Community and Government Relations.

We need you to help grow this effort – please share it with at least 2-3 friends who will stand with Israel and our community and take action to defeat this bill.

Thank you for your leadership and for standing with our community at this important moment.

In partnership,

Annie Warshaw

Dear [Lawmaker],

I’m writing to ask you to oppose House Bill 2723. This bill would repeal current Illinois Pension Code language requiring the Illinois Investment Policy Board to identify companies that boycott Israel as being prohibited for pension fund investments. The current law passed unanimously over a decade ago is narrow and responsible, and it does not restrict commerce, state contracting, or free speech.

The existing law was passed to combat the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which explicitly rejects a two-state solution, reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, undermines peaceful co-existence, and fuels antisemitism. Thirty-seven other states have enacted measures to combat the BDS movement.

House Bill 2723 is divisive and does not advance peace. With antisemitism and acts of hate on the rise, I want to underscore that supporting House Bill 2723 would have a direct and personal impact on my community as BDS supporters have harassed politicians, academics, performers and business owners at public events, their work, on campuses and at their homes. Repealing the current anti-BDS law signals alignment with that agenda and legitimizes a movement that fuels hostility toward Jews.

This concern is shared broadly across Illinois. The effort to oppose repealing Illinois’ anti-BDS law is being led by a wide coalition that includes Agudath Israel of Illinois, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish United Fund / Jewish Federation of Chicago, Jewish Federation of Peoria, Jewish Federation of Rockford, Jewish Federation of Springfield, Jewish Federation of Quad Cities, RAC IL, Simon Wiesenthal Center, StandWithUs, and Jewish leaders and clergy from across our state. While these organizations are engaged, the most important voices you will hear from are those of your own constituents—people like me who are directly affected by this decision.

House Bill 2723 is not a human rights initiative–it is divisive and does not advance peace. In fact, it is a distraction from the real needs facing our district and the state. I respectfully urge you to vote NO on HB 2723.

Sincerely,
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