Anti-Israel activists have been trying for years to get U.S. religious organizations and colleges-universities to divest from companies doing business with Israel.
But the divestment weapon can be aimed elsewhere, and the Wisconsin Jewish Conference has decided to support divestment efforts targeted at two other countries.
At its board meeting in Madison Sunday, the conference board approved efforts to prohibit the State of Wisconsin Investment Board from investing in companies doing business with Sudan and Iran.
Legislation is already pending in both houses of the state legislature vis a vis Sudan, said Michael Blumenfeld, conference executive director. One, Assembly Bill 124, was introduced by Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee); the other, Senate Bill 57, was introduced by Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls).
The action is in response to the genocide taking place in Sudan’s Darfur region, an atrocity that activists believe is supported by the Sudanese government.
The Sudan divestment campaign is being coordinated by the Darfur Action Coalition of Wisconsin, whose organizational members include the conference, the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis, the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations and many Wisconsin synagogues.
Both bills are opposed by the investment board because the bills “attempt to send a political message to Sudan at the expense of the members of the retirement system,” according to board executive director Dave Mills, quoted in the board’s March 2007 newsletter.
According to the investment board’s Web site, the board “is the state agency that invests the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), State Investment Fund and other state trust funds.”
Divestment measures from Iran, however, have not yet been introduced in the state legislature. Blumenfeld said that the conference instructed him to “work on possible legislation to be introduced” to the legislature.
This effort, he said, will be for the purpose of “supporting the world community and other states in isolating Iran through economic pressure because of its stated goals of destroying Israel.”
Blumenfeld said that Iran and Sudan divestment efforts are taking place in states “all over the country.” He also said that because of the budget process “going on now” in Madison, “the soonest something could happen” on Iran divestment legislation “would be in the fall.”
The attending board members — 12 people, representing five of the 17 member communities in the conference — also discussed several proposed items in the state government budget, Blumenfeld said.
Such items included funding transportation for elderly and disabled people, and “the possibility of tax exemptions relating to non-profit housing,” Blumenfeld said.
Board members also presented a commendation from Gov. Jim Doyle to Joel G. Pittelman, a co-chair of the conference for the past six years. He is stepping down because of his new role as president of the board of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations.
Blumenfeld said the conference has two chairs, one from Milwaukee, one from elsewhere in the state. At present, the second co-chair is Mark D. Laufman of Madison.
Pittelman has been the longest serving Milwaukee co-chair to date, said Blumenfeld. Blumenfeld also said that the Milwaukee Jewish Federation is working to find Pittelman’s successor.
The conference was founded by the federation in 1987. Its aims are to build relations between the state’s Jewish communities; to engage in coalition building, education and outreach to the general state community; and to monitor state legislative and lobbying activities.
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