Jewish Voice for Peace stages protests over Israeli bonds in Center City

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators with Jewish Voices for Peace shut down a street in Center City for an hour on Tuesday to protest the investment of private and taxpayer dollars in Israel Bonds, the latest action in an unrelenting local campaign against the war in Gaza.

The rally, which coincided with Israel’s Independence Day, is part of an ongoing divestment strategy led by the Jewish activist group, and comes three months after a similar demonstration in Harrisburg that sought to pressure the state treasurer over investment in Israeli bonds. It also comes days after police disbanded a protest encampment on the University of Pennsylvania campus, drawing criticism from some students, faculty, and local officials.

Tuesday’s action took place in front of a bank building that houses the Philadelphia office for the Development Corporation for Israel, the official name of the U.S.-based bond underwriter. Chanting “break the bond,” activists locked arms in the middle of Walnut Street while calling on people to divest from bonds that they said fueled the Israeli military siege in Gaza.

“In this building … people are buying and selling and trading in genocide and apartheid,” said activist Anissa Weinraub.

Israel Bonds are the official state-issued securities that the Israeli government sells to support government spending — and they have long been viewed as a symbol of political support for Israel. The underwriter touts more than $50 billion in sales worldwide since Israel’s founding in 1948.

In a statement, Israel Bonds dismissed the protest outside its Philadelphia branch as a fringe effort that paled in comparison to the support shown for Israel Bonds since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

“The very small group of individuals outside our offices shouting hateful slogans cannot distract from the undeniable truth: Israel Bonds has enjoyed unprecedented support since October 7th, raising more than $3 billion worldwide,” the statement said. “We are grateful for the many investors — from college students to state treasurers — who have bought our bonds in Pennsylvania and across the country. We look forward to building on this success in the months ahead and continuing to make clear that boycott efforts are doomed to fail.”

As morning commuters passed, protesters chanted and sang in Hebrew. Many donned black T-shirts that said “Not In Our Name” — a rallying cry for pro-Palestinian Jewish activists who are critical of Zionism, the belief that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people.

Protesters shared childhood stories about how, often through family members, investing in the foreign bonds was a part of their Jewish upbringing.

Sarah Bishop-Stone received an Israel Bond as a bat mitzvah gift from her grandmother in the 1990s.

She lost track of the paper note over the years. But as she got older and watched the conflict intensify overseas, she grew more critical of Israel’s treatment toward Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Eventually, she searched for the bond and withdrew the funds.

”Bombs were everywhere and my money was paying for this,” Bishop-Stone said. “When I say ‘not another nickel, not another dime,’ I mean not another $500 bat mitzvah gift.”

Ro Adler said their family also had a long history of supporting Israel through the purchase of bonds. Adler’s grandparents were concerned about the safety of Jewish people after World War II, and like many Jews, they viewed financially supporting Israel as the right choice.

Adler now disagrees, and views the divestment campaign as a way to return to the Jewish concept of tikkun olam — to heal the world — which predates the founding of Israel.

“There are all kinds of entities from the personal to the national that are invested in Israel, and what we’re calling [for] today as Jews is for all of those entities to divest from Israel, and to divest from genocide,” Adler said. “I hope that Jews from all across the political spectrum can see that what we’re doing is returning to our moral compass as Jews.”

Standing on a nearby street corner, Jaclyn Mason waved a small Israeli flag. She was on her way to work and said she stopped to stage a one-person counterprotest.

“My first reaction was anger, but then my other reaction was really deep sadness, because there isn’t ever anyone on the other end,” Mason said, referring to the regular pro-Palestinian demonstrations throughout the city that rarely draw counterprotests.

Mason described the divestment message as “misinformation,” questioned whether the protesters were Jewish, and then asked why they were protesting Israel when “all countries are engaged in acts of war.”

“Why only Israel? It’s because of Jews. It’s the only type of hatred that’s still tolerated,” Mason said. “It’s a form of antisemitism.”

After less than an hour, the circle of protesters dispersed without incident, revealing a painted message in the street in front of the Israel Bonds office. Pinned between a string of red roses were the words: “Jews say: stop funding genocide.”