On Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog awarded a Presidential Medal of Honor to Israel Bonds in a ceremony in Jerusalem, during which he praised its \u201coutstanding work\u201d that \u201cserves as a solid confirmation that despite attempts to isolate us, the people of Israel never stand alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Two days later, on Wednesday, Mark Levine, New York City comptroller, told the New York Times<\/i> that the city will not invest<\/u><\/a><\/span> in Israel Bonds, citing concerns about their investment strength.<\/span><\/p>\n William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella group that represents about 50 Jewish groups, told JNS that \u201cMark Levine\u2019s decision is indefensible and repudiates the clear commitment he made to voters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIsrael Bonds began in 1951. Israel\u2019s record since then is unbroken, with not one missed payment of principal or interest,\u201d Daroff said. \u201cInvestors purchased more than $8.5 billion in Israel Bonds since Oct. 7, 2023, underscoring the strength of continued confidence in Israel and the failure of efforts to isolate it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNew York City should reverse course and restore its investment,\u201d he told JNS.<\/span><\/p>\n Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B\u2019nai B\u2019rith International, told JNS that the nonprofit is \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d with Levine\u2019s decision \u201cto reverse his clear campaign commitment and decline to reinvest New York City pension funds in Israel Bonds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIsrael has an unbroken record of meeting every principal and interest payment on its bonds since 1951, including those held by the city for nearly half a century,\u201d Bernstein said. \u201cOther major U.S. public funds continue to invest in them as sound, diversified holdings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The reversal, which New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters that he welcomes, \u201csends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,\u201d Bernstein said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFraming the choice solely as a narrow financial calculation does not change the larger message it delivers,\u201d he told JNS. \u201cWe urge Comptroller Levine to reconsider and to restore this longstanding, responsible investment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York, stated that Levine\u2019s \u201cmisguided decision not to renew New York City\u2019s investments in Israel Bonds is an economically damaging decision that harms New York City and its residents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIsrael\u2019s economy continues to thrive and demonstrate remarkable strength, driven by the spirit of innovation and resilience that defines the Israeli people and society,\u201d Akunis stated. \u201cThe fact that Mayor Mamdani welcomed this decision speaks volumes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Israeli envoy called the city\u2019s decision \u201ca victory for those who hate Israel, oppose Zionism and support the BDS movement,\u201d or the movement to boycott the Jewish state.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis decision will only further fuel antisemitism in New York City, which has already reached unprecedented levels under Mayor Mamdani\u2019s leadership,\u201d Akunis stated.<\/span><\/p>\n Daniel Friedman, a rabbi and political science professor at Touro University, told JNS that \u201cIsrael has never enjoyed the luxury of geopolitical tranquility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt has faced existential threats, terrorism and repeated wars throughout its history, yet it has never defaulted on its Israel Bonds. What, then, has changed?\u201d the professor said. \u201cOne significant development is the growing political campaign to delegitimize Israel and discourage investment in its economy. Mayor Mamdani has publicly opposed the city\u2019s purchase of Israel Bonds. Such campaigns undermine investor confidence and increase borrowing costs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That means, Friedman told JNS, that \u201cpolitical hostility is largely responsible for making Israeli investments less attractive, and so it\u2019s troubling when public officials invoke those deteriorating investment conditions as justification for further withdrawal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n At the ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday, Herzog said that \u201cthe proceeds from Israel bonds have been used to build and develop our economy, to promote advancements in science and technology and to provide a vital network of support during times of crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis has never been more evident than during the past few years of uncertainty, loss and courage, here in Israel, since Oct. 7,\u201d the Israeli president said. \u201cThe outstanding work by Israel Bonds raised $1 billion of capital in the first month following Oct. 7, and more than $8.5 billion since that dark day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo us, this serves as a solid confirmation that despite attempts to isolate us, the people of Israel never stand alone,\u201d he said. \u201cIn fact, over the past 75 years, more than $58 billion worth of Israel bonds have been purchased around the world, solidifying Israel\u2019s long-term standing in the global market and demonstrating the trust investors have in Israel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have repaid that trust, never once defaulting, as I am certain we will continue to do,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n On Thursday morning, Levine stated<\/a><\/span> that anybody saying that \u201cI am giving up on Israel is trying to turn the ordinary re-balancing and management of a pension portfolio into a political issue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe economic relationship between New York City and Israel is deeply important, bringing substantial investment into our city and generating strong returns for our pension funds,\u201d the Jewish comptroller stated. \u201cOur funds invest around the world, including more than $285 million in Israel, primarily in equities. Israel remains one of the world\u2019s most dynamic and innovative economies, and those holdings remain an important part of our portfolio.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The city\u2019s pension fund investments show that the Big Apple isn\u2019t boycotting the Jewish state, according to Levine.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI expressed my deep appreciation for the Israel-New York City economic relationship during my campaign for comptroller, and that appreciation remains unchanged. I also pledged to make every investment decision free of politics, based solely on its financial merits and my fiduciary responsibility to 750,000 current and future retirees,\u201d he stated. \u201cWe apply those same principles to Israel Bonds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A \u201cnumber of challenges, including constraints related to a rules change on our short-term investment desk made by the previous comptroller, prevent us from making direct purchases,\u201d Levine stated. \u201cWe continue to evaluate this investment, as we do all potential investments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Levine\u2019s predecessor, Brad Lander, who is the Democratic nominee for a safe New York seat in Congress, has accused Israel of \u201cgenocide\u201d and after losing the mayoral race to Mamdani, has been one of the anti-Israel mayor\u2019s most prominent Jewish supporters.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur commitment to investing in Israel remains clear in the hundreds of millions of dollars in Israeli equities that our pension funds continue to hold,\u201d Levine stated. \u201cLike many Jewish New Yorkers, my deep personal connection to Israel is a part of who I am. It will not change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n After Levine released the statement, the American Jewish Committee said that it welcomed Levine \u201cexpressing his ongoing commitment to maintaining the $285 million investments in Israel by the city\u2019s pension funds and for reaffirming the indelible economic ties between New York and Israel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe thank comptroller Levine for emphasizing both the importance of New York\u2019s long and abiding connection to Israel and that Israel-related investments have provided impressive returns for the city funds he is responsible for protecting,\u201d the AJC said. \u201cWe also appreciate his reaffirmation of the city pension funds\u2019 opposition to BDS.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, we strongly encourage the comptroller to take all measures to evaluate any potential changes made by his predecessor, in order to allow for direct purchases of Israel Bonds to continue,\u201d it said. \u201cThis follows a trend of over a half-century of good returns for the city and responsible financial stewardship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion’68,<\/em> \u2018Indefensible,\u2019 Jewish leaders say of NYC comptroller opting to abort city\u2019s Israel Bonds investments Menachem Wecker The reversal \u201csends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,\u201d Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B\u2019nai B\u2019rith International, told JNS. New York City comptroller Mark Levine speaks at the \u201cState […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134706"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134726,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134706\/revisions\/134726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/a>\u2018Indefensible,\u2019 Jewish leaders say of NYC comptroller opting to abort city\u2019s Israel Bonds investments<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nMenachem Wecker<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe reversal \u201csends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,\u201d Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B\u2019nai B\u2019rith International, told JNS.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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New York City comptroller Mark Levine speaks at the \u201cState of New York\/The Future of Being Jewish in New York\u201d at the 92nd Street Y alongside New York City Council speaker Julie Menin and Manhattan borough president Brad Hoylman-Sigal, April 22, 2026. Credit: Gerardo Romo\/NYC Council.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n