Boston City Councilor Wu's New Israel Fund and ADL Connection?

Most politically progressive peace movement activists and supporters who live in Boston endorse or support the U.S. Palestinian solidarity movement’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] campaign in the 21st-century.

Yet in a Sept. 21, 2021 press release, Daniel Sokatch, the CEO of the New Israel Fund, released a statement which declared “Make no mistake, the New Israel Fund does not support the global BDS Movement.” In addition, on its website the New Israel Fund {NIF] group still states the following:

“NIF does oppose the global (or general) BDS movement, views the use of these tactics as counterproductive, and is concerned that segments of the movement seek to undermine the existence of the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland.

“NIF will not fund global BDS activities against Israel nor support organizations that have global BDS programs…”

And an op-ed submitted by the New Israel Fund Atlantic Council group to the Atlanta Jewish Times website and posted on June 17, 2015 noted that “NIF activity works to defeat boycotts of Israel.”

Coincidentally, on Aug. 11, 2021 a board member of the New Israel Fund group that has, both historically and currently (unlike the Jewish Voice for Peace anti-war group), opposed the BDS campaign, Weston, MA’s Paul Egerman, gave a $50,000 individual campaign contribution to the Boston Turnout Independent Expenditure PAC, according to the Boston Turnout Independent Expenditure PAC’s financial disclosure forms.

And between May 10, 2021 and Aug. 23, 2021 this “Independent Expenditure PAC” spent $298,878 of the $415,500 it collected during this period supporting Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu’s 2021 mayoral candidacy. In addition, between Aug. 24, 2021 and Sept. 7, 2021, the Boston Turnout Independent Expenditure PAC (that New Israel Fund board member Egerman gave $50,000 to on Aug. 11, 2021) spent another $33,977 supporting Councilor Wu's 2021 mayoral candidacy.

Also coincidentally, during the past 7 years that Councilor Wu has been sitting on the Boston City Council the 2021 Boston mayoral candidate apparently has also not formally endorsed the BDS campaign. And, despite the Israeli military again attacking the people of Gaza during the 2021 Boston preliminary mayoral election campaign, Councilor Wu has apparently not yet agreed to formally endorse the BDS campaign, if elected to be Boston’s new mayor in the November 2021 mayoral election.

Besides sitting on the New Israel Fund board (and being, at one time, the North American Vice President of the New Israel Fund), Paul Egerman was involved during the last decade with another group, J Street--that has, historically and currently, opposed the BDS campaign. A July 18, 2019 statement posted on the J Street website, for example, states that “as an organization, J Street is unequivocal…in our strong opposition to the Global BDS Movement” and “J Street also supports H.Res.246, which expresses strong opposition to the Global BDS Movement against Israel.”

As the Jewish Insider observed in a June 10, 2014 article, titled “J Street donor to host President Obama,” New Israel Fund board member Egerman was “a member of J Street’s Advisory Council and J Street Boston’s Leadership Council” in 2014. In addition, Egerman also co-authored, with J Street national board member (and also then-Dean of Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life) Alan Solomont, a Feb. 15, 2016 op-ed column in the Jerusalem Post which expressed opposition to the BDS campaign.

New Israel Fund board member Egerman is also a trustee of Weston, MA’s “non-profit” Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation. Another trustee, Joanne Egerman, (according to the June 10, 2014 Jewish Insider article) sat on the board in 2014 of a third group that has, historically and currently, opposed the BDS campaign—the Anti-Defamation League [ADL] of New York.

And, not surprisingly, between 2014 and 2019, the Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation of New Israel Fund board member Egerman gave 4 ”charitable grants,”, totaling $800,000, to ADL, according to the foundation’s Form 990 financial filings.

“Independent Expenditure PACs” like the Boston Turnout Independent Expenditure PAC (to which New Israel Fund board member Egerman individually contributed $50,000) are apparently legally allowed to raise funds from individuals without limit.

But an “Independent Expenditure PAC” like the Boston Turnout Independent Expenditure PAC (which spent over $330,000 in support of Boston City Councilor Wu’s mayoral candidacy between May and September 2021) purportedly “may not directly or indirectly coordinate its activity with any Massachusetts candidate or political committee,” under the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s current political campaign financing laws.

( Note: In a Sept. 17, 2021 email to the Michelle For Boston campaign committee, this writer asked if Councilor Wu will agree to formally endorse in 2022 the U.S. peace movement’s and Palestinian solidarity movement’s Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [BDS] campaign—if Councilor Wu is elected mayor of Boston in the November 2021 municipal election? But, as of Sept. 23, 2021, the Michelle For Boston campaign committee has not provided this writer with any brief reply by email).