Jewish Organizations Sue Medford Over Financial Divestment Ordinance: Report

MEDFORD, MA — Multiple local Jewish organizations have filed lawsuits against the city due to an ordinance the City Council passed last year, according to a report from Gotta Know Medford.

The Values-Aligned Local Investments Ordinance that was first passed in August 2025 divests city funds from any companies it believes supplies weapons, derive revenue from prisons or fossil fuels, or contribute to human rights violations such as genocide.

While not specifically stated in the motion, the Values-Aligned Local Investments Ordinance was primarily inspired by the events in Gaza between Israel and Palestine. At the time of its approval, Medford was the third municipality in the country to execute this type of divestiture along with Portland, Maine and Dearborn, Michigan. In October, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn threatened to veto the Council’s vote on the ordinance arguing that it was adopted prematurely without the necessary amount of due diligence.

The Gevura Fund and the National Jewish Advocacy Center and the law firm of Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey, P.C. are the groups who have filed the lawsuit against the city for the ordinance. Among many arguments, the complaint claims that the ordinance conflicts with Massachusetts investment laws, which require city officials to prioritize liquidity and yield when managing public funds. The complaint argues that the council is replacing objective financial protocols with subjective ideological reasoning.

While Gevura Fund President Tina Snider argued in generalities against financial boycotts of any group, Libby Hoopes Brooks & Mulvey, P.C. Managing Partner Douglas Brooks directly referred to the ordinance as “antisemitic discrimination.”

Patch has reached out to Medford leadership for a response.

Read more at Gotta Know Medford.

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