Protestors have gathered in Center City on Tuesday morning to block traffic and call for an end to investment in Israel that could be used to fund the war in Gaza.
At about 10 a.m. on Tuesday, organizers with Jewish Voice for Peace, which calls itself a human rights organization, gathered, what they claimed were at least "350 Jewish Philadelphians, rabbis, faith leaders and allies" to call for institutions and individuals to stop investing funds that could be spent to fund the ongoing war in Gaza.
“I personally divested from Israel bonds, and I’m here today, alongside hundreds of other Jews and allies to call for divestment by our community institutions—including the state of Pennsylvania,” Sarah Bishop-Stone, a Jewish Philadelphian and Jewish Voice for Peace-Philadelphia member, said in a statement ahead of the day's protest.
The group, which the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, has called anti-Israel and anti-Zionist, said that they planned to stop traffic on Walnut and Broad streets.
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Police, the group noted, was also on-site throughout the day's event.
The protestors held signs that read: “Genocide funded here” and “Jews say Divest from Israel Bonds," as the blocked the street in front of the offices of the Development Corporation For Israel.
In a statement, organizers of the protest said that they wanted to specifically highlight a call for the Pennsylvania Treasury to divest its almost $100 million in Israel Bonds.
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On Tuesday afternoon, in a statement to NBC10, officials with the Development Corporation For Israel, also known as Israel Bonds, said that they would not let protesters with "hateful slogans" deter their efforts.
“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 read. "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.”
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