The Portland City Council vote on Sept. 4 to divest from more than 80 companies linked to Israel appears to have renewed activism among college students at the University of Maine. Groups such as the UMaine chapter of Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) consider the divestment vote an opportunity to advocate for divestment across the nation and raise awareness regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
Israel initiated continuous military actions that spread to Lebanon since the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 reignited ongoing conflicts in the region. The loss of human life in Gaza has escalated significantly, with “more than 40,000 lives lost” amid the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, as reported by AP News on Aug. 15. Currently, over 1.1 million Palestinians are facing famine, and only a handful of hospitals remain operational due to the attacks, as data from the March 2024 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification acute food security analysis shows.
Protests around the world—and within Maine— erupted in response, calling for a ceasefire and underscoring the urgent need to address Palestinian rights and humanitarian needs.
Portland City Council voted unanimously to divest from companies with financial ties to Israel on Sept. 4 in an effort to recognize the humanitarian crisis and to avoid financially supporting Israel.
The resolution was brought forth by Council Member April Fournier, who spoke during the meeting.
“We’re not global peace solvers. We’re not sitting at a table at the U.N. We’re not presidents of countries,” said Fournier. “But what we do have control over is the decisions that we make as elected officials for the way that our resources are used, the way in which our programs are funded and living out our values through the policies that we pass as a body.”
The list of more than 80 companies that Portland will no longer work with include banks, electronics companies, weapons manufacturers and real estate development firms. The vote stems from an Aug. 7 memorandum, which was led by Fournier and sponsored by the city mayor, city manager and several others. The memorandum requested that a meeting take place to discuss the vote. The resolve is set to remain in effect as long as the conflict continues.
City Finance Manager, Brendon O’Connell, stated that he does not believe this will cause any economic impact on the city, as reported in a Sept. 6 article by News Center Maine.
In the weeks prior to the Portland City Council meeting, many concerned citizens sent emails to the council members requesting they support the vote to divest.
“As an American Jew, I’m horrified by the genocide Israel is carrying out in Palestine. I don’t want my tax dollars funding genocide and mindless violence,” said Portland Resident Eva Fury ina n email. “Please pass the resolution to divest from Israel, and help Portland stay on the right side of history.”
As events unfolded in Portland, the UMaine Orono campus chapter of JVP celebrated the vote.
“Obviously we are very excited by the city of Portland’s commitment to divest from Israel. I think that our efforts here at the University of Maine in Orono are bolstered by the state’s largest city taking this step,” said UMaine Student and Club Member Brooke Arend. “As a student chapter of JVP, seeing the state JVP chapter be involved in this victory feels very promising for our own future goals of divestment.”
A mission statement on the national JVP website describes the organization:
“Like generations of Jewish leftists before us, we fight for the liberation of all people. We believe through organizing, we can and will dismantle the institutions and structures that sustain injustice and grow something new, joyful, beautiful and life-sustaining in their place.”