March 16, 2017
Senator David Parks
P.O. Box 71887
Las Vegas, NV 89170-1887
Re: Senate Bill #26
Dear Senator Parks:
The Las Vegas Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace urges the Government Affairs Committee to reject SB
26 as a costly and unconstitutional interference with free speech. Jewish Voice for Peace is the fastest
growing Jewish organization in the US and we recently launched our chapter here in Las Vegas with over
80 supporters.
At a time when Nevada is facing major fiscal problems and our public schools have one of the worst
ratings in the nation, it is concerning that Nevada lawmakers are focusing on punishing companies for
political stances they do not agree with.
SB 26 would require the state to develop a blacklist of for-profit entities that are deemed to support the
nonviolent boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights. Prohibiting the
state from contracting with, or investing in, the companies on the blacklist, this bill, and a plethora of
similar ones across the country, have caused alarm amongst civil rights and constitutional attorneys who
consider them unconstitutional and a violation of Americans free speech rights.
Boycotts are constitutionally protected speech and have a rich history in the U.S. as tactics to bring
about political, economic, and social change. Our own American Revolution began with a boycott of
British goods. More recently, our country has a long history of boycotts used to advance civil rights,
justice and political freedom. Today we celebrate the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Caesar Chavez
Grape Boycott but they were controversial at the time. Boycotting is a legal, moral and most important
non-violent means of protest which is why our Constitution protects our right to boycott. By law, states
may not condition the receipt of benefits on the requirement that you forgo a constitutional right.
At a time when we face a very real rise in antisemitism, including threats to our own Nevada Jewish
institutions, it is very disconcerting to see that this bill wrongly conflates criticism of Israeli policies with
antisemitism. These sorts of wrong conflations are harmful, and frankly insulting.
It is more important now more than ever before that people are aware of what constitutes antiSemitism. Antisemitism is discrimination against, violence towards, or stereotypes of Jews for being
Jewish. Israel is a sovereign state. As Americans we have a constitutional right to be critical of another
country based on that country’s human rights record. Judaism and Jewish identity encompass a
Senator Parks P. 2
diversity of religious and secular expressions and a robust, varied set of traditions, cultures, and lived
experiences. Instead, SB 26 reinforces the myth that the 2005 Palestinian call for boycotts, divestments
and sanctions (BDS) as a nonviolent tactic to put economic pressure on Israel to comply with
international law is somehow antisemitic.
Jewish Voice for Peace endorses the call for BDS against Israel from Palestinian civil society as part of our
work for freedom, justice and equality for all people. We believe that the time-honored, non-violent
tools proposed by the BDS call provide powerful opportunities to make that vision real.
Regardless of one’s position on Israel and Palestine; this bill sets a dangerous and potentially
unconstitutional precedent of our state interfering in free speech and then utilizing taxpayer funds to
enforce an irresponsible decision to meddle in foreign policy.
Sincerely,
Seth Morrison
Chapter Coordinator