Jewish Voice for Peace - Buffalo

07/29/2026

We Were Seeds Zine Release Party
Friday, August 28th, 7-9PM
Fitz Books and Waffles, 1462 Main Street

06/22/2026

Break the Bonds New York State hosted a Democratic Primary Comptroller Candidate Forum and the candidates WHO ATTENDED 👀, and , got the chance to voice their opinions on Israel Bonds and how they plan to approach these foreign investments if elected. The candidates explained the complexities as well as the egregious nature of these foreign bonds. Israel Bonds are unfettered loans to the Israeli Government (READ ISRAELI APARTHEID SYSTEM AND OCCUPATION FORCES) and cannot be sold on the open market, leaving investors (READ NEW YORK TAXPAYERS) vulnerable to changes in the value of these bonds. New York Common Retirement Fund has over $360 million dollars sunk into these foreign bonds, a fund managed by our current .comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. We wish Mr. DiNapoli had come to our forum so we could have heard what he had to say about Israel Bonds.

New York State workers and retirees’ pension should not be loaned without restrictions to the Israeli military and government’s violence against Palestinians and communities throughout the region. Israel Bonds are ethically and financially indefensible.

Watch the recording of the candidate forum to learn more! Link in bio

06/18/2026

06/16/2026

06/10/2026

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli may have violated ethics laws by participating in an expenses-paid trip to Israel. Through Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, organizers from Break the Bonds New York State uncovered a February 2, 2024 letter from the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) indicating concerns that the Comptroller might be subject to “improper influence” in violation of the Public Officers Law §74 (Code of Ethics).

The letter referenced the Comptroller’s February 19-23, 2024 trip to Israel, the fourth such trip organized and paid for by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which receives donations directly from the Development Corporation of Israel, the exclusive issuer of Israel Bonds in the U.S. The trip itinerary included at least one meeting with Israel Bonds representatives. Since that time, the Comptroller has invested an additional $120 million of the state’s common retirement fund in Israel Bonds. This brings the total CRF investment in these bonds to $332.5M by the end of Fiscal Year 2024-2025, with another $35M in other Israeli bonds, which together comprise 76% of all foreign sovereign bond holdings in the CRF. Comptroller DiNapoli is the sole decision-maker on all investments. 

Concerned New Yorkers with the BTBNYS campaign formally raised ethical concerns about the Comptroller’s investments in Israel Bonds in testimony delivered at COELIG’s September 25, 2025 public hearing. Shortly thereafter, BTBNYS filed three formal complaints with COELIG which to date has given no indication that it intends to investigate the Comptroller. The allegations center on the Comptroller violating sections 3(c), 3(f) and 3(h) of Section 74 of the Public Officers Law.

The imminent Democratic Primary for New York State Comptroller has generated unusual attention on the New York State pension fund’s investments, specifically in Israel Bonds. Two of the three Democratic Primary challengers to sitting Comptroller Tom DiNapoli have publicly declared their intention to divest the State’s pension fund from Israel Bonds.

06/01/2026

🚨📣 Hey New Yorkers! Break The Bonds New York State is hosting a Candidate Forum for the democratic primary for New York State Comptroller! Monday, June 8th 7-8:30pm EST

➡️RSVP at Link in Bio tinyurl.com/june8forum

Are you concerned how your tax dollars are being spent? Are you a state employee and are concerned about where your pension is invested? Come hear the candidates discuss the role of the comptroller and their positions on Israel Bonds, climate, and other questions related to fiscal responsibility and ethical investments. The three Democratic Primary candidates, Incumbent Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli , Drew Warshaw , and Raj Goyle , have been invited to join the forum, 👀 lets see who comes to face their constituents

The forum is hosted by the Break the Bonds New York State Coalition and sponsored by coalition members , , , , , , and

The comptroller is the sole decision-maker on the investment of state pensions in Israel Bonds. Israel Bonds are loans from individuals and institutions to the Israeli treasury that provide critical financial support for the Israeli military and government–including the Israeli military’s genocidal war on Gaza as well as forced displacement of Palestinian families from their homes, and the Israeli government’s separate-and-unequal system of apartheid. As of March 31, 2025, the New York State Common Retirement Fund is invested in $367.5M worth of Israel bonds. As the genocide in Palestine continues into its third year and spreads into Lebanon, the comptroller will determine whether public workers’ pensions will continue to fund the state of Israel. This forum aims to educate the public about the role of the comptroller and showcase the candidates’ positions on Israel bonds and address other questions regarding fiscal responsibility and ethical investment.

05/14/2026

On May 14, 2022, a white supremacist came to Buffalo and took 10 lives at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue-our neighbors, our elders, our loved ones. This act of racial terror was fueled by hate and aimed to divide us. But those we lost were people full of love, purpose, and legacy.

They deserved to live. They deserved to grow old with us.
In the face of that pain, Buffalo stood together. We grieved as one. We organized, we remembered, and we continue to fight for justice. As we mark this solemn day, today makes 4 years since and we ask you to pause and say their names. Carry them with you. And know that our collective love, care, and strength will always outlast hate.

Say Their Names
Margus D. Morrison, 52
Andre Mackniel, 53
Aaron Salter Jr., 55
Celestine Chaney, 65
Heyward Patterson, 67
Katherine Massey, 72
Pearl Young, 77
Ruth Whitfield, 86
Roberta Drury, 32
Geraldine Talley, 62
We remember you. We honor you. We carry you.

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05/13/2026

🚨📰🤓New Yorkers are writing in to their local newspapers from across the state to raise awareness around how our tax dollars are being spent and how the New York State Common Retirement Fund is being MISMANAGED by .ny Are you interested in writing a letter to the editor to your local newspaper about this? DM us and we’ll help you out with the details

Rosie from Hebron wrote into the :
Dear Editor,

New York State taxpayers like me should not be underwriting Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s continued investment in Israel Bonds. The investment is deeply flawed on both a practical and moral level.

What are Israel Bonds? Israel Bonds are essentially loans from institutions and individuals to the Israeli treasury where they help sustain the Israeli economy. As of March 31, 2025, Tom DiNapoli has invested $367.5M in Israel Bonds for the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which serves the New York State and Local Retirement System and its more than 1.2 million members, retirees and beneficiaries. Continued investment is a bad idea. The bonds are sold through private placements with no transparency. They have no secondary market and must be held until maturity before they can be redeemed. Israel’s credit rating has been downgraded by all of the “Big Three” credit rating agencies in the last three years.

And now the moral objection. As a Jewish American who is horrified at the war crimes being carried out in my name, I am angry that my tax dollars are being used to prop up the Israeli State. A state that both the United Nations and Israel’s own top human rights group, B’Tselem, have confirmed is committing an ongoing genocide in the Gaza strip, not to mention its increasingly violent pogroms in the West Bank, documented systematic torture in prisons, and use of white phosphorous in Lebanon.

On all fronts the only reasonable option is to divest from Israel Bonds. Yours Sincerely,
Rosie,
Hebron
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