Providence Race Becomes a Test of Disguised Israel Divestment

Providence’s Democratic mayoral primary on Wednesday has become a local referendum on Israel policy. Incumbent Mayor Brett Smiley opposes a November ballot measure that would restrict city investments involving unnamed foreign countries accused of apartheid, occupation, ethnic cleansing or genocide; challenger state Rep. David Morales supports the measure and says he would use the mayoralty to oppose unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel.

• The ballot measure does not name Israel, but local anti-Israel activists drove the campaign and Jewish leaders identify it as a municipal BDS vehicle.
• Providence’s legal department determined the proposed ordinance is unenforceable and likely violates state law, according to Smiley.
• Morales, a 27-year-old democratic socialist backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Working Families Party, has defended the referendum as a moral cause.
• Jewish community leaders say they have mobilized against the measure ahead of the primary and the separate November referendum.

The Providence contest shows how anti-Israel policy can enter city government through neutral-sounding investment standards that omit Israel from the text. The outcome will test whether municipal voters treat foreign-policy divestment as a governing issue or reject it as an ideological use of local financial authority.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz says staunchly pro-Israel Democrats face bullying, harassment and threats from their party’s anti-Israel wing, leaving them increasingly isolated inside the caucus. He also warned against leadership deals that would give a small Democratic Socialists of America bloc leverage over the full caucus.

• Moskowitz said the caucus has become “lonely” for members who remain firmly pro-Israel.
• He described the DSA as “awash in antisemitism” and estimated it could account for about 5% of a future Democratic caucus.
• Moskowitz defeated DSA member Oliver Larkin by nearly 30 points in his primary, according to Jewish Insider.

The pressure is shifting from disagreement over individual votes to an internal party cost for publicly defending the U.S.-Israel alliance. The next Congress will show whether pro-Israel Democrats retain agenda-setting influence or become a smaller defensive faction inside their caucus.

Revenue at the Westchester People’s Action Coalition Foundation, a fiscal sponsor for major anti-Israel groups, fell 68% after lawsuits and congressional scrutiny. Wespac previously handled donations for National Students for Justice in Palestine, Within Our Lifetime and the Palestinian Youth Movement; no court or agency has found the organization engaged in illegal activity.

• Wespac revenue fell from $3.98 million to $1.26 million in the fiscal year ending August 2025.
• The organization reported a $202,598 deficit, while legal expenses rose to nearly $200,000.
• Wespac began disassociating from National SJP, Within Our Lifetime stopped accepting online donations and the Palestinian Youth Movement shifted to another nonprofit.

Fiscal sponsorship lets activist networks receive tax-deductible funds without publishing the financial disclosures expected of independent nonprofits. Wespac’s contraction demonstrates that sustained legal scrutiny and donor-risk exposure can disrupt that infrastructure even without a finding of illegality.

FBI data show anti-Jewish hate crimes declined from 1,938 incidents in 2024 to 1,528 in 2025, but the 2025 total remained the bureau’s third-highest on record. Jews were targeted in 64% of religion-based hate crimes nationally, while California’s share was nearly three-quarters.

• The 2025 anti-Jewish total remained 36% above the 1,100 incidents recorded in 2022.
• Anti-Jewish incidents outnumbered hate crimes against all other religions combined in 2025.
• Nearly 31% of all hate-motivated vandalism nationally was anti-Jewish, despite Jews comprising about 2% of the population.

The decline from the post-Oct. 7 peak does not indicate a return to the prior threat environment; it points to a higher and more durable baseline. The concentration in vandalism also means visible Jewish institutions and symbols remain disproportionately exposed even when overall incident totals fall.