New York State Puts 13 Firms on Anti-BDS Blacklist

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
New York state has released a blacklist of 13 foreign companies that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, movement against Israel.
The list on stationary from the Office of General Services is dated Dec. 2. It was first reported by the New York Post.
Among the companies on the list are Danske Bank, FreedomCall UK and Vitens NV.
None of the businesses are American, the Post reported, citing state officials, who also told the newspaper they do not believe any state agency has financial dealings with them.
In June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order against BDS hours before the start of New York City’s annual Celebrate Israel Parade. The order requires state agencies to divest themselves of companies and organizations aligned with the BDS movement.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
