Most of us chose Oak Park for the same reason: everyone can feel like they belong here. In 1968, Oak Park was among the first communities in the country to adopt a Human Rights Ordinance. In 2017, we built on it with our Welcoming Village Ordinance, which commits us to equal treatment of all people regardless of national origin.
We also know Oak Park is strongest when we meet disagreement with care and make room for every neighbor’s opinion. That is why we ask Oak Parkers to vote No on the advisory referendum on your Nov. 3 ballot.
We understand why supporters see this referendum as a way to support Palestinian rights and to voice opposition to the current Israeli government. We share these political goals, but not using an advisory referendum for this purpose.
The referendum question asks whether Illinois should repeal its 2015 law, Public Act 99-128, governing state pension investments, and excludes many categories of investment including companies that boycott Israel. Of the 500+ banned investments, only 27 are banned for this reason.
Supporters say the anti-boycott law violates free speech and is unconstitutional. We disagree. In fact Palestine Legal said the law “does not affect your constitutionally-protected right to engage in human rights boycotts or to advocate for boycotts of Israel.” The proponents also claim the ACLU opposes the law. But the ACLU of Illinois has never sued to have the law thrown out, nor has anyone else, and repeal is not among the ACLU’s legislative priorities.
Of course, criticism of the Israeli government is not, by definition, antisemitic. Many of us have deep concerns about Israel’s current government, too, as do many Israelis. However, boycotting an entire nation and its people runs counter to Oak Park’s values. The boycott movement, often called BDS, says in its own guidelines that every Israeli university is subject to boycott. Israeli scholars, artists and businesses are presumed complicit because of where they are from, even those who oppose Netanyahu.
Now this boycott demand extends to American Jews in our community. This month, the preschool directors at Oak Park Temple and Temple Har Zion had a study trip to Italy cancelled after they were told to sign a statement criticizing Israel. Only Jewish participants were asked to sign. No one should have to pass a political litmus test to take part in civic or professional life.
Perhaps the worst part of this being on our ballot is that it turns the world’s most complex conflict into a binary choice that divides neighbors. Oak Park Temple’s Rabbi Max Weiss told Wednesday Journal this week that this referendum “has created an atmosphere of, if you don’t agree with a different point of view, folks won’t be in community with you.”
For our community, and our values, vote No on Nov. 3. Everyone in Oak Park deserves to feel like they belong.
Sources:
Village of Oak Park, “Welcoming Village” (includes history of the 1968 Human Rights Ordinance). https://oak-park.us/Community/Oak-Park-Cares/New-to-the-Village/Welcoming-Village
Village of Oak Park, Ordinance Amending Chapter 13 (“Human Rights”) of the Oak Park Village Code by Adding Article 7 (“Welcoming Village”), adopted Feb. 6, 2017. https://www.icma.org/sites/default/files/308997_2017-02-06-oak-park-welcoming-village-ordinance.pdf
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “National Origin Discrimination.” https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination
Illinois General Assembly, Public Act 099-0128 (2015). https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=099-0128
Palestine Legal, “Illinois Governor Signs Anti-BDS Bill into Law,” July 24, 2015. https://palestinelegal.org/news/2015/7/24/illinois-governor-signs-anti-bds-bill-into-law
ACLU of Illinois, “Legislation.” https://www.aclu-il.org/legislation/
BDS Movement, “PACBI Guidelines for the International Academic Boycott of Israel.” https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/academic-boycott-guidelines
Gregg Voss, “Local Jewish preschool educators unable to make Italian trip,” Wednesday Journal, Oct. 18, 2026. https://www.oakpark.com/2026/10/18/local-jewish-preschool-educators-italy-trip
Ibid.
This letter was submitted by the Oak Park Neighbors United Steering Committee.