As a Massachusetts educator and proud member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, I am heartened that our union recently voted to support Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven’s (D-Somerville) bill, H.2984: An Act Relative to Pension Divestment from Companies Providing Military Equipment to the State of Israel.
This bill represents a simple but powerful principle: our retirement savings should not bankroll war crimes. By divesting from corporations that supply Israel with weapons, we separate ourselves from complicity in a military campaign that has already killed more than 61,000 Palestinians in Gaza and over 1,000 in the West Bank.
The U.S. has sent more than $17.9 billion to Israel this year alone—money that could instead pay the annual salaries of 200,000 teachers. At the same time, Israel’s military has destroyed hospitals, schools, and universities, starved civilians, and killed over 19,000 children. Journalists have been targeted at rates higher than in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. The International Court of Justice has already charged members of Israel’s war cabinet with crimes against humanity.
As educators, we have a duty to nurture life, not profit from its destruction. Brazilian philosopher of education Paulo Freire once wrote, “Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and powerless means to side with the powerful.” Neutrality in the face of genocide is not neutrality at all—it is siding with the oppressor.
The MTA’s vote to divest is a moral stand against the merchants of death who profit from bombing children, destroying schools, and silencing journalists. It is also a call to others: pension funds, unions, civic organizations, and governments. None of us can claim clean hands while our money or our taxes bankroll atrocity.
Divestment is not just about where we put our dollars; it is about where we place our values. Teachers are showing that we will not allow our pensions to fund genocide. Now it is time for all Americans to demand that our institutions—and our government—do the same.
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