A federal lawsuit filed in Massachusetts seeks to block enforcement of a Medford ordinance that directs the city to divest public funds from companies linked to alleged “human rights violations,” arguing that the measure effectively imposes a boycott of Israel.
The ordinance, known as the “Values-Aligned Local Investments Ordinance,” was enacted in late 2025. While the law does not explicitly mention Israel, the Feb. 6 complaint contends that its broad criteria—such as prohibiting investment in entities allegedly “complicit” in “illegal occupation” or “apartheid”—mirror the structure and effect of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by Medford “residents and taxpayers” Zachary Chertok and Eliot Jokelson against the city, its council and Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn.
A copy of the complaint was provided to JNS by the National Jewish Advocacy Center, which is representing the plaintiffs, along with the Gevura Fund and Libby Hoopes Brooks and Mulvey.
The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, arguing that the ordinance violates federal constitutional law and Massachusetts statutes governing municipal investments.
According to the complaint, the measure unlawfully intrudes into U.S. foreign policy, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent holding that state and local divestment regimes aimed at influencing foreign conduct are preempted under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
The lawsuit also alleges that the measure conflicts with Massachusetts investment law, which requires municipal funds to be managed solely on financial criteria. By mandating divestment based on ideological considerations, the complaint states, the ordinance exposes the state to legal liability.
Mark Goldfeder, director and CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, told JNS that the case is intended to halt the spread of similar state-level measures nationwide.
“We all know what’s driving these divestment schemes, but the point here is very simple: Medford can’t use taxpayer dollars, pensions included, to run an ideological boycott,” he said.
“Cities don’t make foreign policy,” Goldfeder told JNS. “They have to follow Massachusetts investment law and protect the public’s money. This lawsuit matters because it stops a bad template before it spreads.”
