Miami-Dade County holds $151 million in Israeli bonds—public money that many residents believe is directly fueling the devastating military campaign in Gaza. As the humanitarian crisis worsens—with widespread reports of starvation, displacement, and mass civilian casualties—it's time for our local government to take a moral stand.

Miami-Dade’s own residents, including the son of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, are speaking out. At a recent event hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace South Florida, Ted Cava publicly urged the county to divest, despite knowing the personal cost of disagreeing with his mother, the county’s first Jewish mayor. His courage reflects a growing movement of Jewish Americans and others demanding that our tax dollars not be used to support what many international human rights groups now describe as a genocide.

While Mayor Levine Cava has condemned the suffering in Gaza, her administration expanded investments in Israeli bonds after the October 2023 Hamas attack. She now claims she no longer controls the decision to divest, pointing to a change in state law that puts investment decisions in the hands of the County Clerk. But silence is not neutrality. The mayor and commissioners can—and must—publicly call for divestment.

We, the undersigned, call on Miami-Dade County officials to take the following steps:

• Publicly urge the Clerk to divest from all Israeli bonds immediately.
• Commit to a policy of ethical investing that excludes governments engaged in mass human rights abuses.
• Create a transparent process for residents to weigh in on future investment decisions tied to conflict zones.

This is not just about budgets or financial returns—it’s about our values. Miami-Dade should not be funding war, displacement, or the suffering of innocent civilians. Join us in demanding a just, accountable, and humane investment policy. Divest from genocide. Invest in peace.

Photo: Douglas Hanks/Miami Herald