HYDE PARK, N.Y. – Tensions erupted at the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home on Saturday as several New York residents interrupted State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s remarks during a Dutchess County swearing-in ceremony, accusing him of financing what they called genocide through state investments in Israel bonds.
The protest, which drew attention from attendees and local media, focused on the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s continued purchase of Israeli government bonds — investments critics say directly support Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Demonstrators demanded DiNapoli divest the fund, arguing that the money of public employees should not be used to underwrite human rights abuses abroad.
“I’m your Jewish constituent,” shouted Amanda Krump of Middletown during the disruption. “Will you commit to divesting from Israel bonds? Israel is bombing Gaza once again and you’re financing the genocide with our pension fund!” Others joined her with chants including “Not another nickel, not another dime, no pension money for Israel’s crimes” and “DiNapoli, you can’t hide. You’re financing genocide.”
The New York State Common Retirement Fund is among the largest U.S. investors in Israel Bonds, holding hundreds of millions of dollars in securities issued by the Israeli government. According to public disclosures, the fund purchased $65 million in new Israel bonds during the last fiscal year, a move critics say both defies mounting constituent pressure and poses growing financial risk.
More than 3,500 New Yorkers have signed a petition urging DiNapoli to stop investing in Israel bonds, and the City of Hudson recently became the first municipality in the state to unanimously pass a resolution calling for divestment. Activists argue the investments contradict the comptroller’s fiduciary responsibility to protect the retirement savings of over a million state and local government workers, school employees, and public retirees.
Protesters cited reports of ongoing Israeli airstrikes, forced displacement, and severe humanitarian conditions in Gaza, describing the situation as “a genocide being bankrolled with New Yorkers’ money.” DiNapoli, who has defended the bonds in the past as stable investments, did not address the protesters directly during the event.
The confrontation in Hyde Park underscores a widening divide between state officials and residents demanding ethical accountability in public finance.