Call Your Members of Congress: Combat BDS

While some 20 states have passed or are considering anti-BDS legislation, it is equally important that the Federal government leads and passes legislation to oppose BDS at the national level.

Twin bills in the House (HR 1697) and Senate (S 720) aim to do just that. They oppose the UN Human Rights Council singling out Israel as the target of a boycott, while extending existing US law to explicitly combat activities aimed at boycotting US citizens or countries friendly to the US, like Israel. These are bipartisan bills, with broad support: nearly 250 cosponsors have signed on to HR 1697, and 49 Senators are cosponsoring S 720.

Unfortunately, our own Congressional representatives have not joined. While Sen. Blumenthal is a cosponsor, as have Representatives Larson (D-CT-1) and Courtney (D-CT-2), Sen. Murphy and Rep. Himes have chosen not to. It is important to contact our representatives and urge them to oppose the antisemitic BDS movement.

For other areas, check your Senators and Representatives on the Congress web site, and use the switchboard method below.

To support legislation combating BDS by phone:
1.     Call the US Capitol switchboard toll free at 844-801-9984, select “2” to choose to speak with your Member of Congress, and then enter your zip code. Alternatively, call the members's local offices at the following numbers:

Senator Murphy (Hartford): (860) 549-8463
Representative Himes (Stamford): (203) 353-9400

2.      Tell your Senator: "My name is ________, and I’m a constituent of yours. I live in (hometown). I am calling to urge you to become a cosponsor of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S 720 or HR 1697) before the legislation comes up for a vote." 

To support legislation combating BDS by email:
1.      Visit Senator Murphy's contact page on the web.

2.      Select "Foreign Affairs" as the topic. Enter your personal information.

3.      Enter a message up to 10,000 characters long. As an example, use the sample message above.


1.      Visit Representative Himes's contact page on the web.

2.      Enter your zip code + 4 and click "Go to Next Step"

3.      Enter your personal information.

4.      Enter a message up to 10,000 characters long. As an example, use the sample message above.