To inform voters in the 2025 Cambridge City Council election, this site summarizes the positions of candidates on BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) and support for Israel and the Jewish community. This is not an endorsement of any candidate; please consider this information together with other important issues relevant in the election.
OPPOSES BDS
Candidate BDS Position C4P Position in Their Own Words
Patricia M. Nolan Opposes BDS "I have a solid record in opposing BDS... I support Israel's right to exist and the BDS movement at its heart is anti-semitic"
Robert Winters Opposes BDS "I unequivocally condemn the Oct 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and I have never wavered on that"
Zion Sherin Opposes BDS "I have opposed BDS. I believe that limiting which companies we work with due to their location is wrong"
E. Denise Simmons Opposes BDS "I do not support ballot questions or resolutions - whether explicitly BDS or 'BDS-adjacent' - that deepen divisions without offering real solutions"
John Hanratty Opposes BDS "NO. The council has no insight, authority, or impact on foreign policy"
Catherine Zusy Opposes BDS "The council should focus on local Cambridge issues"
Tim Flaherty Opposes BDS "I categorically condemn Hamas' attack on Israel on 10/7/23... I would not support broad, nationality-based BDS measures"
Patricia M. Nolan
Opposes BDS
"I have a solid record in opposing BDS... I support Israel's right to exist and the BDS movement at its heart is anti-semitic"
Robert Winters
Opposes BDS
"I unequivocally condemn the Oct 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and I have never wavered on that"
Zion Sherin
Opposes BDS
"I have opposed BDS. I believe that limiting which companies we work with due to their location is wrong"
E. Denise Simmons
Opposes BDS
"I do not support ballot questions or resolutions - whether explicitly BDS or 'BDS-adjacent' - that deepen divisions without offering real solutions"
John Hanratty
Opposes BDS
"NO. The council has no insight, authority, or impact on foreign policy"
Catherine Zusy
Opposes BDS
"The council should focus on local Cambridge issues"
Tim Flaherty
Opposes BDS
"I categorically condemn Hamas' attack on Israel on 10/7/23... I would not support broad, nationality-based BDS measures"
MIDDLE GROUND
Burhan Azeem Middle Ground "I would not support a BDS ballot question or resolution. It is also not legal as the city does not have the power to boycott or sanction. In general, if there was a more moderate neutral phrasing of we don't want our retirement or pensions to be invested in weapons companies or set a standard for investments, I would be open to that."
Ned Melanson Middle Ground "I don't think there should be blanket boycotts on companies and institutions with connections to Israel.  I think the standard for whether the City Council should pass a boycott/divestment measure should be separate from its connection to Israel."
Dana Bullister Middle Ground "I would not support broad, nationality-based BDS measures that risk discriminating against individuals or sweeping whole classes of companies, but I am open to narrowly tailored, human-rights–based procurement and investment screens"
Marc C. McGovern Middle Ground "I think Netanyahu would like to eliminate all Palestinians"
Burhan Azeem
Middle Ground
"I would not support a BDS ballot question or resolution. It is also not legal as the city does not have the power to boycott or sanction. In general, if there was a more moderate neutral phrasing of we don't want our retirement or pensions to be invested in weapons companies or set a standard for investments, I would be open to that."
Ned Melanson
Middle Ground
"I don't think there should be blanket boycotts on companies and institutions with connections to Israel.  I think the standard for whether the City Council should pass a boycott/divestment measure should be separate from its connection to Israel."
Dana Bullister
Middle Ground
"I would not support broad, nationality-based BDS measures that risk discriminating against individuals or sweeping whole classes of companies, but I am open to narrowly tailored, human-rights–based procurement and investment screens"
Marc C. McGovern
Middle Ground
"I think Netanyahu would like to eliminate all Palestinians"
NO POSITION / UNKNOWN / CONFUSED
Elizabeth Bisio Unknown [No response provided]
Louise Venden Confused "I believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank" [yet opposes city council weighing in on foreign policy]
Ayesha Wilson Likely supports "I am in solidarity, as we are all impacted" [co-sponsored ceasefire resolution]
Elizabeth Bisio
Unknown
[No response provided]
Louise Venden
Confused
"I believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank" [yet opposes city council weighing in on foreign policy]
Ayesha Wilson
Likely supports
"I am in solidarity, as we are all impacted" [co-sponsored ceasefire resolution]
SUPPORTS BDS
LaQueen Battle Supports BDS C4P "It is a complete genocide of over 50,000-60,000 Palestinians"
Peter Hsu Supports BDS C4P "Complicated, unfortunate, and ongoing military as well as political conflict that are sacrificing are far too innocent lives"
Stanislav Rivkin Supports BDS C4P "Israel is waging a brutal, asymmetrical, disproportionate war... that rises to the UN's definition of genocide"
Sumbul Siddiqui Supports BDS C4P "Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic humanitarian crisis marked by mass casualties, displacement, and the widespread destruction"
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Supports BDS C4P "More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of them civilians, including thousands of children"
LaQueen Battle
C4P
Supports BDS
"It is a complete genocide of over 50,000-60,000 Palestinians"
Peter Hsu
C4P
Supports BDS
"Complicated, unfortunate, and ongoing military as well as political conflict that are sacrificing are far too innocent lives"
Stanislav Rivkin
C4P
Supports BDS
"Israel is waging a brutal, asymmetrical, disproportionate war... that rises to the UN's definition of genocide"
Sumbul Siddiqui
C4P
Supports BDS
"Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic humanitarian crisis marked by mass casualties, displacement, and the widespread destruction"
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
C4P
Supports BDS
"More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of them civilians, including thousands of children"
STRONGLY SUPPORTS BDS
Ayah Al-Zubi Strongly Supports BDS C4P "Palestine has been under Israeli military occupation for decades, facing an ongoing nakba. Currently, there is an accelerated genocide in Gaza"
Ayah Al-Zubi
C4P
Strongly Supports BDS
"Palestine has been under Israeli military occupation for decades, facing an ongoing nakba. Currently, there is an accelerated genocide in Gaza"
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