January 14, 2020

Minneapolis, MN – Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), issued the following statement:

“The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) is grateful to Governor Kristi Noem for signing an executive order which prohibits the State of South Dakota from contracting with businesses that discriminate against Israel or people doing business in Israel.  With this executive order, South Dakota becomes the 28th state to take a stand against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

“In 2013, I traveled to Israel with then-Representative Noem and other U.S. Representatives, allowing Governor Noem to experience the country firsthand and better understand the value of the South Dakota-Israel relationship.

“In December 2019, the JCRC led its third delegation of state legislators to Israel and the West Bank. The JCRC is committed to working with elected officials from both parties in our tri-state region to enhance relationships between the people of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota and the people and the State of Israel.”

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As the public affairs voice of the Jewish community, the JCRC fights anti-Semitism and prejudice, advocates for Israel, provides Holocaust education, promotes tolerance and social justice, and builds bridges across the Jewish and broader communities.