Dear Editor, The Vermont People’s Arms Embargo (VPAE) has listed 35 Vermont companies that support thousands of jobs across our state in what effectively amounts to a blacklist. These employers provide skilled work across a range of industries, including positions advertised at six-figure sala ries. Their employees own homes, raise families and send their children to Vermont schools. Losing these employers and the jobs they support could be catastrophic for communities already struggling with high taxes and the cost of living. Vermonters deserve to know what the organizers expect this campaign to accomplish — and what they expect local families to sacrifice along the way. Under the banner of “Free Palestine,” VPAE is targeting these companies for alleged connections to a country thousands of miles away. As usual, that country is Israel. The demands, however, are being made on our communities right here at home. The campaign advertised an Oct. 7 event in Burlington to promote its map targeting Vermont’s advanced manufacturing and technology employers. That date marks the solemn anniversary of Hamas’ savage attack on Israel and is a day of mourning and remembrance for Jewish communities around the world. The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation (VCPL) explicitly invited protesters to gather “on the 3rd anniversary of October 7th.” Its protest appeared alongside VPAE’s map presentation in the same Oct. 7 program. Choosing that anniversary for the demonstration shows a profound disregard for Jewish grief. The words “Free Palestine” have also been invoked in horrific acts of violence. According to federal prosecutors, attackers shouted the slogan during the murders of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington and the Boulder firebombing of people peacefully calling for the release of Israeli hostages. The ramming attack on Michigan’s Temple Israel and the massacre at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach underscore the broader threat to Jewish communities.  Attacking Jews is not resistance. Meanwhile, as Vermont’s student test scores remain well below proficiency goals, adult activists are helping shape how children engage politically. The Education Justice Coalition of Vermont (EJC) trains middle and high school organizers, publicly describes working with students who led pro-Palestinian school walkouts, and offers funding and help with “framing” Palestine-related events. They list VCPL among their partners and co-organizers — the same group that advertised the protest to mark the Hamas attack’s anniversary. READ MORE When a campaign targets Vermont employers, the stakes for students may include their families’ livelihoods and their own future job opportunities here at home. There is no social justice in encouraging our children to protest the very jobs their parents depend on to put food on the table. Mark Treinkman,  Athens, Vt. and Rabbi Howard Cohen, Bennington, Vt.; Caryn Schwartz Olivetti, Burlington, Vt., a former educator; Dr. Richard Orlan, Westminster, Vt. and the Vermont Friends of Israel. Read the story on VTDigger here: An ‘arms embargo’ organization could cost Vermont dearly. ...read more read less