​We, the undersigned, are appalled at CalSTRS' unethical financial investments. CalSTRS, the state pension fund for educators in California's public education system, owns billions of dollars in investments in weapons manufacturing, shipping, logistics, and fuel companies that facilitate the ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people.

Educators across California are united in our commitment to the rights of children around the world to education, freedom and safety, and we cannot in good conscience retire at the expense of Palestinian children's lives, education and futures. We, the undersigned, demand that CalSTRS immediately divests from these assets and end its complicity in these crimes against humanity.

CalSTRS, as a teachers' retirement fund, cannot in good conscience continue to effectively bankroll the destruction of Gaza, of which half of the population are children. CalSTRS is violating it's own ethical investment policy by profiting from the death of tens of thousands of civilians and the destruction of hospitals, schools, universities, museums, agriculture, infrastructure and homes in Gaza.

CalSTRS currently has over $1 billion dollars in investments in companies that are actively and currently facilitating the siege on Gaza and the illegal occupation of the West Bank. These companies include but not are limited to:

Weapons and Surveillance

- Elbit Systems: Largest Israeli weapons company; approximately $7,275,000 invested.
- Palantir Technologies: Supplies technology enabling ICE surveillance, Israeli military surveillance and the AI kill-list generator program, "Lavender"; investment of $44,875,000.
- Caterpillar: Provides military-grade D9 bulldozers used in illegal home demolitions in Gaza and the West Bank and which killed Rachel Corrie; investment of $213,827,000.
- Boeing: Major supplier of guided bombs to Israel; investment of $198,608,000.
- General Dynamics: Involved in manufacturing munitions used in Gaza; investment of $84,751,000.
-Lockheed Martin is the world's largest military company, making things like F-35 fighter jets, helicopters, and missiles. It’s the biggest military contractor as of 2022; approximately $176,900,000 invested.
- Northrop Grumman supplies the Israeli Air Force with the Longbow missile delivery system for its Apache attack helicopters and laser weapon delivery systems for its fighter jets. On Dec. 15, Northrop Grumman was awarded an $8.9 million contract for 30mm MK44 Stretch cannons for the Israeli military. CalSTRS owns over $110 million worth of shares in this company.

Logistics and shipping

- Zim Shipping: Transporter of military cargo, including weapons, to Israel; approximately $1,317,000 invested.
- Maersk: Currently transporting military cargo to Israel, including F-35 jet wings and OshKosh vehicles used to transport kidnapped Palestinians in Gaza; approximately $22,316,000 invested.

Fuel

- Valero Energy: Known for environmental harm and supplying jet fuel for Israeli military use; over $95,000,000 invested.
-Chevron runs natural gas extraction and pipelines off the shore of Palestine/Israel, making it a major partner in Israeli energy apartheid, the military blockade on Gaza, and the illegal exploitation of Palestinian land and resources. CalSTRS owns about $267 million worth of shares in this company.

Israeli banks and bonds

-Israel's Bank Luemi has branches in a number of illegal West Bank settlements and provides private loans and mortgages to settlers. Bank Leumi also issues the State of Israel’s Jerusalem Bonds that fund Israel’s military operations. CalSTRS has owned approximately $22 million in stock since spring 2024.

Since October 2023, approximately 90% of schools and all universities in Gaza have been destroyed, depriving over 650,000 children of their right to education in a gross act of scholasticide. The state of Israel has killed over 17,000 children in Gaza (likely an undercount), and according to The Lancet, a renowned medical journal, experts predict that at least 186,000 Palestinians will die due to Israel’s siege. Over 19,000 children have been orphaned or separated from their families, and more than 1,000 have lost one or both legs. Israel's relentless bombing campaign led to the creation of a new term: Wounded Child, No Surviving Family. Additionally, Israeli military has killed one Palestinian child every two days since October 2023 in the West Bank.

CalSTRS helps make that possible through its investments in these companies and bonds.

International, national, and statewide institutions and unions have condemned Israel’s actions, with the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and U.S. federal courts recognizing the severity of these crimes against humanity. On October 5, 2024, California Federation of Teachers voted to call on CalSTRS to adopt an Ethical Investment Policy that would guide CalSTRS to divest from companies actively enabling or facilitating human rights violations, military occupation, apartheid and genocide. Additionally, on July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice found Israel guilty of apartheid, and ordered the immediate end to the occupation of the West Bank and the dismantlement of illegal settlements.

The recent ceasefire in Gaza, beginning January 19, 2025, was only a temporary cessation in hostilities. It has proven that the only way to stop bring a total end to this siege, apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is through restricting Israel's access to arms and financial support. Just as institutions around the world supported economic sanctions against South Africa's apartheid in 1990, we now call upon CalSTRS to divest from all companies supporting Israeli apartheid and genocide.

We call upon CalSTRS to take immediate action to:

1. Immediately divest from all companies and bonds that enable, facilitate, and profit from weapons manufacturing and human rights violations, in particular, violations of international law, military occupation, apartheid, and genocide.
2. Reinvest in ethical and socially responsible investments that align with the values of justice and human rights.
3. Commit to a reasonable timeline for the divestment and reinvestment process.
4. Engage in transparent and ongoing dialogue with educators and stakeholders about the ethical implications of CalSTRS investments, including periodic reports on the process of divestment.

CalSTRS has the opportunity to send a clear message to its members and set a powerful example for other institutions. CalSTRS beneficiaries cannot trust CalSTRS as an institution that profits from the mass murder of children. We urge you to act swiftly and decisively, as Palestinians are being killed every single day.

Sincerely,