Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn Anti-BDS sentiments reached the Cowboy State this month, as Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn of Jackson, WY encouraged the Wyoming State Legislature to prohibit state agencies from contracting businesses that boycott Israel. Mendelsohn oversees Chabad Lubavitch of Wyoming. Mendelsohn called upon Rep. James Byrd, D-Cheyenne, who then sponsored a resolution requiring state agencies to consider whether a company boycotts Israel or other World Trade Organization members when entering into contracts and grants. The House Joint Resolution 4 was referred to the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee on January 13th. The BDS campaign has gained little traction in Wyoming, a state with some of the smallest Jewish and Muslim communities in the nation. To Mendelsohn, this is even more reason to enact anti-BDS policies. “It’s really important that we set precedent — in a state where anti-Semitism is almost unheard of — that our state is one that supports people of all backgrounds, affiliations and lifestyle choices,” says Mendelsohn to Casper Star-Tribune. He views the BDS movement as a form of discrimination against Jews, since it aims to delegitimize Israel. “This is primarily about the Jewish nation, the Jewish culture, but it really does extend fundamentally to everything else,” says Rep. Byrd to Casper Star-Tribune . The resolution is a clear statement that Wyoming opposes anti-Semitism and will prevent the BDS campaign from securing ground in the state. Mendelsohn will continue to advocate for this cause, as he ultimately wants to see this resolution in the form of a legally binding statute. Sen. Leland Christensen, R-Alta, has shown interest in sponsoring such a bill. If Wyoming passes an anti-BDS bill, it would be the eighteenth state to take a stand against the BDS movement and discrimination of Jews. Michigan enacted an anti-BDS law this month, following legislation in Ohio in December, Pennsylvania in November, California in September, New Jersey in August, and Rhode Island in June.