Jewish Federation calls on grocers to stop carrying Ben & Jerry’s products
FOR T LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Jewish Federation of Broward County has called on all supermarket chains doing business in South Florida to discontinue carrying Ben & Jerry’s products in reaction to the ice cream company’s decision to halt sales in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Mark S. Freedman, the Federation’s interim president and chief executive officer, said, “Local South Florida supermarkets, small and large, are the main vehicle for sending a strong message to Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, that its selective boycott of Israel is unwarranted and unwise.”
“We encourage everyone in the supply chain – distributors, retailers and consumers – to refrain from doing business with Ben & Jerry’s,” Freedman continued. “By impacting its bottom line, we hope to apply enough pressure on Unilever to reverse its policy..”
However, Donna Nevel of
Miami Beach, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace’s South Florida chapter, slammed the Federation for calling on supermarkets to discontinue Ben & Jerr y’s products.
“Years of organizing for justice and liberation resulted in Ben and Jerry’s recognizing that their commitment to racial justice needed to include a commitment to justice for the Palestinian people,” Nevel said.
Aroma Market & Catering, a provider of kosher products with stores in Boca Raton and Cooper City, stopped carrying Ben & Jerry’s products due to the company’s decision.
Like Federation leaders, Gil Ribak — owner of Aroma — feels the ice cream company’s decision gives credence to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
“We should support Israel, not boycott Israel,” Ribak said. “Israel is the biggest ally of America and is the only democracy in the Middle East.”