A storm of unprecedented proportions has erupted at Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, New York. Just hours after a historic and controversial vote imposing a boycott on the sale of Israeli-made food products, the items were completely removed from the shelves of the member-run grocery store. The dramatic move has sparked immense anger among many Jewish members, who responded with threats of mass resignations and the filing of a formal discrimination complaint.
The vote itself was led by BDS supporters on Tuesday, with more than 7,000 members taking part. The decision passed by a decisive majority of 67% and took effect immediately. By the following day, Israeli products had already been removed from the shelves. It is not entirely clear what happened to the goods that were pulled, but one board member estimated they had been donated to a local food bank.
No longer seen as a human being
The cooperative, which has been operating for 53 years, is based on a model in which its roughly 15,000 members volunteer for daily shifts to run the store. That logistical and economic model is now in real danger. Ramon Maislen, a member of the cooperative's board, said an unofficial survey conducted before the vote showed that as many as 1,000 members were expected to leave if the boycott was approved. "People have already resigned," Maislen confirmed to the New York Post. Some members are even considering acts of civil disobedience, such as signing up for work shifts and then failing to show up.
"We're not spending another dollar here until this thing is gone. We're done," said J.J. Bernie, 52, a cooperative member for about 21 years, who said his family used to buy 90% of its groceries there. "It's hard to walk into that building and not feel like you're the object of somebody else's contempt and rage. I feel it so deeply. People don't see me as a human being anymore. They see only my identity."
Deidre Levy, 37, who has been a member of the cooperative for eight years, also said she planned to leave. "As an Asian and Jewish person, it is deeply frustrating to see discrimination against people who are different," she said. "This will alienate neighbors in Brooklyn, when they don't even know exactly what is happening more than 5,000 miles away."
Last-minute changes and comparisons to Nazis
Tensions over the BDS issue have been simmering for years at the cooperative on Union Street, with boycott supporters accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and demanding a boycott of all products from the country. Those arguments have taken over the monthly board meetings and have been accompanied by harsh anti-Israel rhetoric that has continued to intensify.
The drama peaked last month, when during a meeting held in April, one attendee declared that "Jewish supremacy is a problem in this country" and compared Jews to Nazis, while the meeting's moderators did nothing to condemn the hateful remarks.
The stormy vote this past Tuesday only deepened the sense of grievance among Jewish members. Just before the vote on the boycott itself, another vote passed to lower the majority threshold required for product boycotts, from 75% to just 51%. Without that rushed change to the rules, the boycott would not have passed. Jewish members said they felt deceived, especially given what they described as a lack of prior public debate before the decisive vote.
The charged atmosphere was plainly felt outside the building on Wednesday. Management was forced to hire security guards, who were stationed at the entrance and are expected to remain there for the foreseeable future. Drivers passing by shouted "Hypocrites!" from their car windows, and pedestrians denounced the decision.
Someone also went as far as taping a letter to the store's doors addressed to BDS voters. "To the Coop members who voted to boycott Israeli products, aka the hypocrites: Did you check products from Italy, or do you give the Vatican a pass for protecting pedophiles? Enjoy your mediocre hummus!! Kisses."
Other members wondered why the cooperative was not boycotting other countries. Avi Gold, 38, a Park Slope resident, said, "It's bullshit. They're not boycotting products from China or Russia. They'll happily accept imports from Palestine, no matter what their government does."
The legal battle begins
Opposition to the boycott is moving up a level. Members opposed to BDS filed a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission on Wednesday, alleging discrimination and human rights violations.
Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Park Slope described the development as sad "for many Jews in Park Slope" and said she intended to cancel her longtime membership in the cooperative.
"This was not a vote for peace, justice or humanity," Timoner said. "BDS is a movement to eliminate Israel, and I think many Jews in my community are going to feel that antisemitism has infected a very important local institution."
