Edited by: TJVNews.com
In response to the anti-Semitic decision by Ben & Jerry’s to join the BDS movement’s boycott of Jews, the following grocery stores and supermarket chains have announced that effective immediately, they are no longer carrying Ben & Jerry’s products. Please show them your appreciation and support.
- Glatt Express, Teaneck
- Aron’s Kissena Farms, NY
- Cedar Market, NJ
- Gourmet Glatt, Cedarhurst
- Seasons, NY
- Market Maven Baltimore
- Morton Williams, NY
- Kosher Kingdom, Melbourne, Australia
- Grand and Essex, Bergenfield, NJ
- Everfresh Supermarket, Great Neck, NY
- Moisha’s Supermarket, NY
- Grove Kosher Market, Florida
- Shop Delight, Great Neck, NY
- Pomegranate, Midwood, NY
- Shalom Kosher, Silver Springs, MD
- Riverdale Kosher Market, Bronx, NY
- Kosher Korner – Brooklyn, NY
- Uri’s Produce – Brooklyn, NY
The Vaad Harabonim of Queens released a statement encouraging stores to remove Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and for communities to stop buying their products.
The Kosher Authority of Australia and New Zealand delisted Ben & Jerry’s from the approved kosher product list.
As calls increase to take direct action against Ben & Jerry’s for their decision to isolate Israel, many organizations are also calling for a boycott of Unilever. Ben & Jerry’s is a subsidiary of Unilever which is a global company that employs 149,000 people across the world. It distributes 400 brand names in over 190 countries.
Among its brand names are Axe, a company that makes a line of men’s hygiene products such as body sprays, anti-perspirants, deodorants, shower gels and hair products. In that vein, Unilever also carries Dove Men+Care, from the Dove soap company as well as all Dove hygiene products. Other personal hygiene and hair and skin care companies that are under the Unilever name are TRESemme, Ponds, Degree Deoderant, Noxzema, Caress, Lever2000, Nexxus, Suave shampoo, the QTip brand, Simple skin care line, St. Ives, Seventh Generation household products, TIGI hair care products, ApotheCARE Essentials, Love Beauty and Planet, the Good Stuff hair care line, Schmidt’s, and the Vaseline brands.
In the food category, Unilever has such brands as Hellman’s mayonnaise, Knorr, a food brand with a wide range of soups, stock cubes, bouillons, seasonings and sauces, Maille, the food seasoning company, the Magnum ice cream company, Lipton Tea, Talenti, the gelato and sorbetto company, Breyer’s ice cream, Klondike ice cream, Good Humor ice cream, and Popsicle brand ices and ice cream.
Also jumping on board in support of Israel is the Town of Hempstead in Long Island which has announced that they are severing all contracts with Ben and Jerry’s and their parent company Unilever over the BDS move.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro also addressed the efforts of the BDS movement to destroy Israel. He tweeted on Wednesday, “BDS is rooted in anti-Semitism. The Stated goal of this amorphous movement is the removal of Jewish citizens from the region and I strongly oppose their efforts.”
Also reported on Wednesday was that Oklahoma Senator James Lankford wants to “block the sale of all (Ben & Jerry’s ice cream)” in the state after the company announced it would stop selling its ice cream in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.
Lankford wrote on Facebook Wednesday that Ben & Jerry’s is having “a meltdown” while calling on Oklahoma to respond to the company’s “boycott” of Israel.
The senator’s Facebook post reads, in part:
“Oklahoma has an anti-boycott of Israel law in place—we should immediately block the sale of all #Benandjerrys in the state and in any state-operated facility to align with our law.”
Last year, the governor did sign a bill that declares Israel a prominent trading partner and gives the state the option to not do business with companies that boycott Israel.
The Oklahoma law does not allow for an all-out ban of a product or company based on that company’s dealings – or decision to not have dealings – in Israel.
In an exclusive interview with the Jewish Voice, Rabbi Aryeh Spero, the founder and director of the Conference of Jewish Affairs said, “Ben and Jerry’s has now become a leader of the boycott and disinvestment campaign against Israel, though Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and the only country in that entire region focused on preserving human rights and dignity. Singling out the Jewish people or the Jewish nation for boycott and disinvestment is blatant anti-Semitism and not social justice.
“What can be more hypocritical than a company such as Ben and Jerry’s producing and distributing its product in dozens of countries where there is no democracy, where people are killed because of their Jewish or Christian faith, and people are oppressed because of their differences, yet boycotting Israel due to a political matter, one which Israel consistently tries to resolve but is rebuffed.”
He added that, “Ben and Jerry’s sells in countless Muslim countries where Jews are consigned to second class and inferior status, prohibited from settlement and worship, yet Ben and Jerry’s sells and produces their products in these countries. They also produce and sell in communist countries where human rights are violated daily.
“Ben and Jerry’s punishment and ostracizing of Jews living in areas the Muslim world considers off-limits to Jews is an acquiescence to the terrible anti-Jewish theory called judenrein, namely that an area formally be free of Jews. Is that Ben and Jerry’s idea of social justice?
“Ben and Jerry’s acts of hypocrisy,” added Rabbi Spero, ‘and willful assault against Israel is a capitulation to Hamas, and to the “woke” world which is becoming more anti-Jewish by the day. Ben and Jerry’s announcement today will go down as a day of infamy in the food industry.”
Addressing the efforts that the Jewish Voice has made in challenging the anti-Semitic move on the part of Ben & Jerry’s, Rabbi Spero added, “I think the Jewish Voice is a most magnificent publication and its highly efficient method of dissemination of the news on practically every topic is beyond commendable. The fact that the Jewish Voice is on top of the Ben & Jerry’s issue is so critically important and each of us must take part in this campaign to confront Ben & Jerry’s capitulation to the dangerous BDS movement.”
