Jewish group files cease and desist order against Park Slope Food Coop
The National Jewish Advocacy Center calls the store’s boycott of Israeli products “illegal.”
Members shop at the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn. Formed in 1973, the Coop is one of the oldest and largest food cooperatives in America. (James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images)
(New York Jewish Week) — A group of pro-Israel activists has filed a cease and desist motion in response to a prominent Brooklyn grocery store’s decision to boycott Israeli products, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned.
The letter was sent to the manager and board of directors of the Park Slope Food Coop, alleging that the boycott approved in a vote on Tuesday night is illegal.
The cease and desist letter was submitted by the National Jewish Advocacy Center, a legal and civil rights group, on behalf of Jewish member-owners of the coop.
It alleges that the boycott came about “through a campaign of harassment, intimidation, deception, and slurs,” and that the board of the coop itself “used its authority to target, exclude, or economically disadvantage Jews and Israelis while exposing the cooperative to risk.”
The letter further alleges that the boycott violates the basic principles of the coop’s autonomy by permitting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to gain a foothold through the PSFC Members for Palestine group.
The Park Slope Food Coop did not return JTA’s request for comment.
Thursday’s cease and desist is not the first legal action taken in the two days since the boycott passed.
CUNY law professor Jeffrey Lax announced in a post on X Wednesday that he had filed a New York State Division of Human Rights complaint on behalf of his advocacy group, S.A.F.E Campus. It alleges that the boycott violates a state law preventing the boycott or blacklist of products based on protected classes, including national origin. (The law does not apply to boycotts related to labor disputes or unlawful discriminatory practices.)
Barbara Mazor, a member and organizer of Coop4Unity, which opposed the decision to bar Israeli products from the grocery store, said in a statement shared with JTA that she does not believe members fully understood the consequences of the boycott ahead of the vote.
“Cooperatives are based on the concept that people are able to set aside their differences to come together and work collectively on a shared project for mutual benefit,” Mazor said. “It is truly sad that the membership has chosen to adopt this resolution, which I believe will only harm the Coop and provide no relief from the bloodshed and destruction. It is a missed opportunity to amplify voices working toward rebuilding and coexistence.”
Some members are considering cancelling their memberships, while others have suggested temporarily suspending their memberships, texts viewed by JTA show. But Coop4Unity leadership is asking its supporters to refrain from taking action until next month’s general meeting, during which members will elect one person to an open seat on the board of directors.
Among the nine Israeli products that will no longer be sold by the coop, two are made at least in part by Arab Israelis. Julia Zaher, an Arab-Israeli woman from Nazareth, is the owner and CEO of Al Arz Tahini. Equal Exchange olive oil is an Arab-Jewish collaborative product created by nonprofit Sindyanna of Galilee. (Equal Exchange also sells a Palestinian olive oil from the West Bank.)
UJA-Federation of New York announced in a press release Thursday that it will distribute 20,000 bags of Bamba at the Celebrate Israel Day Parade on Sunday in response to the boycott results.
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