Hello. I am David Sokal the owner/operator of Olive Branch Enterprises, importer, bottler and distributor of Peace Oil. Just wanted to give my view on the issue of the exemption of Peace Oil from the boycott at the Olympia Food Co-op. In my view the boycott of Israeli goods wouldn’t really apply to Peace Oil in any case. 75% of the olive oil is from Canaan Fair Trade, a Palestinian owned and operated company based in Jenin Palestine and representing 1700 West Bank Palestinian farmers. Certainly then the largest portion of the oil is not an Israeli product in any way, shape or form.
As for the other 25%, half is from Green Action (http://www.fairtrade.org.il), an Israeli non-profit activist group that buys all its oil from West Bank farmers at a fair trade price. Of course it marks up the price to me as they have to get some monetary support for all the work it takes to get the oil out of the West Bank and to the US. The other Israeli group, Sindyanna of Galilee, (http://www.sindyanna.com) is also a non-profit and it buys all its olive oil from Arab farmers in Israel. Sindyanna also marks up the price in order to support its operations which consist of working to improve the lot of Palestinians living in northern Israel.
Personally, I don’t support BDS. Perhaps I’m not the sharpest businessman. If I was more jaded and opportunistic, I probably would, especially if it gets more publicity for Peace Oil as did this particular event (Olympia Food Co-op joining BDS). However, I am for the growing movement towards non-violent resistance in the form of mass protests in the West Bank. These are very risky undertakings and take a great deal of courage. We should do everything we can to support these efforts. Many Israelis are joining Palestinians marching in the West Bank despite risk of arrest, injury and death.
So how the heck can I be against BDS and for non-violent protest in the form of marches, sit-down strikes and the like in the West Bank?
The answer is in two parts: One is personal and one is strategic. I personally don’t feel comfortable boycotting Israeli products. I know and love many Israelis, family members and good friends. Some might even support BDS themselves but most wouldn’t. Some of them, like my dear Aunt Chanah, would be insulted and saddened. This is a feeling I understand completely, which leads me to the strategic answer. By far, the majority of Jewish Israelis feel anywhere from strongly uncomfortable to deeply angered by the acts of third party nations that to their view are placing the entire blame for the conflict on their shoulders and singling them out as the worst sinners in the world. This plays into very easily provoked and deep-seated fears of “anti-Semitism” that most Jews everywhere share.
While having been a victim doesn’t justify victimization of others, it should be a consideration in determining strategy. And while Naomi Klein and many other “Diaspora” Jews, as well as some Israeli Jews feel BDS is necessary and will have a positive outcome, I am not so sure. Unlike Jews, white South Africans had not recently experienced an attempt to wipe them off the face of the earth. Jews see a direct line from the holocaust to the creation of the Jewish State. Also, white South Africans didn’t have the hundreds of years of spiritual connection to South Africa that Jews have to Israel. And while white South Africans did create a unique language that enhanced their sense of ethnicity, it wasn’t an ancient tongue that was used in prayer for hundreds of years and now had been reborn as the common language of everyday life.
To sum up this psychological analysis, the one thing that will inevitably push the vast majority of Jews in Israel (and their supporters around the world) to batten the hatches, rally around the flag and talk of fighting to the death, is the sense of isolation that comes from feeling attacked. This great fear of isolation is the step-child of the holocaust in which the rest of the world basically ignored the plight of European Jewry. BDS will act in precisely the manner that many of us who seek a peaceful resolution want to avoid.
Every time Israelis and Arabs have moved closer to peace, those Arabs who sought to sabotage the effort didn’t have to do much more than launch a single successful attack on Jewish civilians and peace talks would unravel. Of course the same goes when roles are reversed and Jews have wanted to sabotage peace efforts (the current tactic of the Israeli right is to find every excuse they can to expel East Jerusalem Palestinians from their homes). Palestinians are just as beset by fears of violence and persecution. Jews are the modern day Crusaders in the Palestinian psyche and they are the contemporary Nazi in the Jewish psyche.
As such, a key part of any successful strategy of third party nations should be to provide a sense of support and understanding to these two PTSD afflicted groups. Confrontation should always be in the context of, “we support your right to exist, your desire for security, your right to self-determination … but you’ve got to curtail the settlements, or you’ve got to curtail suicide attacks.”
Why is BDS more likely to lead to a hardening of position among Jews than non-violent protest in the West Bank? BDS comes from Europe and the US for the most part and plays right into the fear of isolation spoken of above. Non-violent protest from Palestinians on the other hand, comes from the rightfully aggrieved party themselves. It shows that their belief in their cause is so strong they are willing to face death, WITHOUT TAKING THE LIFE OF A SINGLE JEW. Jews in Israel and around the world that support Palestinian statehood will have a much easier time convincing Jews in the pivotal and mercurial Political Center that Palestinians are fighting for their valid needs and longings, not to destroy the Jewish State. Hopefully this shift in the political atmosphere in Israel will give the government the impetus to act on its policy of achieving a two-state solution.
There are many ways that third party nations and their citizens can take action to end human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza while also showing their support for a two-state solution. Americans (and especially American Jews) can put pressure on American political leaders in the current administration and in Congress to focus on solving the conflict and to use all the resources available to the US to convince the parties that now is the time to create two states, side-by-side living in peace and as equals. (See J-Street.org)
There are literally hundreds of groups in Israel Palestine that are working for peace at the grass roots level. Support these groups. Some are Israeli, some Palestinian and some are joint operations. Here’s where I plug Peace Oil, http://www.peaceoil.net a joint project of Israelis and Palestinians. :-)
Of course there are many other activities to support as well. I’ve listed just a few on thelinks page on my website.
In the end, I know very well that my fears could be entirely unjustified. I know the following scenario is possible: BDS continues to spread and the Israeli government gets the message. Along with pressure and security guarantees from the US government, continuing security improvements and economic cooperation in the West Bank between Israel and the PNA, BDS plays a positive role in bringing about a meaningful, negotiated, sustainable and just two-state solution. If that’s what happens, I will be glad to say that I was wrong. If I am right, and BDS delays or derails a peaceful resolution entirely, it will have been a tragic miscalculation for all of us.
The Global BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Movement wants to abolish the Jewish state of Israel - it descends on our communities, proposing that stores boycott all Israeli products. BDS leaders want to destroy Israel and vilify Jews in the process. They will leave us divided in their wake unless we organize!
Showing posts with label 4. Statements Against BDS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4. Statements Against BDS. Show all posts
Labor opposed to BDS
Earlier this summer, when the anti- Israel forces inexplicably crowed "victory" over preventing a Chinese freighter in Oakland harbor from unloading, they claimed that "Labor" supported BDS against Israel. And, of course, they were wrong. While some labor union members might support some aspects of the boycott, sanctions and divestment movement , many labor members in both the leadership and the rank and file were deeply embarrassed by the claims and actions done in their name.
This letter was sent to the local Consul General of Israel, Akiva Tor, on behalf of state and local labor:
Akiva Tor
Consul General
State of Israel
San Francisco, CA
Dear Mr. Consul General
I am writing you regarding the incident that took place on June 20, 2010, in which a group of anti-Israel demonstrators picketed at the Port of Oakland resulting in members of ILWU Local 10 not unloading a Zim container vessel based on an arbitrator’s determination that the picket line present a “health and safety” risk. The vessel was unloaded the next day.
We want to make it perfectly clear to you and to the people of Israel that our union is fundamentally opposed to efforts to interfere with Israeli ships or cargoes and to the larger “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” effort being directed against Israel. We repudiate such tactics as antithetical to efforts to bring about real peace in the Middle East. We believe that the proper role of the US labor movement is to support efforts to bring about a just settlement that will enable Israel, the national homeland of the Jewish people, and a future Palestinian state to live side-by-side within safe and secure borders, free from war, terrorism, and in mutual respect and recognition.
It is our understanding that anti-Israel resolutions supporting this activity were passed in the Alameda and San Francisco Labor Councils. We wish to assure you that our union was never consulted about these actions and we repudiate them.
Moreover, we are very concerned that events such as occurred June 20 could result in the diversion of freight from the Port of Oakland to the Port of Los Angeles/Lon Beach or other ports along the Pacific Coast. We represent members who provide trucking and rail services for containerized shipping leaving the Port of Oakland and we do not believe that our members’ jobs should be placed in jeopardy because of the efforts of fringe groups to demonize Israel.
We hope what occurred at Oakland will be a one-time event that will never be repeated. We will be urging our brothers and sisters to insure that this is the case.
Marty Frates Secretary-Treasurer
cc: James Hoffa, International President, IBT
Rome Aloise, President, Teamsters Joint Council 7
Randy Cammack, President, Teamsters Joint Council 42
Art Pulaski, Exec. Secretary-Treasurer , CA Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
Bob Balgenorth, President, CA State Building and Construction Trades Council
Josie Camacho, Acting Exec. Secretary-Treasurer , Alameda Labor Council
Tim Paulson, Executive Director, San Francisco Labor Council
Bob McEllrath, International President, ILWU
Richard Mead, President, ILWU Local 10
Members, Executive Committee, Alameda Labor Council
Members, Executive Committee, San Francisco Labor Council
Omar Benjamin, Executive Director, Port of Oakland
The Lesson:
When they claim "Palestinian Civil Society " supports BDS it means them and a few hundred of their friends
When they claim "Labor" supports BDS it means them and a few hundred of their friends
When they "Jews" or "Israelis" support BDS, it is as meaningless
BDS is a fringe movement organized by doctrinaire haters, desperate for any kind of "victory" in an effort to build "momentum". But with ten years of failure behind them, sometimes this means victories need to be created- literally pulled out of the magicians hat. For the rest of us, its hard to ignore the 80 billion dollar growth in Israel's GNP since the BDS movement began.
The BDs'ers, and the entire movement to deny the Jewish people the right to self determination in their ancient homeland is based the the most fragile of lies, supported by the words of Lenin “To speak the truth is a petit-bourgeois habit. To lie, on the contrary, is often justified by the lie’s aim." Nonetheless, the rest of us will continue to speak truth to power, and we'll continue to fight the good fight.
This letter was sent to the local Consul General of Israel, Akiva Tor, on behalf of state and local labor:
Akiva Tor
Consul General
State of Israel
San Francisco, CA
Dear Mr. Consul General
I am writing you regarding the incident that took place on June 20, 2010, in which a group of anti-Israel demonstrators picketed at the Port of Oakland resulting in members of ILWU Local 10 not unloading a Zim container vessel based on an arbitrator’s determination that the picket line present a “health and safety” risk. The vessel was unloaded the next day.
We want to make it perfectly clear to you and to the people of Israel that our union is fundamentally opposed to efforts to interfere with Israeli ships or cargoes and to the larger “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” effort being directed against Israel. We repudiate such tactics as antithetical to efforts to bring about real peace in the Middle East. We believe that the proper role of the US labor movement is to support efforts to bring about a just settlement that will enable Israel, the national homeland of the Jewish people, and a future Palestinian state to live side-by-side within safe and secure borders, free from war, terrorism, and in mutual respect and recognition.
It is our understanding that anti-Israel resolutions supporting this activity were passed in the Alameda and San Francisco Labor Councils. We wish to assure you that our union was never consulted about these actions and we repudiate them.
Moreover, we are very concerned that events such as occurred June 20 could result in the diversion of freight from the Port of Oakland to the Port of Los Angeles/Lon Beach or other ports along the Pacific Coast. We represent members who provide trucking and rail services for containerized shipping leaving the Port of Oakland and we do not believe that our members’ jobs should be placed in jeopardy because of the efforts of fringe groups to demonize Israel.
We hope what occurred at Oakland will be a one-time event that will never be repeated. We will be urging our brothers and sisters to insure that this is the case.
Marty Frates Secretary-Treasurer
cc: James Hoffa, International President, IBT
Rome Aloise, President, Teamsters Joint Council 7
Randy Cammack, President, Teamsters Joint Council 42
Art Pulaski, Exec. Secretary-Treasurer , CA Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
Bob Balgenorth, President, CA State Building and Construction Trades Council
Josie Camacho, Acting Exec. Secretary-Treasurer , Alameda Labor Council
Tim Paulson, Executive Director, San Francisco Labor Council
Bob McEllrath, International President, ILWU
Richard Mead, President, ILWU Local 10
Members, Executive Committee, Alameda Labor Council
Members, Executive Committee, San Francisco Labor Council
Omar Benjamin, Executive Director, Port of Oakland
The Lesson:
When they claim "Palestinian Civil Society " supports BDS it means them and a few hundred of their friends
When they claim "Labor" supports BDS it means them and a few hundred of their friends
When they "Jews" or "Israelis" support BDS, it is as meaningless
BDS is a fringe movement organized by doctrinaire haters, desperate for any kind of "victory" in an effort to build "momentum". But with ten years of failure behind them, sometimes this means victories need to be created- literally pulled out of the magicians hat. For the rest of us, its hard to ignore the 80 billion dollar growth in Israel's GNP since the BDS movement began.
The BDs'ers, and the entire movement to deny the Jewish people the right to self determination in their ancient homeland is based the the most fragile of lies, supported by the words of Lenin “To speak the truth is a petit-bourgeois habit. To lie, on the contrary, is often justified by the lie’s aim." Nonetheless, the rest of us will continue to speak truth to power, and we'll continue to fight the good fight.
Letter: Co-op not political forum
I returned from a holiday with my family to read the news of the proposed boycott of Israeli products. It ruined my return home. I have shopped at the co-op regularly since my arrival in Port Townsend eight years ago. I am in once a week for my major marketing, then again and again to pick up what I forgot the first time!
The co-op is one of the jewels of Port Townsend. It is the place one comes to confidently get food that is wholesome, healthful, nourishing and, where possible, local. It is the place where one meets friends and neighbors. Where one buys flowers and plants. It is not a place one comes to to exercise one’s personal and particular political ideology. There are many other forums for that exercise.
The co-op is a community. Most of us are people who have deep humanitarian concerns, but we have differing beliefs and ideas. To impose the politics of one group of people on the whole risks tearing this precious community apart.
To repeat, the co-op is not and should not be made into a political forum. Further, to single out one country for human rights abuse when we live in a world where country after country, not excepting our own, commits human rights abuses is, in itself, an abuse.
ROSALIND RUSSELL
Port Townsend
Letter Source
The co-op is one of the jewels of Port Townsend. It is the place one comes to confidently get food that is wholesome, healthful, nourishing and, where possible, local. It is the place where one meets friends and neighbors. Where one buys flowers and plants. It is not a place one comes to to exercise one’s personal and particular political ideology. There are many other forums for that exercise.
The co-op is a community. Most of us are people who have deep humanitarian concerns, but we have differing beliefs and ideas. To impose the politics of one group of people on the whole risks tearing this precious community apart.
To repeat, the co-op is not and should not be made into a political forum. Further, to single out one country for human rights abuse when we live in a world where country after country, not excepting our own, commits human rights abuses is, in itself, an abuse.
ROSALIND RUSSELL
Port Townsend
Letter Source
Boycott of Israeli goods is divisive and will hurt the Food Co-Op and the City of Port Townsend financially
To the Port Townsend Food Co-Op Board:
I have been shopping at the Port Townsend Food Co-Op for over ten years now and I enjoy many of the products you carry.
However, if the recently proposed boycott of Jewish products is approved by your Board, I and others will lead a different boycott – one with an active picket line directed right at the Food Co-Op itself. We will leaflet and talk with tourists on the street in Port Townsend about the situation. The picketing will not only negatively impact the Food Co-Op, but will also shed negative light on the Film Festival, Victorian Festival, Centrum, etc. and any other activities that draw the public into Port Townsend. We will place ourselves with picket signs at the only entrance to the city to let everyone know, who enters the town that you are targeting Jewish businesses.
Have you discussed this with the Chamber of Commerce? Have you spoken to your local food producers, who will also be negatively impacted by a boycott of the Port Townsend Food Co-Op? Be careful what you ask for – if you approve this proposed boycott of Jewish goods it will not be pretty. When you advertise in the Leader there will be opposing advertisements notifying your customers about this bigotry. You need to consider carefully the negative impact that approving this proposal would bring not only to your business, but to the entire Port Townsend community.
Howard M. Gilbert
Port Townsend Food Co-Op Member and resident of Jefferson County, Washington
Port Townsend Food Co-Op members speak out against the proposed boycott of Israeli goods and businesses
Dear Port Townsend Food Co-Op Board:
I want to start by saying that I am sorry that the Port Townsend Food Co-Op Board has been placed in the uncomfortable position it finds itself in today – that of a lightening rod for intense political conflict related to the Israeli/Palestinian situation. I hope that you decide soon to remove yourselves and the Food Co-Op from this position by immediately opposing the suggested Co-Op boycott of Jewish goods and businesses.
I assume that the bylaws you have posted on your website are current and therefore wish to remind you of one of your primary policies that seems pertinent to this Jewish boycott proposal - that is your duty to protect the Co-Op store from political manipulation:
POLICY B8: EXECUTIVE LIMITATIONS
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND VALUE
B8.8 Ensure that the store not be utilized for political purposes; therefore, s/he shall not fail to:
B8.8.1 Ensure that signs, banners, newsletters and other materials endorsing or urging opposition to any (a) candidate(s) for public office, (b) referenda, propositions, resolutions or any other items on a public ballot, or (c) community matters not directly related to organic, natural and healthy foods, are not created by the Co-op nor displayed within the Co-op premises except that, with respect to item (c), petition gathering may be permitted at the store entrances so long as ingress and egress are not impeded.
This policy will be monitored by internal report and reviewed annually in July.
Political Manipulation. When I first heard about the proposed boycott of Jewish businesses and goods I learned that it focused exclusively on Israeli goods because of the boycott proponent’s belief that Israel is acting unfairly towards Palestinians. I wish to remind the board that this belief that Israel is somehow unfair to Palestinians has absolutely nothing to do with providing safe, healthy food products for Port Townsend. This boycott proposal is purely politically motivated and therefore 'utilizing the store for political purposes,' which is against Policy B8 shown above.
I now hear that the boycott proponent has taken another approach and is trying to get all Israeli products reviewed in detail for their production processes, workplace conditions, toxic potential, organic ingredients, etc. This targeting of Jewish goods for extreme scrutiny is grossly manipulative and only designed to create political havoc. Now I hear that he has proposed that signs be placed in front of the targeted Jewish goods so that the customers can decide whether they want to purchase them or not. If these placards are put in place they will be a visible sign to all the Anti-Semites in our community that their negative beliefs about Jews are sanctioned by the Co-Op. I believe that this violates again the policies shown above that the store not be used for “community matters not directly related to organic, natural and healthy foods.” This maneuvering and manipulation is nothing short of an attempted political coup of the Co-Op.
Loyalty of Board Members to the Co-Op. With respect to the policies below I want to remind the board of their paramount duty to protect the Food Co-Op from individuals and/or organizations, whose personal interests are at odds with the best interests of the Co-Op. I hope that you can foresee that the proposal to boycott Jewish goods and businesses is not in the best interests of our local Co-Op and in fact it will only serve to create divisions among our community, hurt the financial well-being of the store and possibly brand the entire town as anti-Jewish.
D1.3.3 If less than a majority of members present are in favor of a proposition, whether or not anyone has blocked, then the proposition shall not have passed, and the members present shall determine by majority whether to table the item or continue discussion at the next meeting. Any proposition that is tabled may not be re-introduced for six months.
D5.1.1 Board members must represent unconflicted loyalty to the interests of the ownership. This accountability supercedes any conflicting loyalty such as that to advocacy or interest groups and membership on other Boards or staffs. This accountability supercedes the personal interest of any Board member acting as an individual consumer of the organization's services.
D7.2 The Board shall always act in the best interest of the Co-op as a whole.
D7.2.1 To make informed policy decisions, the Board must understand the values and needs of the members. Therefore the Board must obtain adequate and appropriate information on the members.
D7.3.2 The Board will build and sustain a sense of membership, pride and loyalty among members.
Product Reviews. I have read your policies related to food products and how reviews can be conducted about whether any of them should be discontinued or supplemented, etc.. These policies revolve around quality issues and healthy food assessments – ensuring a safe food supply free of toxins, produced under fair labor practices, etc. The boycott proponent’s now desperate and transparent request that somehow all these Israeli products deserve intense scrutiny for their health aspects is preposterous. This is a desperate attempt on the part of the boycott proponent to bypass your policies that prohibit using the store for political purposes. If these politically targeted product reviews are allowed to continue, they will open the door to any frivolous contention about any product for any reason. This essentially will make a mockery of your seriously written product review policies that appear to be sincerely designed to provide the best “organic, natural and healthy foods” to Port Townsend and Jefferson County residents.
Anti-Semitism. Here are a few of the events that my family has experienced since moving to Jefferson County:
- My Jewish daughter attended school in Quilcene until she had to leave the school in that town because the other youth would not associate with her unless she attended their youth group at a local church. She attended for a while for fun and for cultural exploration, but when she ceased attending they informed her that their relationship was contingent on her attending church. Outside of that they would not socialize with her.
- My daughter transferred to a high school in Port Townsend and while riding the bus to school one day a group of youth started calling her “Jew-girl” over and over again in a nasty tone of voice and despite the fact that the transit bus was full of adults, not one spoke up to defend or help her.
- A Jewish teacher at Quilcene High School had “Jew lady” scrawled on the door of her classroom and the administration dismissed it as a juvenile prank.
- A swastika was carved into a table in the library at the Quilcene School and I found out that it had been there for years and no one had done anything about removing it. I had to make a fuss to get the custodian to grind out the spot on the desk with a sander.
Well, Jews will not sit back and take this crap any more – not from the Food Co-Op or anybody else. If you approve this boycott of Jewish goods and businesses you are going to unleash a response the likes of which you have never seen in Port Townsend.
Pamela Roberts
Port Townsend Food Co-Op Member and resident of Jefferson County, Washington
BDS harms the peace process
BDS harms the peace process. Whatever one thinks of Oslo, it is not coincidental
that Israel entered into the Oslo Peace Accords only after the UN lifted its
odious Zionism is Racism resolution in 1991 and that Israel made peace with
Egypt only after Sadat came to Jerusalem. A nation under threat of boycott,
a nation that feels its very existence and international legitimacy are
threatened, is less likely to make peace, which makes the Palestinian
strategy particularly self-defeating at this point (not to mention the fact
that Israeli academics are among the most outspoken peace advocates).
http://www.politicaltheatrics.net/2010/03/new-campaign-planned-against-bds-movement/
that Israel entered into the Oslo Peace Accords only after the UN lifted its
odious Zionism is Racism resolution in 1991 and that Israel made peace with
Egypt only after Sadat came to Jerusalem. A nation under threat of boycott,
a nation that feels its very existence and international legitimacy are
threatened, is less likely to make peace, which makes the Palestinian
strategy particularly self-defeating at this point (not to mention the fact
that Israeli academics are among the most outspoken peace advocates).
http://www.politicaltheatrics.net/2010/03/new-campaign-planned-against-bds-movement/
"BDS is tearing our community apart"
Yohanna Kinberg says that the last boycott taken up by the Olympia Food Co-op, the grocery store where she's a member, happened decades ago, when it banned sugar. The uproar at the time, she says, was enough to reinstate the sweet stuff. But that fight pales in comparison to the strife Kinberg sees today, now that her Co-op has put itself front and center into an international debate by becoming the first grocery store in the country to ban all goods from Israel*.
"It's tearing our community apart," she says.
Kinberg is one of a handful of the Co-op's 15,000 members to denounce the boycott enacted two weeks ago, a stance that pits her not only against the people who share her love for reasonably priced bulgur wheat, but also against a motley crew of activists, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who praised the Co-op for joining "a growing worldwide movement...to support by non-violent tangible acts the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination."
The problem, says Kinberg, is that not only did her fellow Co-op members insert the complicated politics of an intractable debate into the relatively apolitical world of grocery shopping, they also did it without following their own rules. According to her, the board failed to get a consensus from its 80-some staff members, a requirement of its own by-laws. (The Co-op has thus far failed to return a phone call.)
On a more personal level, she says, it also did a crappy job of informing its members of the controversy to come.
"I live within walking distance of the Co-op," says Kinberg, "But I had to find out about the boycott from a blog."
Kinberg is also upset that the issue of banning Israeli goods didn't bubble up naturally from the Co-op's pool of left-center politics. Instead, she says the board was persuaded by BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), an international advocacy group that's worked to push similar boycotts at co-ops in Bellingham, Port Townshend and Seattle, where Capitol Hill's Madison Market took up the issue in committee, but backed off after a deluge of complaints from both sides hipped it to the coming divisiveness should it take up a boycott.
The language of the boycott also makes the likelihood of Kinberg getting her Israeli ice cream bars back anytime soon unlikely: the ban won't end until "Israel ends its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantles the Wall." (Translation: Don't hold your breath.)
Kinberg says she hopes to have 100-150 protesters joining her outside the Co-op this afternoon. But most of all, she just wants her old grocery store back.
"It's extremely painful because you're seeing your friends and neighbors and jogging partner walking in to buy their organic produce while you're protesting," she says. "It's just weird."
*Joe Eskenazi, the news blogger for our sister site in San Francisco, says this is far from the first time a co-op has banned the sale of Jewish goods.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/07/the_olympia_grocery_store_that.php
"It's tearing our community apart," she says.
Kinberg is one of a handful of the Co-op's 15,000 members to denounce the boycott enacted two weeks ago, a stance that pits her not only against the people who share her love for reasonably priced bulgur wheat, but also against a motley crew of activists, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who praised the Co-op for joining "a growing worldwide movement...to support by non-violent tangible acts the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination."
The problem, says Kinberg, is that not only did her fellow Co-op members insert the complicated politics of an intractable debate into the relatively apolitical world of grocery shopping, they also did it without following their own rules. According to her, the board failed to get a consensus from its 80-some staff members, a requirement of its own by-laws. (The Co-op has thus far failed to return a phone call.)
On a more personal level, she says, it also did a crappy job of informing its members of the controversy to come.
"I live within walking distance of the Co-op," says Kinberg, "But I had to find out about the boycott from a blog."
Kinberg is also upset that the issue of banning Israeli goods didn't bubble up naturally from the Co-op's pool of left-center politics. Instead, she says the board was persuaded by BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), an international advocacy group that's worked to push similar boycotts at co-ops in Bellingham, Port Townshend and Seattle, where Capitol Hill's Madison Market took up the issue in committee, but backed off after a deluge of complaints from both sides hipped it to the coming divisiveness should it take up a boycott.
The language of the boycott also makes the likelihood of Kinberg getting her Israeli ice cream bars back anytime soon unlikely: the ban won't end until "Israel ends its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantles the Wall." (Translation: Don't hold your breath.)
Kinberg says she hopes to have 100-150 protesters joining her outside the Co-op this afternoon. But most of all, she just wants her old grocery store back.
"It's extremely painful because you're seeing your friends and neighbors and jogging partner walking in to buy their organic produce while you're protesting," she says. "It's just weird."
*Joe Eskenazi, the news blogger for our sister site in San Francisco, says this is far from the first time a co-op has banned the sale of Jewish goods.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/07/the_olympia_grocery_store_that.php
J Street speaks out against BDS
BOYCOTT DEBATE AT PUGET SOUND CO-OPS
Many of you may know that on July 15, in a surprise move, the board of the Olympia Food Co-op voted to boycott Israeli products. This event has caused a stir in the region, and sparked an intense debate among co-op membership, which includes many members of Olympia's Jewish community.
J STREET STATEMENT ON BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, AND SANCTIONS
Co-op statement on boycott of Israeli products
Note from Rabbi Seth Goldstein, Temple Beth Hatfiloh, and events in Olympia
J Street opposes boycotts and divestment directed against Israel. Our policy statement is printed below. We have also reprinted an eloquent letter by David Sokal, proprietor of Peace Oil and a member of the J Street Seattle steering committee. This letter is his personal opinion, not J Street's, but it reflects the careful thought that is so important now.
J Street Seattle has been in contact with members of the Olympia Jewish community, and respects the needs of Olympians to resolve this controversy within their own community.
The Olympia Jewish community which is not comfortable with BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) is developing its strategy for responding to this boycott. We will maintain close contacts with Temple Beth Hatfiloh and J Street supporters in the Olympia area. If you live in the Olympia area and have questions, ideas, or are willing to lend a helping hand, please communicate directly with Rabbi Seth Goldstein: rabbi@bethhatfiloh.org.
The move to boycott Israeli products causes great concern within the Jewish community, especially in the Puget Sound region where there has been a bitter debate at Madison Market/Central Co-op that resulted in the issue being dropped; the Olympia Food Co-op board has voted in favor of boycott, the Port Townsend Food Co-op has the issue on its agenda, and students at Evergreen College voted to support divestment from Israel.
J Street believes that the growing BDS movement illustrates why it is crucially important to redouble efforts to build an effective two-state strategy for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As long as the dysfunctional status quo allows frustration to mount, both in the Middle East and here in the United States, we can expect more calls for BDS, which J Street sees as hampering work for peace.
http://action.jstreet.org/c/8217/t/5534/content.jsp?content_KEY=3177
Many of you may know that on July 15, in a surprise move, the board of the Olympia Food Co-op voted to boycott Israeli products. This event has caused a stir in the region, and sparked an intense debate among co-op membership, which includes many members of Olympia's Jewish community.
J STREET STATEMENT ON BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, AND SANCTIONS
Co-op statement on boycott of Israeli products
Note from Rabbi Seth Goldstein, Temple Beth Hatfiloh, and events in Olympia
J Street opposes boycotts and divestment directed against Israel. Our policy statement is printed below. We have also reprinted an eloquent letter by David Sokal, proprietor of Peace Oil and a member of the J Street Seattle steering committee. This letter is his personal opinion, not J Street's, but it reflects the careful thought that is so important now.
J Street Seattle has been in contact with members of the Olympia Jewish community, and respects the needs of Olympians to resolve this controversy within their own community.
The Olympia Jewish community which is not comfortable with BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) is developing its strategy for responding to this boycott. We will maintain close contacts with Temple Beth Hatfiloh and J Street supporters in the Olympia area. If you live in the Olympia area and have questions, ideas, or are willing to lend a helping hand, please communicate directly with Rabbi Seth Goldstein: rabbi@bethhatfiloh.org.
The move to boycott Israeli products causes great concern within the Jewish community, especially in the Puget Sound region where there has been a bitter debate at Madison Market/Central Co-op that resulted in the issue being dropped; the Olympia Food Co-op board has voted in favor of boycott, the Port Townsend Food Co-op has the issue on its agenda, and students at Evergreen College voted to support divestment from Israel.
J Street believes that the growing BDS movement illustrates why it is crucially important to redouble efforts to build an effective two-state strategy for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As long as the dysfunctional status quo allows frustration to mount, both in the Middle East and here in the United States, we can expect more calls for BDS, which J Street sees as hampering work for peace.
http://action.jstreet.org/c/8217/t/5534/content.jsp?content_KEY=3177
An argument against BDS by well known peace activist
WHY I AM AGAINST BDS
By David Sokal, Proprietor of Peace Oil
This letter represents the independent viewpoint of the writer.
I am David Sokal the owner/operator of Olive Branch Enterprises, importer, bottler and distributor of Peace Oil. Just wanted to give my view on the issue of the exemption of Peace Oil from the boycott at the Olympia Food Co-op and the decision to participate in BDS. In my view the boycott of Israeli goods wouldn't really apply to Peace Oil in any case. 75% of the olive oil is from Canaan Fair Trade, a Palestinian owned and operated company based in Jenin Palestine and representing 1700 West Bank Palestinian farmers. Certainly then the largest portion of the oil is not an Israeli product in any way, shape or form.
As for the other 25%, half is from Green Action, www.fairtrade.org.il, an Israeli non-profit activist group that buys all its oil from West Bank Palestinian farmers at a fair trade price. Of course it marks up the price to me as they have to get some monetary support for all the work it takes to get the oil out of the West Bank and to the US. The other Israeli group, Sindyanna of Galilee, www.sindyanna.com, is also a non-profit and it buys all its olive oil from Arab farmers in Israel. Sindyanna also marks up the price in order to support its operations which consist of working to improve the lot of Palestinians living in northern Israel.
Personally, I don't support BDS. Perhaps I'm not the sharpest businessman. If I was more jaded and opportunistic, I probably would, especially if it gets more publicity for Peace Oil as did your decision to join the BDS movement. However, I am for the growing movement towards non-violent resistance in the form of mass protests in the West Bank. These are very risky undertakings and take a great deal of courage. We should do everything we can to support these efforts. Many Israelis are joining Palestinians marching in the West Bank despite risk of arrest, injury and death.
So how the heck can I be against BDS and for non-violent protest in the form of marches, sit-down strikes and the like in the West Bank?
The answer is in two parts: One is personal and one is strategic. I personally don't feel comfortable boycotting Israeli products. I know and love many Israelis, both family members and good friends. Some might even support BDS themselves but most wouldn't. Some of them, like my dear Aunt Chanah, would be insulted and saddened. This is a feeling I understand completely, which leads me to the strategic answer. By far, the majority of Jewish Israelis feel anywhere from strongly uncomfortable to deeply angered by the acts of third party nations that to their view are placing the entire blame for the conflict on their shoulders and singling them out as the worst sinners in the world. This plays into very easily provoked and deep-seated fears of "anti-Semitism" that most Jews everywhere share.
While having been a victim doesn't justify victimization of others, it should be a consideration in determining strategy. And while Naomi Klein and many other "Diaspora" Jews, as well as some Israeli Jews feel BDS is necessary and will have a positive outcome, I am not so sure. Unlike Jews, white South Africans had not recently experienced an attempt to wipe them off the face of the earth. Jews see a direct line from the holocaust to the creation of the Jewish State. Also, white South Africans didn't have the hundreds of years of spiritual connection to South Africa that Jews have to Israel. And while white South Africans did create a unique language that enhanced their sense of ethnicity, it wasn't an ancient tongue that was used in prayer for hundreds of years and now had been reborn as the common language of everyday life.
To sum up this psychological analysis, the one thing that will inevitably push the vast majority of Jews in Israel (and their supporters around the world) to batten the hatches, rally around the flag and talk of fighting to the death, is the sense of isolation that comes from feeling attacked. This great fear of isolation is the step-child of the holocaust in which the rest of the world basically ignored the plight of European Jewry. BDS will act in precisely the manner that many of us who seek a peaceful resolution want to avoid.
Every time Israelis and Arabs have moved closer to peace, those Arabs who sought to sabotage the effort didn't have to do much more than launch a single successful attack on Jewish civilians and peace talks would unravel. Of course the same goes when roles are reversed and Jews have wanted to sabotage peace efforts (the current tactic of the Israeli right is to find every excuse they can to expel East Jerusalem Palestinians from their homes). Palestinians are just as beset by fears of violence and persecution. Jews are the modern day Crusaders in the Palestinian psyche and they are the contemporary Nazi in the Jewish psyche.
As such, a key part of any successful strategy of third party nations should be to provide a sense of support and understanding to these two PTSD afflicted groups. Confrontation should always be in the context of, "we support your right to exist, your desire for security, your right to self-determination … but you've got to curtail the settlements, or you've got to curtail suicide attacks."
Why is BDS more likely to lead to a hardening of position among Jews than non-violent protest in the West Bank? BDS comes from Europe and the US for the most part and plays right into the fear of isolation spoken of above. Non-violent protest from Palestinians on the other hand, comes from the rightfully aggrieved party themselves. It shows that their belief in their cause is so strong they are willing to face death, WITHOUT TAKING THE LIFE OF A SINGLE JEW. Jews in Israel and around the world that support Palestinian statehood will have a much easier time convincing Jews in the pivotal and mercurial Political Center that Palestinians are fighting for their valid needs and longings, not to destroy the Jewish State. Hopefully this shift in the political atmosphere in Israel will give the government the impetus to act on its policy of achieving a two-state solution.
There are many ways that third party nations and their citizens can take action to end human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza while also showing their support for a two-state solution. Americans (and especially American Jews) can put pressure on American political leaders in the current administration and in Congress to focus on solving the conflict and to use all the resources available to the US to convince the parties that now is the time to create two states, side-by-side living in peace and as equals. (See www.jstreet.org)
There are literally hundreds of groups in Israel Palestine that are working for peace at the grass roots level. Support these groups. Some are Israeli, some Palestinian and some are joint operations. Here's where I plug Peace Oil, www.peaceoil.net, a joint project of Israelis and Palestinians. :-)
Of course there are many other activities to support as well. I've listed just a few on the links page on my website (http://www.peaceoil.net/html_1/peace_links.html).
In the end, I know very well that my fears could be entirely unjustified. I know the following scenario is possible: BDS continues to spread and the Israeli government gets the message. Along with pressure and security guarantees from the US government, continuing security improvements and economic cooperation in the West Bank between Israel and the PNA, BDS plays a positive role in bringing about a meaningful, negotiated, sustainable and just two-state solution. If that's what happens, I will be glad to say that I was wrong. If I am right, and BDS delays or derails a peaceful resolution entirely, it will have been a tragic miscalculation for all of us.
David Sokal
Olive Branch Enterprises
By David Sokal, Proprietor of Peace Oil
This letter represents the independent viewpoint of the writer.
I am David Sokal the owner/operator of Olive Branch Enterprises, importer, bottler and distributor of Peace Oil. Just wanted to give my view on the issue of the exemption of Peace Oil from the boycott at the Olympia Food Co-op and the decision to participate in BDS. In my view the boycott of Israeli goods wouldn't really apply to Peace Oil in any case. 75% of the olive oil is from Canaan Fair Trade, a Palestinian owned and operated company based in Jenin Palestine and representing 1700 West Bank Palestinian farmers. Certainly then the largest portion of the oil is not an Israeli product in any way, shape or form.
As for the other 25%, half is from Green Action, www.fairtrade.org.il, an Israeli non-profit activist group that buys all its oil from West Bank Palestinian farmers at a fair trade price. Of course it marks up the price to me as they have to get some monetary support for all the work it takes to get the oil out of the West Bank and to the US. The other Israeli group, Sindyanna of Galilee, www.sindyanna.com, is also a non-profit and it buys all its olive oil from Arab farmers in Israel. Sindyanna also marks up the price in order to support its operations which consist of working to improve the lot of Palestinians living in northern Israel.
Personally, I don't support BDS. Perhaps I'm not the sharpest businessman. If I was more jaded and opportunistic, I probably would, especially if it gets more publicity for Peace Oil as did your decision to join the BDS movement. However, I am for the growing movement towards non-violent resistance in the form of mass protests in the West Bank. These are very risky undertakings and take a great deal of courage. We should do everything we can to support these efforts. Many Israelis are joining Palestinians marching in the West Bank despite risk of arrest, injury and death.
So how the heck can I be against BDS and for non-violent protest in the form of marches, sit-down strikes and the like in the West Bank?
The answer is in two parts: One is personal and one is strategic. I personally don't feel comfortable boycotting Israeli products. I know and love many Israelis, both family members and good friends. Some might even support BDS themselves but most wouldn't. Some of them, like my dear Aunt Chanah, would be insulted and saddened. This is a feeling I understand completely, which leads me to the strategic answer. By far, the majority of Jewish Israelis feel anywhere from strongly uncomfortable to deeply angered by the acts of third party nations that to their view are placing the entire blame for the conflict on their shoulders and singling them out as the worst sinners in the world. This plays into very easily provoked and deep-seated fears of "anti-Semitism" that most Jews everywhere share.
While having been a victim doesn't justify victimization of others, it should be a consideration in determining strategy. And while Naomi Klein and many other "Diaspora" Jews, as well as some Israeli Jews feel BDS is necessary and will have a positive outcome, I am not so sure. Unlike Jews, white South Africans had not recently experienced an attempt to wipe them off the face of the earth. Jews see a direct line from the holocaust to the creation of the Jewish State. Also, white South Africans didn't have the hundreds of years of spiritual connection to South Africa that Jews have to Israel. And while white South Africans did create a unique language that enhanced their sense of ethnicity, it wasn't an ancient tongue that was used in prayer for hundreds of years and now had been reborn as the common language of everyday life.
To sum up this psychological analysis, the one thing that will inevitably push the vast majority of Jews in Israel (and their supporters around the world) to batten the hatches, rally around the flag and talk of fighting to the death, is the sense of isolation that comes from feeling attacked. This great fear of isolation is the step-child of the holocaust in which the rest of the world basically ignored the plight of European Jewry. BDS will act in precisely the manner that many of us who seek a peaceful resolution want to avoid.
Every time Israelis and Arabs have moved closer to peace, those Arabs who sought to sabotage the effort didn't have to do much more than launch a single successful attack on Jewish civilians and peace talks would unravel. Of course the same goes when roles are reversed and Jews have wanted to sabotage peace efforts (the current tactic of the Israeli right is to find every excuse they can to expel East Jerusalem Palestinians from their homes). Palestinians are just as beset by fears of violence and persecution. Jews are the modern day Crusaders in the Palestinian psyche and they are the contemporary Nazi in the Jewish psyche.
As such, a key part of any successful strategy of third party nations should be to provide a sense of support and understanding to these two PTSD afflicted groups. Confrontation should always be in the context of, "we support your right to exist, your desire for security, your right to self-determination … but you've got to curtail the settlements, or you've got to curtail suicide attacks."
Why is BDS more likely to lead to a hardening of position among Jews than non-violent protest in the West Bank? BDS comes from Europe and the US for the most part and plays right into the fear of isolation spoken of above. Non-violent protest from Palestinians on the other hand, comes from the rightfully aggrieved party themselves. It shows that their belief in their cause is so strong they are willing to face death, WITHOUT TAKING THE LIFE OF A SINGLE JEW. Jews in Israel and around the world that support Palestinian statehood will have a much easier time convincing Jews in the pivotal and mercurial Political Center that Palestinians are fighting for their valid needs and longings, not to destroy the Jewish State. Hopefully this shift in the political atmosphere in Israel will give the government the impetus to act on its policy of achieving a two-state solution.
There are many ways that third party nations and their citizens can take action to end human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza while also showing their support for a two-state solution. Americans (and especially American Jews) can put pressure on American political leaders in the current administration and in Congress to focus on solving the conflict and to use all the resources available to the US to convince the parties that now is the time to create two states, side-by-side living in peace and as equals. (See www.jstreet.org)
There are literally hundreds of groups in Israel Palestine that are working for peace at the grass roots level. Support these groups. Some are Israeli, some Palestinian and some are joint operations. Here's where I plug Peace Oil, www.peaceoil.net, a joint project of Israelis and Palestinians. :-)
Of course there are many other activities to support as well. I've listed just a few on the links page on my website (http://www.peaceoil.net/html_1/peace_links.html).
In the end, I know very well that my fears could be entirely unjustified. I know the following scenario is possible: BDS continues to spread and the Israeli government gets the message. Along with pressure and security guarantees from the US government, continuing security improvements and economic cooperation in the West Bank between Israel and the PNA, BDS plays a positive role in bringing about a meaningful, negotiated, sustainable and just two-state solution. If that's what happens, I will be glad to say that I was wrong. If I am right, and BDS delays or derails a peaceful resolution entirely, it will have been a tragic miscalculation for all of us.
David Sokal
Olive Branch Enterprises
Let us decide what we want to buy!
| Perspective: Product boycott should be up to the consumer, not the co-op |
| By Henry Werch, Port Townsend I want to begin by adamantly stating what I positively support. I would want our [Food] Co-op, a place in which we take great pride, to continue to be our community’s principle source for healthy food and supplements, and not be a place for bitter contention or sour feelings. Away from the co-op, in a separate venue, I would wish to see a community forum that would explore the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the international movement for “boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) against Israel. I am in favor of any educational effort that would help individuals decide how they can best support their values and beliefs in regard to this serious and longstanding international issue. I believe it would be valuable for all in the community to know how individuals and groups can best support the goal of peacefully changing specific reprehensible Israeli policies. My wife and I choose to make our views known through the positive support of organizations that work diligently within Israel to change such policies – The New Israel Fund, Rabbis for Human Rights, Play for Peace and others. It is regrettable that there is so little known in the U.S. about how much dissension there is within Israel itself about current practices, and how much is being done to change them by so many worthy organizations that are having measurable results. There are numerous contentious political issues and egregious actions that can be ascribed to the countries of origin for products sold at the co-op, with the U.S. perhaps leading the pack. If the co-op membership were to determine that product boycotts were appropriate for making political statements, and then in a non-discriminatory fashion select countries worthy of being boycotted, there would be few products left to sell on its shelves. I do not support the institutional boycott of any commercial product for political reasons exclusively, even if such reasons are cloaked in a mantel of humanitarianism. These kinds of boycotts can often hurt the very people that they are intended to benefit. I believe consumers should make that informed choice individually. Current country-of-origin labeling of products at the co-op is sufficient to allow such choices. To me, the proposed boycott also violates the co-op’s published policy: “B8.8 – Ensure that the store not be utilized for political purposes … ” If a majority of the co-op board were to vote to allow the co-op to change their policy and allow such political stances, such actions would only reflect the particular biases of individuals and factions within the co-op membership while disrespecting others. A targeted boycott sends a clear message that the co-op board is singling out a particular country and finding that it is uniquely worthy of attention separate from and above all others. If that happened, I would stop shopping at the co-op, but retain my co-op membership in order to support future board candidates who would oppose such a practice. http://www.ptleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=27549&TM=34850.44 |
Boycotts against Israel fail to help Palestinians
Dear Evergreen,
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is deeply troubled by the Olympia Food Co-op’s decision to boycott Israeli products. Additionally, we are disappointed that the co-op’s board chose to make this decision without a thoughtful and inclusive discussion with its members.
We have been in regular contact with key leaders in the Olympia Jewish community, including Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Temple Beth Hatfiloh, since this crisis became known to us on Tuesday. The Olympia Jewish community has begun to formulate its strategy for responding to this boycott. We will be working closely with Rabbi Goldstein to ensure that he has the support necessary to successfully address this boycott in his local community. Co-op members, Jews from Olympia and other concerned Olympia residents have chosen to picket the store. A petition is being circulated to urge the board to reconsider their position. Still others are preparing to express their concerns at a co-op members’ meeting on August 11. In Rabbi Goldstein’s “Weekly Words” letter to Temple Beth Hatfiloh members, he asks people concerned about the boycott to share their thoughts with him directly at rabbi@bethhatfiloh.org. If you have questions, ideas, or are willing to lend a helping hand, please communicate directly with Rabbi Goldstein.
Of course, what has happened in Olympia is only a small part of a growing number of BDS (boycotts, divestments, and sanctions) initiatives. Not too long ago, the Seattle community faced a proposed boycott by Madison Market. Local co-op members and community members successfully defeated that proposal. Just a couple of days ago, the Port Townsend Co-op announced that it too would be considering a boycott of Israeli products. In the coming weeks we will be calling our community together for the purpose of developing a strategy to combat local boycotts which is strategic, effective, and addresses the uniqueness of each community.
Boycotts against Israel, such as this one, fail in their aim to help Palestinians by damaging Israel’s economy. Approximately 20% of Israel’s labor force is made up of Israeli Arabs as well as Palestinians living in the West Bank; they and their families suffer as a result of BDS initiatives. We believe that businesses that care genuinely about a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should support both Israelis and Palestinians—for example, by carrying Israeli products and donating a portion of the proceeds to organizations that promote peaceful relations between the two peoples. We believe that change is achieved not by divisive boycotts and divestments, but rather by education and peaceful dialogue.
We are concerned about the message that this boycott may send to other businesses. We ask you to do your part to help stop the spread of boycotts and divestments throughout our community. Here are some ways that you can help:
• Shop specifically at stores that stock Israeli products
• Go out of your way to thank the management, in person or in writing, for carrying Israeli products
• Ask friends and family members to purchase Israeli products in their communities, and to be sure to thank the management for carrying these product
• Purchase products from www.IsraeliProducts.com, which donates 100% of its net profits to Israeli charities
• Visit www.investinisrael.gov.il to invest in an Israeli business
Thank you for doing all you can to support Israel and its people.
Sincerely,
Richard Fruchter
President and CEO
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
http://evergreenhillel.org/2010/07/29/the-rise-of-boycotts-in-our-local-community/
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is deeply troubled by the Olympia Food Co-op’s decision to boycott Israeli products. Additionally, we are disappointed that the co-op’s board chose to make this decision without a thoughtful and inclusive discussion with its members.
We have been in regular contact with key leaders in the Olympia Jewish community, including Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Temple Beth Hatfiloh, since this crisis became known to us on Tuesday. The Olympia Jewish community has begun to formulate its strategy for responding to this boycott. We will be working closely with Rabbi Goldstein to ensure that he has the support necessary to successfully address this boycott in his local community. Co-op members, Jews from Olympia and other concerned Olympia residents have chosen to picket the store. A petition is being circulated to urge the board to reconsider their position. Still others are preparing to express their concerns at a co-op members’ meeting on August 11. In Rabbi Goldstein’s “Weekly Words” letter to Temple Beth Hatfiloh members, he asks people concerned about the boycott to share their thoughts with him directly at rabbi@bethhatfiloh.org. If you have questions, ideas, or are willing to lend a helping hand, please communicate directly with Rabbi Goldstein.
Of course, what has happened in Olympia is only a small part of a growing number of BDS (boycotts, divestments, and sanctions) initiatives. Not too long ago, the Seattle community faced a proposed boycott by Madison Market. Local co-op members and community members successfully defeated that proposal. Just a couple of days ago, the Port Townsend Co-op announced that it too would be considering a boycott of Israeli products. In the coming weeks we will be calling our community together for the purpose of developing a strategy to combat local boycotts which is strategic, effective, and addresses the uniqueness of each community.
Boycotts against Israel, such as this one, fail in their aim to help Palestinians by damaging Israel’s economy. Approximately 20% of Israel’s labor force is made up of Israeli Arabs as well as Palestinians living in the West Bank; they and their families suffer as a result of BDS initiatives. We believe that businesses that care genuinely about a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should support both Israelis and Palestinians—for example, by carrying Israeli products and donating a portion of the proceeds to organizations that promote peaceful relations between the two peoples. We believe that change is achieved not by divisive boycotts and divestments, but rather by education and peaceful dialogue.
We are concerned about the message that this boycott may send to other businesses. We ask you to do your part to help stop the spread of boycotts and divestments throughout our community. Here are some ways that you can help:
• Shop specifically at stores that stock Israeli products
• Go out of your way to thank the management, in person or in writing, for carrying Israeli products
• Ask friends and family members to purchase Israeli products in their communities, and to be sure to thank the management for carrying these product
• Purchase products from www.IsraeliProducts.com, which donates 100% of its net profits to Israeli charities
• Visit www.investinisrael.gov.il to invest in an Israeli business
Thank you for doing all you can to support Israel and its people.
Sincerely,
Richard Fruchter
President and CEO
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
http://evergreenhillel.org/2010/07/29/the-rise-of-boycotts-in-our-local-community/
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