New York Co Op confirms boycott to all 'Israeli' goods

• Two-thirds of members backed the measure
• Co-op drops 75% supermajority boycott rule
• Debate sparked tensions, security concerns

Members of a historic food co-operative in Brooklyn have voted to implement a boycott of roughly a dozen products from 'Israel' and 'Israeli' settlements in occupied Palestine.

The decision caps years of contentious debate over a conflict half a world away that has threatened to rip apart a landmark institution for liberal New Yorkers.

The Park Slope Food Coop vote, which took place Tuesday night during a three-hour virtual meeting attended by about 7,000 of the co-operative’s 17,000 members, follows months of dueling campaigning that one local rabbi opposed to the boycott described as a “proxy war.”

67% of participants voted in favor of the measure, which is expected to impact certain brands of tahini, peppers, and persimmons, among other products.

What may seem like a localized squabble of little significance beyond the largely privileged community the co-op serves has instead become another microcosm of the deep rifts over 'Israel' that the war in Gaza has exacerbated.

Tradition of activism vs. Deep rifts

The pro-boycott faction -led by Park Slope Food Coop Members in Solidarity with Palestine and endorsed by more than two dozen advocacy groups, including several Jewish organizations- argued that the boycott aligns with the co-op’s long history of socially conscious shopping.

Supporters cited past co-op boycotts of products from apartheid South Africa, Chile under the Augusto Pinochet regime, and several corporations targeted over anti-labor or environmental practices.

“Our co-op has a long and proud tradition of more than 20 boycotts,” said Alyce Barr, a member for nearly five decades and one of the boycott proposal’s sponsors. “We want to build on this tradition by boycotting Israeli products until Israel complies with international law.”

The debate has drawn significant attention well beyond the cooperative, which was founded in 1973 and has long been the subject of satirical portrayals over its stringent membership requirements and perceived self-importance.

Dan Goldman and Brad Lander, two Democrats locked in a congressional primary race in which Israel is playing a central role, both weighed in against the vote ahead of time, though Lander stated he was not instructing people how to vote.

Conversely, Palestinian advocate and Brooklyn resident Mahmoud Khalil defended the movement, describing the boycott as the minimum response to Israel "slaughtering civilians and committing human rights violations daily."

Rising tensions, security concerns

The vote follows weeks of escalating internal friction surrounding two proposed ballot initiatives: the boycott itself, and a second measure to eliminate the co-op's requirement for a 75% supermajority for a boycott to pass.

The second initiative also passed by a large majority, clearing the path for the 67% vote to enact the restrictions.

At times, campaign tensions flared into physical and verbal confrontations that management condemned as antithetical to the organization’s spirit.

Pro-boycott advocates described being verbally abused by anti-boycott members and passersby -including with a “homophobic and misogynist slur”- and reported an incident where a co-op member flipped over their campaign table and dumped their materials into the street.

In an email to members, the co-op’s leadership denounced what it called antisemitic and anti-Arab comments made during the previous month's general assembly.

In one instance cited by management, a member reported hearing: “We can’t keep making the same mistakes between we did with the Nazis and what we did with other hateful, racist groups.

Jewish supremacism is a problem in this country.” Another reported comment cited the phrase “Arab supremacy” in connection with the events of October 7, 2023, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The co-op has always been a place for open discussion, including difficult and strongly held views across deep divides, but that discussion must remain grounded in civil discourse,” wrote Joe Szladek, the co-op’s general manager.

As a result of the hostile environment, co-op leadership has officially increased security measures.

Szladek cited a series of recent incidents targeting the facility, including threatening letters, suspicious substances sent through the mail, aggressive phone calls, repeated telephone disruptions, and hostile social media activity directed at both staff and members.

Management emphasized that the security expansions are protective and are not being taken in response to any single viewpoint or group of members.