Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Delta passengers outraged at airline’s serving Ben & Jerry’s on flight to Israel

The company “needs to explain itself and this astonishing decision,“ says former Likud Knesset member Anat Berko.

Delta Air Lines
A Delta Air Lines plane. Photo by Steve Fitzgerald via Wikimedia Commons.

Bitter scoop: Passengers on a Delta flight from New York to Tel Aviv on Wednesday were displeased when they discovered that the in-flight service included a less-than-sweet treat—Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.

Many of the passengers on the flight handed the dessert back to the flight attendants, who said that they had warned the airline that it was an “inappropriate” choice, given the company’s recent decision to stop selling its products beyond the Green Line.

The decision caused an international controversy and much concern in Israel, where it was seen as a capitulation to the BDS movement.

One of the passengers was former Likud Knesset member Anat Berko, who was traveling with a relative.

“After the ice cream was served, a lot of people protested the serving of a food product whose producer boycotts Judea and Samaria. I protested, as well, and gave my ice-cream back,” said Berko.

The former MK said that a few upset passengers declared that they would write to Delta to protest its decision to serve Ben & Jerry’s.

“Not only did I give my serving back; I also filmed the event, so the airline couldn’t deny it had happened. Delta needs to explain itself and this astonishing decision,” she added, saying that despite the ice-cream incident, the flight and service had been excellent.

This report first appeared in Israel Hayom.

Judy Schwank told JNS that “if we can get it through both bodies and get it to the governor’s desk, he will sign it.”
The reversal “sends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,” Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.
Israel’s foreign minister called it a historic day for ties between the two countries and an important day for the capital.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement condemned the disruption, calling claims that Israel commits genocide and kills children a modern blood libel.