Members of the Park Slope Food Coop in the Brooklyn borough of New York City voted on Tuesday night to boycott Israeli products, citing the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
The measure passed by a margin of 67% (4,551) to 31% (2,083), with 2% abstaining, according to vote totals reported after the virtual meeting. Coop members first approved a bylaw change lowering the threshold for boycott measures from a 75% supermajority to a simple majority.
The Park Slope Food Coop, founded in 1973, has about 16,000 members and carries a limited number of Israeli products, including tahini, snacks and produce. Supporters of the measure said members had pushed for such a boycott since 2009.
A statement released following the vote claimed that coop members had worked for 17 years to pass the measure, accusing “far-right Zionist opponents” of continuously attempting to block it through intimidation and procedural tactics.
“This does nothing to help Israelis and Palestinians make peace,” said Avi Posnick, executive director of StandWithUs Northeast. “Instead, it actively promotes the agenda of violent extremists, while fueling hostility and division among members of the co-op.”
The vote came after the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law sent a letter urging the coop to cancel or restructure the referendum, citing concerns about antisemitism and the safety of Jewish members. The meeting was ultimately held entirely online after organizers cited security concerns.
Andres Spokoiny, president and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, mocked the boycott, sarcastically stating that the measure “will free Palestine.”
“That’s it, people, it’s over,” he wrote. “The Soviets, Nasser, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran couldn’t, but this boycott will break the Zionist monster. People are leaving Tel Aviv as we speak. We held up heroically, but this is really too much.”
