The UJA-Federation of New York said that it purchased 20,000 bags of Bamba in response to the Park Slope Food Coop’s recent decision to boycott Israeli products.
The UJA, the largest Federation in the world, which distributes $275 million in grants annually, described the co-op boycott as “divisive and hate-driven.”
Food co-op members voted 67% to 31% to boycott Israeli products. Some 8,400 members, out of 17,000, reportedly voted at the meeting, which was moved online due to security concerns.
The Federation said it will distribute the beloved Israeli peanut butter-flavored snack at Sunday’s Israel Day on Fifth parade in Manhattan.
The food co-op is a beloved Brooklyn institution where people purchase food, particularly fresh produce, at near-wholesale prices in exchange for working a shift there every six weeks.
It has carried a few products made in Israel, including Bamba, Dorot frozen cubes of herbs and garlic, Equal Exchange olive oil and a few brands of tahini.
Equal Exchange olive oil is made from olives grown by Palestinian small farmers in Judea and Samaria, according to the brand’s website, and is pressed from Nabali olives, an indigenous variety.
