A vote at the Park Slope Food Coop on Tuesday night intensified an already heated debate among members over whether the grocery should boycott Israeli products amid the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Gaza.
Outside the member-owned cooperative, One member shouted, "our boycott tonight is consistent with our long history of boycotts!"
Supporters of the proposed boycott said their stance goes beyond food choices. "Many of us just don't shop here again because it's a grocery store. We shop here because it's consistent with our values," one member said.
Outside the co-op, dueling signs reflected the divide. Some members argued that boycotting fewer than a dozen Israeli-made items would send a message of economic and moral pressure.
"Perhaps even more important is the political statement - the moral statement that's made which sends a message around the country, around the world," member Mitty Owens said. "The cooperative movement is a very big important movement for social justice. And for the Park Slope Food Co-op to stand in solidarity with Palestinians is very important."
Others said the effort has created a hostile environment.
"You kind of feel like a little bit under assault," member Greg Selig said. Selig, who is Jewish, said the boycott push has contributed to what he described as a hateful atmosphere, citing an alleged antisemitic remark at a recent meeting.
"When you walk in here you think everybody - they're my friends or my neighbors or my fellow Co-opers," Selig said. "And to see them stand up and cheer when they hear that - as if that's something they get excited about- was chilling."
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