Wine, Cheese and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream
Last week I posted a note on my synagogue’s Instagram protesting State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s decision to divest New York state’s pension fund from Unilever, the parent company of Ben and Jerry’s. The ice cream company had recently announced they will not sell ice cream in Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. A few members of the congregation expressed their serious dismay at the position their rabbi had taken. Others who are not members of the Shul pulled out of a possible collaboration. These are some of the hazards of engaging with Israel/Palestine as a rabbi. So I am always cautious of doing so. When I do take action on an issue as a rabbi it is because I see ethical implications which transcend the current moment and speak to the moral bedrock of our tradition and our people’s history. That was the case this week. I hope that explaining the issue at greater depths will help people see its nuances.
DiNapoli based his decision on Cuomo’s 2016 executive order forbidding the state to do business with supporters of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). Neither my initial post nor Ben and Jerry’s decision has much to do with BDS. DiNapoli is using an anti-BDS law to penalize a company for an action that has nothing to do with BDS. You see, BDS is a movement to boycott, divest and sanction the State of Israel as a whole. They make…
