Products from Israel at the Coop

I went shopping tonight and here are some of things from Israel I found in the coop:

• Yehuda Matzos - in the Passover section
• Organic Tomatoes on the Vine - alas, I only saw the sign, there were none on the shelves when we were there. 
• Sabra Hummous - this is actually made in America, although the company is half-owned by an Israeli company.  But I bought some because it was a target of a FAILED BDS effort at Princeton University in December 2010.
• Dorot Frozen Herbs - You will find these in the freezer section.  These are containers of 20 individual teaspoons for frozen herbs.  There is parsley, garlic, ginger, cilantro, basil and hot pepper varieties.  A great idea when you are in a hurry to prepare a meal.
• Masada Foot Scrub - smooth your callouses away.
• Masada Bath Salts - the coop had 4 varieties on the shelf, when I was there.  You can get detox, muscle relax, rejuvenate, refresh.  They all sounded wonderful to me. 
• Mud - a face mask that will make your skin smooth and resilient.

Pick up a few of these on your next food coop visit.  Let me know if you see any other products.

Tomorrow Is a BIG Day

Wednesday, March 30, is Buy Israeli Goods day, a day set aside to counter an annual BDS day of action for that same date.

I don't know what the coop is stocking these days, but go see if there are any organic pepper from Israel, or marshmallows, or bath salts from the Dead Sea.  But, if you're out shopping, make a point to buy something.

Here is a link on how to find more Israeli Products in local stores. 

Read more at StandWithUs

The Worst Case Scenario

Around 200 people attend General Meetings each month. 200 out of 16,000. How many people read the Gazette every time it’s published? How many people support BDS? How many people oppose it? How many people don’t know enough to make an informed opinion? How many people are aware there are coop members who want the coop to join it? How many people have never heard of it?

I don’t know. But let’s imagine a possible scenario, keeping in mind that the numbers of people mentioned are total guesses.

It begins with BDS supporters submitting a BDS proposal to the agenda committee. The item is scheduled for a General Meeting. Although the BDS group knows they have submitted the proposal, and they will know at the beginning of the month their item is on the agenda, the rest of the coop will be informed 5 days before the General Meeting, when the agenda is published in the Linewaiters Gazette.

While the BDS supporters will have months to prepare their presentation and bring out their people, those opposed to BDS will have a mere few days to prepare. Will we know how to respond? Will we be  prepared for the lies and distortions?

At the General Meeting, BDS will make their presentation. Discussion will ensue. People will be “outraged,” “highly offended,” and “righteously indignant.” There will be very little clarity. The question will be called and a vote taken. How will the vote go? Maybe there will be 125 abstentions, 40 in favor and 35 against. By a margin of 5 votes BDS passes. Who knows?

The meeting results are posted on the internet and spread like wildfire. 1000 coop members resign, requesting the return of their $100 member investment. The coop has to come up with $100,000. Weekly sales drop by $50,000, which is about $10,000 in mark-up. 5 coop staffers are laid off.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Through education we can strengthen our supporters. Through organization we can be prepared. We can prevent BDS at our coop.

Why Is This Blog Different From All Other Blogs?

This blog is for members of the Park Slope Food Coop.  

The goal of this blog is to stop any efforts to bring BDS to the Coop.

1. If you are already opposed to BDS, then we need your help to mobilize others who oppose it, to make sure our voices are heard. We want to provide you with talking points to be an effective advocate for Israel.
2. If you don't have a position, or feel you don't know enough about it, we will provide you with the information to make the right decision.  BDS is wrong. 
3. If you are pro-BDS, maybe you can have an open mind to listen and reconsider your position.  Or maybe you will come to realize that trying to bring BDS to the coop will be detrimental to the well-being of our coop.  Or maybe you will realize that the opposition to BDS will be so overwhelming that your efforts are just wasting everyone's time and energy.

We know you are busy.  All the posts on this blog will be short, and focused on just one point.  There will never be more than one post a day.   You will have time to think about this issue, point by point, one idea at a time.

Welcome

This blog is for organizing members of the Park Slope Food Coop who oppose the efforts of a few members to introduce the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel movement into our coop.

BDS is not about bringing peace to the region.  Its goal is to delegitimize Israel and ultimately to bring about the end of Israel as a Jewish country.  BDS is Bigotry. Dishonesty. anti-Semitism.

We need organizers, social networkers, writers, web-masters, communicators, educators and more to get out our message and teach our  community the truth about Israel and the truth about BDS.

Please contact me at stopbdsparkslope at gmail dot com to get involved.

Thanks,
Barbara M.