The Backlash Begins on Olympia Food Co-op Boycott of Israeli Goods

The Associated Press has picked up the boycott story and is reporting "Olympia Food Co-op says it has received hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from all over the world." The Israeli government is getting involved with Ha'aretz reporting: "An Israeli diplomatic source told Haaretz that the boycott issue is being checked, and although it seems like a marginal incident. The source added that 'we are concerned about every attempt to delegitimize Israel.' " The Olympian reports: "Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Olympia, whose wife, Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg, contacted the paper by e-mail, won't shop at the co-op as result of the board's decision, and the couple are considering 'resigning' as co-op members. They had shopped at the store for about eight years, he said." Goldstein is also quoted claiming the co-op "membership was not informed in the decision process." I'm sure the August 11 "meeting to discuss the Olympia Food Co-op's participation in a boycott of Israeli products" will be heated and well-attended. A similar grocery co-op boycott of Israeli goods by Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco in 2002 was rolled back was after intense Jewish Zionist pressure.

Friends,

Here is an updated Action Alert for support of the Olympia Food Co-op's boycott of Israeli goods.  In previous message, the email address for board@olympiafood.coop copied incorrectly into the "To" line of the email to send.  In this version of the alert, the correct email address will come up in the email you send.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Please forward.  

Action Alert: Support the Olympia Food Co-op Now! We Need Your Support Urgently!

Just last week the Board of Directors of the Olympia Food Co-op took the courageous step of instituting a boycott of Israeli goods, the first grocery boycott of Israel in the US. Already, there is a movement afoot to condemn the Co-op for taking this important stand. Board and staff are receiving aggressive emails and phone calls, and we need to show them that there is support for the boycott. Please, thank the Olympia Food Co-op and its board of directors for supporting human rights in Palestine:

• Send brief emails of thanks to board@olympiafood.coop.
• Show your support for this boycott by signing our petition!
• Visit us at www.OlympiaBDS.org to learn more.

If you live locally in Olympia, WA, here are additional things that you can do to support the Co-op and the boycott:

• Go to the Co-op, write a thankful comment card and drop it in the box, and be sure to thank any staff members and volunteers that you see!
• On Aug 4, 7pm-9pm, come to our teach-in Why boycott? Why divest? to learn more about the boycott, and the BDS movement as a whole!

Olympia BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) is a grassroots network of community members in Olympia, WA, joining the call by Palestinian civil society for a non-violent, global movement of boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israel, until it meets the requirements of human rights and international law.

Thanks for listening!

Olympia BDS
www.olympiabds.org
contact@olympiabds.org