By: Justin Winograd
A diverse coalition of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and pro-Israel activists gathered outside Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Coop on Thursday to denounce the cooperative’s recent decision to boycott Israeli products, transforming a neighborhood dispute into the latest flashpoint in the national debate over the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
The demonstration, which drew approximately 75 participants despite sweltering summer temperatures, featured pointed criticism of the boycott campaign, passionate appeals for coexistence, and repeated warnings that efforts to isolate Israel economically represent a troubling manifestation of discrimination rather than legitimate political activism.
According to a report on Friday at The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), one of the most memorable moments of the rally came when Sheikh Musa Drammeh, a prominent New York Muslim leader and founder of the Muslim-Israel Dialogue project, delivered a sharp rebuke of the BDS movement that was met with enthusiastic applause.
“BDS should stand for ‘blind, dumb and stupid,’” Drammeh declared, according to the JNS report. The remark drew an immediate reaction from those gathered outside the cooperative. “To support a boycott of Israel, you’ve got to be completely blind to Israel’s innovation, totally dumb not to benefit from it and completely stupid to deny the humanity of what Israel stands for,” Drammeh continued, as reported by JNS.
His comments underscored the central theme of the rally: opposition to efforts aimed at economically isolating Israel and criticism of what participants described as the increasing politicization of community institutions.
The demonstration took place less than three weeks after members of the Park Slope Food Coop approved a controversial measure to remove Israeli-made products from the store’s shelves
According to the JNS report, participating members voted on May 26 to implement the boycott, with 67% supporting the measure. Members simultaneously approved a procedural change lowering the threshold for future boycott initiatives from a 75% supermajority requirement to a simple majority vote.
The boycott became effective the following day.
Founded in 1973, the Park Slope Food Coop has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most prominent member-owned grocery cooperatives. With more than 17,000 members, the organization has historically emphasized community engagement, sustainability, and cooperative economics.
The boycott affects a relatively limited number of Israeli products, including certain food items and personal-care products. Yet supporters and opponents alike acknowledge that the symbolic implications of the vote extend far beyond the specific merchandise involved.
JNS reported that many rally participants viewed the decision as part of a broader campaign to stigmatize Israel and marginalize members of the Jewish community who maintain ties to the Jewish state.
Among those attending the protest was Corinne Lang, a member of the Lubavitch Chassidic community in Crown Heights. Lang described her reaction to the boycott vote in deeply emotional terms. “It was like somebody kicked me in the stomach. It was shocking,” she told JNS.
