NEW YORK – Today, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization that represents over 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America, reaffirmed its commitment to fighting occupation and anti-free speech laws and called out Jewish organizations for not doing the same. This announcement follows Unilever’s decision to sell its local Ben and Jerry’s business in Israel in order to circumvent the ice cream brand’s decision to stop selling its product in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, issued the following statement:
“Last summer, Ben and Jerry’s made a principled choice to continue selling its ice cream in Israel proper, while ceasing sales in the occupied Palestinian territories. This decision reflected both a commitment to Israel’s long-term existence, and to the human rights of Palestinians, who also deserve the fulfillment of their own national aspirations.
“The decision this week by Unilever to circumvent this business move by selling its local Ben and Jerry’s business to a distributor committed to selling in the West Bank. Likewise, it was a concession to the settlement project and to opponents of free speech in the United States who drove the laws that ultimately forced Unilever’s hand. This decision was not a victory for Israel or for Jews. Ben & Jerry’s was never boycotting Israel, and certainly was never boycotting Jews.
“Every Jewish organization that holds a two-state position should have celebrated Ben & Jerry’s decision to distinguish between Israel, within its recognized international borders, and the occupied Palestinian territories. The condemnation of this move last year, and the celebration of Unilever’s reversal reveal the moral bankruptcy of too many of our communal organizations, which nominally hold a two-state position even while actually bucking up occupation and settlement. Anyone who is actually committed to two states should be fighting as hard as possible to stop settlement expansion, which only makes two states harder and harder to achieve.
“While T’ruah does not support or participate in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, we do believe in free speech, which includes the right to boycott, as well as the right to speech with which one may not agree. The pressure on Unilever is a direct result of state anti-BDS laws that limit free speech, and that have forced state pension funds to threaten divestment from Unilever. These laws are now a model for laws restricting state investments in companies that ‘discriminate’ against firearms manufacturers or fossil fuel companies.
“The reaction to this decision is also a reminder that the right, including the Jewish right, and the far left are unified in trying to erase the Green Line and equate sovereign Israel with occupation. Organizations and individuals who actually care about the human rights of both Israelis and Palestinians must insist on the difference, fight occupation and settlement growth, and commit to building a better future for both peoples.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.