
UJA Buys 20,000 Bags Of Bamba After Brooklyn Food Co-Op Votes To Boycott Israeli Products
The UJA-Federation of New York announced it is purchasing 20,000 bags of Bamba in response to an anti-Israel boycott approved this week at the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn.
The progressive Brooklyn co-op voted Tuesday to boycott Israeli products following a lengthy internal dispute among its roughly 17,000 members.
Many Jewish members viewed the boycott effort as discriminatory, and the debate surrounding the vote drew involvement from elected officials, rabbis, and major Jewish organizations ahead of the decision.
Supporters of the boycott campaign claimed the move was intended to “stop genocide.”
The boycott affects only a limited number of Israeli products sold at the co-op, including Bamba, the popular peanut-flavored Israeli snack.
“In response to the divisive and hate-driven boycott of Israeli products at the Park Slope Food Coop, UJA is buying those very products, starting with a purchase of 20,000 bags of Bamba,” the federation said.
UJA told The Times of Israel that the snacks are being purchased directly from Osem, the Israeli manufacturer specifically targeted by boycott activists.
The organization said the Bamba will be distributed during Sunday’s annual Israel parade in New York City.
“We’re all better with Bamba,” the federation said.