Sixteen Jewish and Christian pro-Israel groups are urging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to take decisive action against Unilever and its subsidiary, Ben & Jerry’s, for the ice-cream maker’s July 2021 decision to stop selling its products in “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Under an executive order, New York State must divest funds from companies that boycott Israel.
Hochul had given the ice-cream maker and its owner 90 days to explain why they should not be on that list, but that deadline has long since passed.
“Anti-Jewish attacks often start with boycotts,” said ZOA national president Morton A. Klein. “As a child of Holocaust survivors, I keep in mind that the Nazis’ atrocities began with their 1933 boycott of Jewish businesses. On behalf of thousands of supporters and friends in the State of New York, I urge Governor Hochul and Commissioner Moy to follow through now on their assurances made last fall. Placing Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s on New York’s BDS list will demonstrate that New York has zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic boycotts.”