Fwd: ZOA Op-Ed in NY Jewish Week about Brooklyn Food Coop and BDS

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From: "Zionist Organization of America" <info@zoa.org>
Date: Nov 11, 2016 9:55 AM
Subject: ZOA Op-Ed in NY Jewish Week about Brooklyn Food Coop and BDS
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Zionist Organization of America  ZOA in the News   DONATE NOW

ZOA Op-Ed in NY Jewish Week about Brooklyn Food Coop and BDS Share       For more information contact Morton A. Klein 212-481-1500 NEW YORK, November 11, 2016 By Susan B. Tuchman, Esq. and Morton A. Klein When the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn was founded in 1973, it had a worthy mission: to make healthy and affordable food available to everyone who wanted it. But recently, the Coop appears to have lost its way. In April, it suspended four loyal, long-time members for a whole year – three of them members from the Coop's inception. The reason? Allegedly, the four disrupted a Coop meeting. But they were singled out from among hundreds of Coop members who vociferously objected to a hateful and bigoted anti-Israel presentation at a Coop meeting, which was aimed at getting the Coop to boycott an Israeli company called SodaStream.  This wasn't the first time that an anti-Israel boycott was proposed at the Coop; the membership had already considered and soundly rejected one in 2012. But the Israel-bashers were persistent, this time displaying inflammatory anti-Israel photos at a Coop general meeting. The photos weren't verified, they had no context, and the boycott proponents did not even establish their connection to SodaStream. Members at the meeting reported that not only was Israel viciously attacked; Jews were, too, with incendiary comments like "Jews are aggressive toward black children." New York's Human Rights Law prohibits boycotts based on national origin, among several other protected categories. The law doesn't require evidence of a formal boycott campaign; it's enough if there's a pattern of conduct that commercially disadvantages members of a protected class, which describes the anti-Israel vendetta at the Coop. The four suspended Coop members were no doubt passionate and vocal about their objection to this anti-Israel boycott effort, and they had good reason to be: A boycott of Israeli products such as SodaStream would violate New York State law and could subject the Coop to liability. Boycotts that protest unlawful discriminatory practices do not violate the Human Rights Law, but that exception couldn't possibly apply to a boycott targeting SodaStream, a company that exemplifies fairness and peaceful Jewish-Arab coexistence. When the SodaStream factory was located near Maale Adumim — an area in Judea (part of the so-called WHOA! West Bank) under Israeli control according to the 1993 Oslo Accords, and an area that would likely be included in Israel in any future peace deal with the Palestinian Arabs – approximately 500 Palestinian Arabs worked at the factory alongside Israeli Jews, receiving equal pay and treatment. The factory even had a mosque for Muslim employees. The Coop was targeting SodaStream for one reason only: It's an Israeli company and the boycott promoters are hostile to Israel, which is precisely what the law is aimed at addressing. "The four suspended Coop members were no doubt passionate and vocal about their objection to this anti-Israel boycott effort, and they had good reason to be." Recently, New York State made its prohibitions against anti-Israel boycotts even stronger. Last June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order to prevent state agencies and authorities from engaging in or promoting "any investment activity that would further the harmful and discriminatory Palestinian-backed Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in New York State."  The Coop isn't a state entity but it does receive both state and federal benefits. In addition to the federal money it receives from the food stamps that some customers use, the Coop has been authorized by the state to operate as a nonprofit tax-exempt organization. The Coop thus doesn't have to pay taxes derived from the revenue it collects. Given these benefits, it is difficult to believe that New York State would indulge a Coop decision to target and discriminate against Israeli companies, including SodaStream.  These kinds of liability concerns prompted the GreenStar Food Coop in Ithaca to reject a boycott of Israeli products. The coop's legal counsel wisely concluded that the boycott could render GreenStar liable under the Human Rights Law.  The four members' vehement rejection of the Park Slope Food Coop's anti-Israel boycott efforts made sense for a second reason:  Targeting and boycotting the one Jewish state in the world – and the only thriving democracy in the Middle East – flies in the face of the Coop's own mission statement. The Coop purports to be committed to "oppose discrimination in any form," to "make the Coop welcoming and accessible to all," and to "lead by example" and educate about such topics as "cooperation and the environment." The four members, together with hundreds of others who also opposed a boycott of the environmentally-friendly SodaStream, strongly reacted so that the Coop would stay out of a complicated political situation and remain an accessible place for everyone.  The injustice of the Coop's suspension of its four loyal members led the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) to intervene and urge the Coop to first, reinstate the members immediately, and second, stop promoting discriminatory and potentially illegal practices targeting the Jewish State.  But the Coop has stayed silent, keeping the harsh punishment in place, which is directed against not only the four members, but also all the members of their respective households who have not been accused of any wrongdoing. Everyone in the community – especially our public officials – should be calling on the Coop to stop indulging a group of Israel-bashers who seem obsessed with singling out and discriminating against Israel, in violation of public policy.  Instead, the Coop should stick to its mission to make healthy and affordable food available to everyone who wants it. Susan B. Tuchman, Esq. is the director of the Zionist Organization of America's Center for Law and Justice, and Morton A. Klein is the national president of the Zionist Organization of America. This article was published by Jewish Week and may be found here.

Full story can be found here:  http://zoa.org/2016/11/10342019-zoa-op-ed-in-ny-jewish-week-about-brooklyn-food-coop-and-bds/

Follow ZOA    About the ZOA The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials, the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing Arab war against Israel. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.- Israel relations through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media, in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been - and continues to be - on the front lines of Jewish activism. www.zoa.org. For more information contact Morton A. Klein 212-481-1500.

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George Soros Exposed as Money Behind Anti-Trump Protests - The Geller Report

http://pamelageller.com/2016/11/george-soros-exposed-money-behind-anti-trump-protests.html/

Habima Plays in Kiryat Arba | The Jewish Press

Bsd

Great indication that the country is moving in a positive direction towards normalization of Judea and Samaria!

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/habima-plays-in-kiryat-arba/2016/11/11/

Fwd: Trump Advisor: Jewish Communities in Judea/Samaria Not Obstacle to Peace

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From: "Zionist Organization of America" <info@zoa.org>
Date: Nov 10, 2016 12:00 PM
Subject: Trump Advisor: Jewish Communities in Judea/Samaria Not Obstacle to Peace
To: "faigerayzel@gmail.com" <faigerayzel@gmail.com>
Cc:

Zionist Organization of America  Article   DONATE NOW

Trump Advisor: Jewish Communities in Judea/Samaria Not Obstacle to Peace Share       For more information contact Morton A. Klein 212-481-1500 NEW YORK, November 10, 2016 By Tova Lazaroff President-elect Donald Trump does not condemn Jewish building over the pre-1967 lines, nor does he believe in dictating the terms of any peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinian, a close legal advisor, Jason Greenblatt, told Army Radio on Thursday morning. "Mr. Trump does not view the settlements as being an obstacle for peace," Greenblatt said. He described a US policy with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is 180 degrees different from that of past administrations, either Democrat or Republican. Trump's views, he said, come from the past example of the 2005 Israeli demolition of 21 settlements in Gaza and four in northern Samaria. That withdrawal did not bring peace but rather was a precursor to a Hamas takeover of Gaza and three wars with Israel. "He is not going to impose any solution on Israel. He will move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem" "The two sides are going to have to decide how to deal with that region, but it's certainly not Mr. Trump's view that settlement activity should be condemned and that it's an obstacle for peace – because it is not the obstacle for peace." "He is not going to impose any solution on Israel. He thinks that the peace has to come from the parties themselves. Any meaningful contribution he can offer up, he is there to do,  it is not his goal, nor should it be anyone else's goal, to impose peace on the parties," said Greenblatt. With regard to Israel's larger security issues, Greenblatt said that the newly elected president "thinks that Israel is in a very tough situation and needs to defend itself as it needs to defend itself." With regard to Trump's pre-election promise that he would relocate the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Greenblatt said he expected that the pledge would be fulfilled. "I think he said it, he is going to do it. He is a man who keep this word. He recognizes the historical significance of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, unlike UNESCO," Greenblatt said. Trump won't be like his predecessors, Greenblatt said. "He is different for Israel than any recent president has been. Greenblatt also addressed a question about whether he could be the Middle East envoy in the Trump administration. "It's a little too soon to tell. I would be honored and privileged to serve in that kind of role. It would be an incredible opportunity and a bracha (blessing)," he said. This article was published by JPost and may be found here.

Follow ZOA    About the ZOA The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials, the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing Arab war against Israel. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.- Israel relations through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media, in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been - and continues to be - on the front lines of Jewish activism. www.zoa.org. For more information contact Morton A. Klein 212-481-1500.

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The Saudi Prince vs Trump - The Rebel

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Israel Advocacy Calendar (www.IsraelAdvocacyCalendar.com).

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