(JTA) — In an interview that aired on HBO, both founders of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand reiterated that they stand behind the company’s decision to stop selling their products in the West Bank.
For Jerry Greenfield, being accused of anti-Semitism is “painful.” For Ben Cohen, it’s “absurd.”
“I think Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever [the ice cream brand’s parent company] are being characterized as boycotting Israel, which is not the case at all. It’s not boycotting Israel in any way,” Greenfield said in an interview with Axios that aired on its HBO show Oct. 10.
The Jewish duo, who founded the company in 1978, are no longer its owners, but they remain the most recognizable public faces of the company. They had previously defended the West Bank decision in a New York Times op-ed shortly after the move took place in July, but the Axios interview gave them a chance to expound on the human side of the aftermath.
“I understand people being upset. It’s a very emotional issue for a lot of people and I totally understand it, and it’s a very painful issue for a lot of people,” Greenfield said.
They were also asked how it felt to be “wrapped up in accusations of anti-Semitism.”
“Totally fine,” said Cohen, laughing. “It’s absurd. What, I’m anti-Jewish? I’m a Jew! All my family is Jewish, my friends are Jewish.”
Ben & Jerry’s had long been engaged in social justice issues when it decided to pull its product from the West Bank. The move came after months of pressure from pro-Palestinian activists in the wake of Israel’s latest armed conflict with Gaza. The decision prompted calls to boycott Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s — from such groups as the Baltimore Zionist District — along with accusations of anti-Semitism from some pro-Israel activists.
The state of Arizona divested nearly $200 million from Unilever in September, and several other states have since reviewed their investments in the conglomerate.
Unilever has also said in public statements that it does not believe Ben & Jerry’s is boycotting the state of Israel, and it plans to keep selling within the borders established by Israel after the Six Day War in 1967. However, Israeli law outlaws business that boycotts the West Bank, so it remains to be seen whether the company will be allowed to follow through with its plan.
When asked why Ben & Jerry’s continues to sell its ice cream in states with policies not in line with Cohen and Greenfield’s progressive values — such as Texas, where access to abortion is now limited, and Georgia, where voting rights have been curtailed — Cohen did not have an answer.
“I don’t know. I mean it’s an interesting question,” he said. “I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues of voting rights and … I don’t know. I think you ask a really good question, and I think I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit.”
Greenfield suggested that the answer had to do with international law.
“One thing that’s different is that what Israel is doing is considered illegal by international law,” he said, “so I think that’s a consideration.”
The Baltimore Zionist District and other Jewish groups are criticizing Ben & Jerry's announcement July 19 that it will stop selling ice cream in "Occupied Palestinian Territory."
Pro-Palestinian activists were swarming the social media comments sections of Ben & Jerry’s to demand the company boycott Israel. In response, Ben & Jerry’s appears to have entered a boycott of social media itself.