Rep. Dan Goldman and former city Comptroller Brad Lander are locked in a contentious Democratic primary for Congress, with one key policy difference centering on aid to Israel.
But when it comes to a possible local boycott of Israeli products at the Park Slope Food Coop, the two rivals agree: Don’t do it.
Lander and Goldman’s stance has frustrated progressive, politically engaged members of the co-op — a substantial source of potential votes in the race for the district covering Lower Manhattan and part of Brooklyn. Other co-op members have lamented how politics and Israel have seeped into so many aspects of daily life, including a trip to the collectively run grocery store. Some worry members may quit the co-op over the outcome of the vote, dividing the store that prides itself on welcoming anyone willing to contribute their labor.
“I’m very disappointed because I really can’t see any politician or any American citizen in good conscience not really pushing for us to pull out of the financial support of Israeli violence in Gaza and abroad,” said Idris Merchant, 37, who added that he plans to vote for Lander despite his position on the boycott.
Congressional candidate Brad Lander said he would not vote for the boycott, if he were a member of the co-op.
Co-op members are set to vote on two resolutions on Tuesday night. One would change the rules to allow members to adopt a boycott with a simple majority vote, as opposed to the current rule requiring a 75% supermajority. The second would boycott Israeli goods “until Israel complies with international law, including by ceasing unlawful discriminatory practices, in its treatment of Palestinians.” All of the co-op’s approximately 17,000 members can register by 5 p.m. to vote during the online meeting.
The meeting will be held exclusively online due to the number of expected attendees, as well as mounting concerns about security and potential protests. Management sent an email over the weekend detailing tension from conversations that have devolved into “physical altercations” and even warned that the co-op has received threats and “suspicious packages.” Another communiqué condemned members who laughed dismissively during a previous meeting when one attendee raised concerns about antisemitism.
The co-op did not immediately respond to a question about the recent incidents. But the store did hire security personnel.
The co-op's management said of the 9,000 items the co-op sells, it currently carries nine products made in Israel, including five Ecolove hair products, tahinis, and a peanut butter snack puff called Osem Bamba.
While Lander and Goldman share many progressive priorities, the two candidates have staked out very different positions on the question of aid for Israel. Both have been critical of the nation’s conduct since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. But Goldman has consistently voted to support aid to Israel. Lander has called for an end to military funding and has said Israel’s conduct amounts to a “genocide” in Gaza.
But with less than a month before the primary, the candidates’ agreement on avoiding a boycott of Israeli products is notable. The candidates will participate in a forum on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” on Wednesday, giving listeners a chance to ask them questions directly.
Goldman has called the boycott antisemitic, while Lander said boycotts are legitimate advocacy tools and not every criticism of Israel amounts to antisemitism.
Both Goldman and Lander have cited a sermon from a prominent local progressive leader, Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope. She opposed the resolutions and called on members to work together to defeat them. She also said she would quit the co-op if the resolutions are adopted. While she urged the congregation to stand for the right of Israel and Palestinians to coexist peacefully, she said this vote is about something else.
“ Why is this petty, annoying fight in our neighborhood grocery store worth so much time and effort? Because it is part of something much larger,” Timoner said. “In the end, it is about antisemitism, a real and rising threat which ultimately carries existential danger both for Jews and for every society in which it takes hold.”
Lander said he agreed with Timoner.
“I am not a member of the Park Slope Food Coop, but if I were, I would vote no on the resolution for many of the reasons outlined in Rabbi Timoner’s sermon,” Lander said in a statement. “But principled people can disagree here. Boycotts, divestments and sanctions are legitimate tools of advocacy campaigns. Unlike my opponent, I don’t believe all opposition to Israel is antisemitic, and I believe we should halt U.S. military aid to Israel while it violates international law and Palestinian human rights.”
Goldman took a harder line.
Rep. Dan Goldman is facing a tough primary challenge from former city Comptroller Brad Lander.
“Everyone is free to criticize the Israeli government — which I do not hesitate to do — but joining a movement that was founded on the principle of the elimination of Israel will have no impact on the Israeli government or the Israeli economy,” he said in a statement to the Forward last week. “Instead, it only succeeds at shifting the responsibility for the Israeli government’s actions to American Jews — which is quintessential antisemitism.”
For some co-op members, their position on the resolutions breaks down similarly to their positions in the upcoming primary.
“ The issue of Israel-Palestine has just become really, really divisive, and I lament the fact that we can't talk about it without screaming at each other anymore,” said Matt Lichtash, 34, as he left the market with his 5-month-old baby in a stroller on Friday. “ Even if I have my own personal political feelings, it's just become very toxic to discuss without accusing the other side of being horrible, genocidal-loving people.”
Lichtash said he was reluctantly supporting Goldman, since neither candidate fully aligned with his values. But he appreciated Goldman’s full-throated opposition to the resolutions, which he also planned to vote against.
John Caramichael, 27, said he supports the boycott resolutions and cited the co-op’s history of banning products from South Africa from 1973 until 1994 with the end of apartheid. “I would love to see us hold the state of Israel to the same standard because it is also an apartheid state and it’s committing genocide in Gaza,” Caramichael said.
In the context of the 10th Congressional District primary, Caramichael said he was also “disappointed” with Lander’s statement that said he would vote no on the resolutions.
“ If you're a political figure, especially someone aspiring to national office, if you're going to be out here saying that you want justice in Palestine and peace in Palestine, then part of that solidarity means following the Palestinian call for a boycott because that is what they want us to do,” Caramichael said.
Emily Minster, a spokesperson for Lander, said he was meeting with several of the boycott resolution's supporters on Friday afternoon. Neither Lander nor the organizers would comment after their meeting.
Members of the Park Slope Food Coop have debated over Israel for more than a decade.
Greg Selig, 53, was among those leafleting against the resolutions on Friday. He said he’s Jewish and has been a member of the co-op for 17 years but that since the Oct. 7 attack, “I felt like all of a sudden there was a lot of aggression, microaggression, outward aggression. The atmosphere just completely changed inside the co-op.”
Selig said that as he leaflets, he tells shoppers that he is not here to defend Israel, he is there to defend the co-op, where all members are required to work shifts as part of their membership. He said part of the beauty of the grocery store is that it brings people with political views across the spectrum together.
“ Suddenly you find yourself in a shift next to them, or you're shopping and you're talking about carrots, and then you find out about each other's lives,” said Selig, “ That's really the special thing about this place.”
Selig said he is voting for Goldman.
“ I think Dan Goldman speaks with more clarity on this issue. I think Brad Lander's always trying to split the baby,” he said.
Tensions over Israel at the co-op are not new. In 2012, members voted against a boycott of Israeli goods at a meeting with more than a 1,000 people at Brooklyn Technical High School that was disrupted by attendees, according to co-op manager Joe Szladeck.
The issue came up again in 2015, but Szladeck said the co-op has struggled to find places willing to rent space for the meeting when the issue is on the agenda because of potential protests.
The two resolutions are expected to be voted on starting at 8 p.m.
The deadline for new voters to register ahead of the congressional primary is June 13. Primary Day is June 23.
