NY Jewish group buys 20,000 bags of Bamba in response to Park Slope Co-op’s Israel boycott

The UJA-Federation of New York, a leading Jewish organization in New York City, is buying 20,000 bags of Bamba snacks in response to an anti-Israel boycott at a prominent Brooklyn food co-op.

The Park Slope Food Coop, a major progressive institution in its neighborhood, voted to boycott Israeli products on Tuesday, capping a long-running dispute among its 17,000 members.

Centrist Jews at the co-op viewed the boycott as discriminatory and, ahead of the vote, the campaign involved elected officials, rabbis and leading Jewish groups.

The pro-boycott campaigners said it was meant to “stop genocide.”

The boycott only applies to a handful of products at the co-op. Among them is Bamba, the crunchy peanut-flavored puffy snack that is popular in Israel.

The federation says, “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 tells The Times of Israel it is buying the Bamba from Osem, the Israeli company that produces the snack, which was named by the Park Slope boycotters.

The federation will distribute the snacks at the annual Israel parade in New York City, taking place on Sunday.

“We’re all better with Bamba,” the federation says.