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The owner of a Ben & Jerry’s store on the Upper West Side was so chilled by the parent company’s freeze on West Bank ice cream sales that he pledged to donate a portion of his proceeds to help Israel.
Joel Gasman, who runs the store on West 104th Street and Broadway, said he couldn’t stand the boycott imposed last week on Israel-occupied areas – saying it blew his business into the Big Apple.
“We couldn’t sit and watch without talking,” Gasman told The Post Thursday.
ISRAELI LAWYERS URGE BEN & JERRY TO DROP SETTLEMENT BAN
“It certainly hurt our bottom line and the overall value of our store. We were concerned about customer boycotts. We still do,” said Gasman, who like many of his customers is Jewish.
He added: “We have lost foot traffic as well as more extensive restoration work which usually helps us during the summer. We get bad reviews online that have nothing to do with the store, only concerns the perspectives of the company. “
But despite the decline in sales, Gasman plans to serve some desserts, in the form of a donation of 10% of his profits to fund educational causes in Israel to protest the policies of the Vermont-based ice cream maker.
“It was upsetting for us,” he said, pointing out that he and other Ben & Jerry’s store owners had nothing to do with the choice to stop sales of frozen treats in the region by difficulty. “We got the impression that a lot of people did not understand the nature of a franchise business and how small business owners are affected by the views of their parent company.”
On July 19, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling ice cream in the “occupied Palestinian territory,” claiming it was “incompatible with our values” – and sparking a backlash from Israelis and international Jewish groups, including some. called this decision anti-Semitic.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the ban a “blatant anti-Israel measure” and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called it a “shameful surrender to anti-Semitism”.
U.S. public officials have also criticized the move – states including New York have passed anti-boycott laws threatening to sell their pension funds from the Unilever company, which owns Ben & Jerry’s.
AUCKLAND – SEPTEMBER 11, 2018: Two girls (Talya & Naomi Ben-Ari ages 8-4) eating Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Founded by Ben & Jerry’s in the USA in 1978 sold in 2000 to Unilever, distributed today in 35 countries.
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Earlier this week, Gasman posted a statement on Facebook calling the company’s decision doubly bad.
“The recent actions of [B&J’s] Headquarters do not reflect our personal views, and we are saddened by the impact this has had on our business and the Jewish community, ”Gasman wrote in a statement on Facebook. “We are proud Jews, Americans, and active supporters of the Jewish community in New York City and the State of Israel.”
He added: “The only concern you should have when entering our store is deciding if you want rainbow chips or chocolate!”
More than 380 people commented on the post, many in favor of the owner of the Upper West Side business.
Some customers of the store said they came to support the store’s position on Israel – and its commitment to return the profits to the country.
“I’m not usually a fan of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and I’ve heard about the 10 percent,” said Zoe Goldstein, 23, of Riverdale, who on Wednesday bought two pints of Chunky Monkey and a pint of Chocolate Therapy for her sick sister. .
“I don’t even live here, but if I ever had to buy a pint of ice cream, it would be in this store,” she said.
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Others said they had walked tens of miles to the Upper West Side to support a store that shares their beliefs.
“My son is the reason I’m here,” said Shay Pilnik of Stamford, CT. “I told him we weren’t buying Ben & Jerry’s anymore and he was so disappointed. Then we found out they weren’t part of [the boycott] and I said, ‘Let’s come to Manhattan.’ “
“We are against the boycott of Israel. We believe that businesses and businesses selling commercial products should stay out of an issue that is far too complex for them to understand,” said Pilnik, who bought his 14 year old son for a cold treat.
He added: “We see what Ben & Jerry’s did as an insulting attack.”
Click here to read more about the New York Post.
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