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While thousands of Stop & Shop workers remain on strike in New England, Jewish families are preparing for Passover without the largest supermarket chain in the region, deeply rooted in the local Jewish community.
A number of rabbis in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island advised their congregations not to cross pickets to buy Jewish holiday items at the store, which says an analyst, has the highest sales of Kosher products among grocery stores in New England. On April 11, more than 30,000 employees of Stop & Shop quit their jobs due to an unfair contract offer, a complaint that the company disputes.
"The food you buy is the product of oppressed labor and is not kosher," said Rabbi Barbara Penzner of Temple Hillel B'nai Torah, a rebuilding synagogue in Boston. "Especially during the Passover, when we celebrate the liberation of slavery, it is particularly egregious."
Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen of the Beth El-Keser Israel Congregation, a conservative synagogue in New Haven, cited the ancient Jewish law prohibiting artisans from making the living of their fellow artisans.
Tilsen said the ban was related to the use of replacement workers by companies during strikes.
"I'm not judging the current strike," he said. "I declare that we, Jews of the region, must respect the action of the workers".
But at Temple Shalom, a reformed synagogue in Newton, rabbis Allison Berry and Laura Abrasley said it was ultimately a personal decision, even if it should be part of the long history of the American Jewish community. in support of organized work.
"Jewish law is interpreted in different ways," they said by e-mail. "We encourage our members to celebrate the next holiday in a way that respects both the Jewish value of freedom and the dignity of the workers."
Penzner and other rabbis recognize their call to avoid ubiquitous grocery shopping, which can be difficult for some, especially in the most isolated communities where Stop & Shop is the most affordable – and sometimes the only – place where Jews can get a matzo bread for making, coconut macaroons and even more for Pesach Seder.
Rachel Bashevkin, a resident of New Haven, said she had stocked basic necessities before the strike. And for anything else, she will not turn to Stop & Shop, which, she says, contains more difficult stocks to make to make the meal very special, such as specialty pastries, desserts, sweets and teas .
"The message of Pesach is for me totally [that] you are not celebrating your holidays at the expense of others, "she told the New Haven Register earlier this week.
The dilemma is not unique to Jews either.
Reverend Laura Goodwin, from the Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Sutton, said she ordered the church's Easter floral arrangements from the nearby Stop & Shop store a few weeks ago. But when it became clear that the strike would not end before the holidays, she rushed to buy enough tulips, hyacinths and daffodils from other stores.
"I personally was not comfortable crossing the picket line," Goodwin said. "The flowers are beautiful, but they are not as important as people's livelihood."
Religious demonstrations could have a significant impact on the Quincy-based chain's net bottom line, said Burt Flickinger, a grocery industry analyst for Strategic Research Group, a New-based retail consulting firm. York.
Stop & Shop, which operates approximately 400 stores in New England, New York State and New Jersey, is owned by Dutch supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize but was founded in the 1900s by a Jewish family from Boston whose descendants remain the main philanthropists and civil leaders of New England.
Flickinger estimates that the company has lost about $ 2 million a day since the start of the strike, a financial burden that will only worsen in the coming days. Passover and the Easter Christian Feast represent about 3% of the annual turnover of the company.
"They will see significant inventory losses, especially on profitable products such as fruits and vegetables, flowers, meat and seafood that will remain unsold," he said. anticipating losses for the company of up to $ 20 million for the period. .
Flickinger said his competitors were already reaping unexpected profits, as evidenced by the crowded parking and long line-ups of many of Stop & Shop's regional competitors, including Shaw's and Market Basket. days. He estimates that competitors could see their sales rise by 20% during the holiday season, with the market leader largely being left out.
Stop & Shop declined to comment on Flickinger's forecast, but apologized to customers for the inconvenience. The company maintained most of its 240 stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, but bakery, deli and seafood counters were closed. The company's sites in New York and New Jersey are not affected by the strikes.
"We are grateful to the members of the Jewish community who rely on our stores for their kosher and Passover products," the company said in a statement sent by email. "We are doing everything we can to minimize disruption before the holidays."
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