For the politically minded, there is no shortage of righteous causes to adopt. Women throughout the world—especially in certain regions—are oppressed by societies governed by medieval practices and beliefs. Brutal dictators throughout the globe think nothing of killing and torturing anybody thought to harbor an independent thought. Here in the United States, some state and local governments have enacted or are considering horrifying laws targeting immigrants, pregnant women and gay people.
For some radical-chic types in Park Slope, however, the above practices and causes apparently are too pedestrian for their outrage. Instead, they have decided to channel their energy against Israel.
A group of Park Slope residents has been agitating for a boycott of Israeli-made goods in the neighborhood’s food co-op. The pro-boycott residents say they wish to show their opposition to Israel’s policies in Palestinian territories. If they have made a statement about Palestinian policies in Israel’s territory—the policy is to launch missiles from Gaza into southern Israel whenever Hamas leaders feel the need to kill Jews—it has not been recorded.
The proposal was scheduled for an initial vote on March 27, after The Observer went to press. If the measure passed, it would go to a full vote among co-op members.
Truthfully, the result of the vote doesn’t matter. The fact that such an absurd idea even got this far is troubling enough. The anti-Israel contingent in Park Slope is part of a larger movement designed to portray Israel as a villain for simply defending itself against random attacks launched by terrorists intent on wiping Israel off the face of the earth.
These efforts are more than sad. They are tragically misguided.
