December 23, 2002

Rainbow Grocery has a long tradition of fostering an environment that welcomes and celebrates all in our community.

Our community recently learned that two departments at Rainbow decided to boycott items from Israel. Singling out Israel is an antagonistic and discriminatory act.

In the Middle East only Israel:

· Protects Women’s & Minority Rights
· Protects Rights Of Gays And Lesbians
· Guarantees Religious Freedoms
· Protects the Rights of Arab Women to Run for Public Office
· Selects its Prime Minister and Parliament in Open, Democratic Elections
· Protects Freedom of Speech and Expression

In response to the ban on Israeli goods by two of Rainbow’s departments, hundreds of people throughout our community, including many long-time shoppers at Rainbow, expressed their concerns and outrage over this action.

Late Friday afternoon December 20th, Rainbow’s Board of Directors sent a letter to the Jewish Community Relations Council stating that the ban on Israeli products had not met the necessary criteria for a boycott and that the Board “voted to make the decision of these departments null and void.” The statement, now available on the Rainbow website, also apologizes “for the lack of oversight” and expresses regret for “any distress or suffering caused by these actions to the Bay Area community.” It further states that “products that were removed, such as the Middle Eastern couscous, are already back on the shelf” and that the store will continue to buy and sell products that meet its mission statement.

We want to thank Rainbow Grocery’s Board of Directors for accepting responsibility and recognizing that efforts by two of its departments to wage a boycott of Israeli goods was wrong and cast a shadow over the entire institution that is now being lifted.

We will continue to monitor the situation at Rainbow Grocery and urge its many loyal patrons to request that a wide variety of appropriate Israeli products be made available.

It is our profound hope that the conclusion of this chapter will be an end to efforts by Israel’s detractors to divide the people of San Francisco over the Israeli/Palestinian conflict – a conflict that can only be resolved by the Israeli and Palestinian people.

Jewish Community Relations Council - Grassroots for Israel