How did an ice cream company come to dominate the global discourse on Israel-Palestine? On July 19th, beloved ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s announced that it would end sales of its ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The backlash from the Israeli government, from US elected officials and from right wing organizations was immediate and overwhelming, with calls for US governors to use anti-boycott laws to take legal action against Ben & Jerry’s for their decision.
Join Just Vision, Americans for Peace Now and Jewish Currents along with guests Ben Cohen (Founder, Ben & Jerry’s) and Anuradha Mittal (Board Chair, Ben & Jerry’s) in conversation with our Executive Director, Suhad Babaa; Jewish CurrentsEditor-at-Large, Peter Beinart; and President and CEO of Americans for Peace Now, Hadar Susskind, to discuss this recent decision by Ben and Jerry’s and its far-reaching implications.
With resolve,
Emma Alpert
Deputy Director, Just Vision
Speaker bios:
Ben Cohen is an American businessman, activist and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s.
Anuradha Mittal is the Chair of the Board at Ben & Jerry’s. She is also the founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute and an internationally renowned expert on development, human rights, and agriculture issues. Recipient of several awards, Anuradha Mittal was named the Most Valuable Thinker by the Nation magazine.
Peter Beinart is Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York. He is also Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents, a CNN Political Commentator, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He writes the Beinart Notebook newsletter on Substack.com
Suhad Babaa is a producer, news publisher, media strategist, human rights advocate and the Executive Director and President of Just Vision, an organization that fills a media gap on Israel-Palestine through independent storytelling and strategic audience engagement. Suhad is producing Just Vision’s forthcoming film, Boycott, co-publishes the award-winning Hebrew-language news site, Local Call, and executive produced the feature-length documentary, Naila and the Uprising (2017). She was also an integral member of the impact campaigns around Just Vision’s critically acclaimed film, Budrus (2009), and Peabody award-winning documentary, My Neighbourhood (2012).
Hadar Susskind is the President and CEO of Americans for Peace Now. Hadar serves on the boards of Ameinu and the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center. He has also served on the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Initiatives Task Force on the Environment, as well as the Board of Directors of the Coalition on Human Needs, the Public Policy Committee of Independent Sector and the Leadership Council of Nonprofit VOTE. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds the rank of Sergeant First Class in the Israel Defense Forces.
