Shoppers Petition to Rainbow Grocery Cooperative to BIG

Shoppers’ Petition to RAINBOW Grocery Cooperative to BOYCOTT ISRAELI GOODS (BIG):
August 1, 2006

Dear Rainbow Grocery Cooperative:
As active Rainbow shoppers we are asking you to join the growing list of organizations and institutions that are boycotting Israel. Some of us have shopped at Rainbow since the store opened on 16th St. We are writing to ask that you reconsider a boycott of Israeli goods at Rainbow.

Although Rainbow doesn't carry a significant number of Israeli products, this vote would have extremely significant implications. Rainbow and the food co-op movement grew out of the movements of the 1960's and 70's against the war in Vietnam, and for peace, liberation and rights for workers, communities of color, women, and the LGBT community. The corporations manufacturing the pesticides that poison our food, water, and land were and are the same corporations manufacturing napalm and other hideous chemicals of war.

Recent Israeli attacks have completely destroyed the infrastructure of Lebanon and Gaza, killing and making refugees of their populations, under the pretext of forcing the return of two captured Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and one in Gaza. However the western media failed to report that Palestinians captured the Israeli soldier only after Israelis kidnapped two Palestinian civilians. On Thursday July 20, the SF Chronicle reported that Israel had been preparing for this war for more than a year and was just looking for a pretext to start it.

Israel routinely kidnaps and imprisons Palestinians, assassinating those it consider its enemies (witness the film Munich) with no outcry from the US press or government. Political leaders in this country and the media apply a complete double standard to Israel/Palestine, excusing Israeli behavior and condemning only Palestinians, which inflames the situation and makes a negotiated peace impossible. Since the US government funds, arms and supports Israel unconditionally and uncritically, thereby enabling this war to happen, it becomes incumbent on people in the United States to act to stop the war. Those among us who are Jewish are especially concerned to dissociate ourselves from what Israel is doing.

This reckless war endangers the future of the Middle East and will have catastrophic consequences for the whole world. A clear call for a boycott of Israeli goods by as significant a community organization as Rainbow Grocery would have a resounding effect in supporting the movements for peace and social justice in the world. It would be entirely consistent with the historical mission of the San Francisco Food System, of which Rainbow Grocery was once a part.
Therefore we ask you to boycott Israeli goods and remove them from our community’s store.


Sincerely,


___________________________________________


Take anti-war action now!

What you can do immediately to help with this emergency situation:

Sign the above letter and send it to Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, 1745 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA. USA 94103; fax 415-863-8955 also send a copy to RainbowBIG@earthlink.net.

Send a message to Rainbow: Webpage: rainbowgrocery.org, click on ‘contact’ and use their message box

Call 415-863-0620 and let Rainbow know you support the BIG.

Volunteer to table outside Rainbow, we are setting up two-hour slots, email when you are available to help.

While shopping: fill in a customer service slip and/or grocery shopping receipt saying you support a boycott at Rainbow; ask where the Israeli products are at the store; wear Boycott signs, badges, t-shirts.

Forward this email to your list-serve, call your friends and ask them to do the same; ask organizations to endorse the petition.

Boycott Ahora!

Rainbow Shoppers and Workers Boycott Israeli Goods Committee
RainbowBIG@earthlink.net