Last week dozens of people marched to Ben & Jerry's shop in Times Square demanding them to "End Jew Hatred" with a bittersweet gathering held to protest against Ben & Jerry's decision to stop selling their treats in Judea and Samaria in Israel, where half a million Israeli Jews live.
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Ben & Jerry's, a company known to take part in social activism, states that its sales in Israel are inconsistent with its values. This caused a rise in antisemitism against Jews all over the world, which will be hard to put an end to.
The bittersweet protest took place on two ends of midtown New York City. The bitter side, which was defending and addressing the issue of antisemitism, took place at the New York Public Library.
A variety of speakers railed against Ben & Jerry's decision, including Jake Benyowitz from the Club Z student Zionist group, blogger and End Jew Hatred activist Virág Gulyás, "Clubhouse Rabbi" Shlomo Litvin and New York State Assemblymember David Werpin.
The sweet side was seeing the competitors of Ben & Jerry's handing out free ice cream in Times Square to people of all races and cultures. Most of the participants showed support to Jews by posing with the "End Jew Hatred" sign and proved to the world that ice cream has the power to spread love and that being physically present fighting against hate is as important as being active on social media.
As a native Israeli and passionate supporter of my home country, I rarely miss an opportunity to stand up against Jew-hatred, at this event I decided to include my dog, Kiss Pom, "The Hebrew National Dog," who is also starring in My Hebrewland TV series. Kiss is known for standing for positive causes and volunteers in hospitals to cheer up kids of all faiths and backgrounds.
At this event, Kiss stood out with her statement costume of the ban Ben & Jerry's sign and Jewish stars. She posed for pictures, conveying the message that there is no room for discrimination and that Ben & Jerry's stance makes it unfit for canine consumption as well.
Ben & Jerry's decision goes against humanity and displays its inability to spread love like dogs do.
I hope we can all open our hearts to encourage love and peace in the world. Achieving peace in the region would be sweeter than any ice cream flavor.
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Ayelet Raymond is a film and musical director who lives in New York City. She collaborated with young Broadway performers to create the American children's television show "My Hebrew Land." She is the creative force behind the Kosher Barbie character and social media personality.
