Urges Unilever to Allow Use of English-Language Ben & Jerry’s Logo

B’nai B’rith International President Seth J. Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement: 

We welcome Unilever’s reversal of Ben & Jerry’s decision to cease business operations in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. The decision sends a definitive message against the anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist BDS movement.

Through the sale of Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel to Avi Zinger, owner of the local licensee, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will be sold in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem under its Hebrew and Arabic names. In a letter to B’nai B’rith International, Unilever CEO Alan Jope expressed the importance of “making a positive contribution to Israel’s economy and society.”

Following Ben & Jerry’s decision to cease sales in July 2021, we sent a letter to Jope expressing our dismay at the decision and calling on Unilever to “not allow such a vicious act of hatred and discrimination to take place under its name.”

While we are generally satisfied with this new decision, we urge Unilever to also permit the use of the English-language logo in the West Bank to make the reversal complete.