NORTHAMPTON — River Valley Co-op’s owner-members on Wednesday rejected the removal of Israeli-made goods from shelves in its two stores after a controversial, three-month-long boycott campaign that would have brought geopolitics into its Pioneer Valley markets.
Three months ago, members of the 16-year-old community grocer aligned with local activist organizations to encourage the co-op to effectively ban seven Israeli-made products, including tahini and couscous.
Boycott proponents, including those with the Campaign for an Apartheid-Free River Valley Co-op, began protesting outside of the Easthampton store in August. Some co-op members complained that several employees who supported the boycott wore buttons at cash registers that members considered antisemitic.
