Mitzpeh Yericho is a settlement located east of Ma'ale Adumim and overlooking the Palestinian city of Jericho. The settlement is home to over 450 families, including dozens of English-speaking families.
"We in Mitzpeh Yericho are grateful to Avi and his staff for their support for the Jewish people and specifically to Judea and Samaria," said Mayor Aliza Pilichowski. "We understand that we as a Jewish people are fighting a war against BDS that is synonymous with antisemitism, which we all know too well."
The leadership of Mitzpeh was outraged at the decision by Ben & Jerry's to boycott West Bank settlements, but inspired by the owner of Ben & Jerry's Israel, Avi Zinger, who refused to participate in the boycott.
In order to demonstrate their gratitude, residents decided to buy Ben & Jerry's ice cream for all the kids in the town. Youth taking part in the NCSY Kollel summer program volunteered to hand out the ice cream to the hundreds of children who enjoyed the delicious treats on the hot summer day.
Avi Solomon helped sponsor the party and fundraise for the event from sponsors from around the world.
"I wanted to step in and contribute to support Israel’s Ben & Jerry’s position, which was to refuse to give in to Ben & Jerry’s Corporate and to continue serving all the people of Israel," said Solomon."I reached out to the rabbi [Uri Pilichowski] and, together, worked on a plan to provide Ben & Jerry’s to the entire Mitzpeh Yericho. In one day, we had dozens of people, Jews and non-Jews alike, donate to help make it a reality. Everyone who donated wanted to support Ben & Jerry’s Israel for their unwavering commitment to push back against boycotting the Jewish state.”
Ben & Jerry's Israel CEO Avi Zinger and deputy CEO Eitan Fabrikant also came out to enjoy the summer fun and sweet treats.
"Today, Mitzpeh Yericho stands with Ben & Jerry's Israel and calls out to our friends around the world who stand against antisemitism, racism and human rights violations," Pilichowski said. "Today, we will return to the mantra of ice cream and call out 'I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.' This mantra does not exclude any group of people – and neither do we."
The residents of Mitzpeh Yericho expressed joy and gratitude during the ice cream party. "Kudos to Avi Zinger and all of Ben and Jerry's Israel for standing up against antisemitism and for your support of the yeshuvim (settlements) in Judea and Samaria!” said Tovah Horowitz, a resident of the town.Last month, the owners of Ben & Jerry's global company announced that they would be halting sales to the "Occupied Palestinian Territory," presumed to refer to West Bank settlements and Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. Ben & Jerry's Independent Board of Directors wanted to boycott all of Israel, but the owner's announcement stressed that they still wanted to continue sales outside of the West Bank and east Jerusalem.The owners of Ben & Jerry's Israeli franchise have expressed opposition to the decision, stressing that they intend to continue sales to "all of Israel." It is unclear if the franchise's license will be renewed should the franchise refuse to comply with the owners' wishes.