This morning, River Valley Co-op received the certified results of the 30-day co-op owner advisory poll regarding the petition to boycott products from Israel and declare Israel an apartheid state. The poll closed at 11:59 PM Wednesday, October 30th, hours after the board held the owner-called special meeting to discuss the petition, which had over 300 co-op owners in attendance over Zoom.
The certified results show 3,581 members of River Valley Co-op weighed in on the proposal, with 78% opposing the boycott, 22% voting in favor of the boycott, and 0.2% abstained from the poll. Over 20% of owners voted in this poll, and the level of participation is nearly three times what we normally receive in the democratic participation for our board elections.
We understand that while this advisory vote is completed and affirms the board and management’s position, the polarization this petition brought to light about the boycott is still felt by so many. Please know that while the business is declining to instate a boycott, those wishing to boycott products from Israel will find alternative products on our shelves. In the meeting, in spite of the disagreement on the boycott, we saw unity on wanting to end the violence and build peace.
While I have faced criticism for the board and management expressing our opposition to this petition, it felt critical to convey to owners that the petition does not have the support of the board and management. As an elected leader for this co-op and fiduciary, it is the responsibility of the board to demonstrate leadership and exercise judgment of actions that are in the best interest of our shared community asset and resource: our Co-op. Our priority is that everyone feels welcome and a sense of belonging together in our co-op, where some of us work and where all of us get our groceries. Disagreement is allowed in a pluralistic community, and we must respect divergent opinions on how to achieve peace and alleviate the human suffering happening in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and beyond.
Let me be clear, while the co-op declined to participate in the petition, in no way is that action condoning violence in any way, shape, or form. The opposition to the petition does not mean we condone the actions of the Netanyahu government or the violence experienced by the Palestinian people. The human suffering happening in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and beyond is felt by all of us, and we desperately want there to be peace and end the suffering of so many due to the unjust policies and violence of both Hamas and Israel. We are not choosing sides in this geo-political conflict, but rather responding to the division in our co-op community and adhering to our cooperative principles.
Intent and impact are not always in harmony with one another. While petitioners believe the strategy to boycott products will bring peace and justice to Palestinians, not all agree. The impact of the petition has been received by many as inflammatory and antisemitic, making far too community members feel unwelcome to shop in our stores. This is untenable.
As a community-owned grocery store, we want to address community concerns by providing support where we can. We’ve donated funds directly to two local nonprofits, Healing Across the Divides and Standing Together. These contributions were matched for humanitarian aid contributions by the National Co-op Grocers (our national co-op of food co-ops) to direct aid to domestic and international organizations working to support peace and humanitarian aid in this conflict. Collectively, to date, our US food co-op movement has contributed over $150,000 in humanitarian aid for Gaza. We know no amount of humanitarian aid is going to offset the global military-industrial complex, but it’s what we can do. What we can’t do is inflict more division, harm, and trauma on each other in the grocery aisles or checkout lines.
Our priority is to work together to ensure our co-op is a place where we all feel welcome and have a sense of belonging together.
A link to my full remarks delivered at last night’s special owner meeting can be found here.
Thank you, 
Abby Getman Skillicorn
Board President
Owner #6724
River Valley Co-op