Former U.S. Antisemitism Special Envoy Elan Carr Urges Boycott of Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever Over Anti-Israel Discrimination

Elan Carr — the former U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism who is a Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Advisory Board member — is calling for a boycott of Ben & Jerry’s and its parent conglomerate Unilever over the ice cream brand’s recent decision to end sales of its products in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

“By discriminating against Israel, these companies have chosen to support the so-called BDS campaign — a global, anti-Israel campaign that targets Israel with boycotts, divestments, and sanctions,” Carr said in a newly-released video message.

Carr noted that a majority of U.S. states had laws or executive orders on the books penalizing companies that engage in BDS.

“That’s why other companies in the past that have tried their hand at BDS quickly abandoned their discriminatory practices when they learned just how much money they’ll lose,” he recalled. “We sure hope that Ben and Jerry’s and Unilever also come to their senses. But this isn’t just about losing money. It’s also about right and wrong.”

“Hatred of the Jewish state is hatred of the Jewish people,” Carr said. “And discrimination against the Jewish state is discrimination against Jews.”

Carr also criticized the chair of Ben & Jerry’s board of directors, Anuradha Mittal, for her long history of baseless and unhinged anti-Israel statements. Last week, Mittal blocked CAM on Twitter.

“These aren’t the rantings of a college sophomore who just took their Intro to Critical Race Theory class,” Carr pointed out. “This is the person Ben & Jerry’s chose to chair its board of directors. Is it any surprise that the company is now part of the antisemitic BDS campaign?”

Carr concluded, “Friends, I hope you’ll join me in calling on all of our states to divest from Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, and I hope you’ll join me in boycotting Ben & Jerry’s products.”

“There are a lot of great ice creams out there made by patriotic Americans who embody American values and reject antisemitism. Those ice creams won’t leave a bad taste in your mouth.”