Co-op offers apology to Jewish student
Roxana Hadadi and Kevin Rector
Issue date: 5/7/07 Section: News
When sophomore individual studies major Rachel Bergstein heard that a student had been denied service by a Maryland Food Collective worker because she was wearing a shirt that said "I Stand With Israel," she was - to put it mildly - "absolutely shocked."
"I really couldn't wrap my mind around it," Bergstein said.
So she wrote a letter to the editor that was printed in Wednesday's issue of The Diamondback, sparking a campus-wide debate centered on the decision by the worker to defer service and the reaction from the Jewish community at the collective's failure, in Bergstein's opinion, to "talk the talk and walk the walk of tolerance and openness."
In a statement, the co-op apologized to the student who was denied service, but said Bergstein's letter was a step backward in resolving the issue, writing, "People who were not directly involved with the interaction that occurred on April 24 have greatly misrepresented both parties and have thus slowed down the process of reconciliation."
Although the female student who was involved in the incident at the collective could not be reached for comment, Avi Mayer, president of the Pro-Israel Terrapin Alliance, said he had spoken to her and could give a rough timeline of events.
On April 24, the student and a friend visited the collective, and when she tried to pay for her items, the worker at the register said the student's "I Stand With Israel" shirt was offensive and told her to find someone else to help her. The student found another worker and made her purchase, but left the store "emotionally distraught," Mayer said.
"To my understanding, it was done openly and in front of others, and in a mildly humiliating manner, and that really is something that is not acceptable," Mayer added. "[The student] really does want to resolve this, but I think it goes way beyond her individual experience because we can't allow this to occur. We can't allow this to be an epidemic that goes on."
"I really couldn't wrap my mind around it," Bergstein said.
So she wrote a letter to the editor that was printed in Wednesday's issue of The Diamondback, sparking a campus-wide debate centered on the decision by the worker to defer service and the reaction from the Jewish community at the collective's failure, in Bergstein's opinion, to "talk the talk and walk the walk of tolerance and openness."
In a statement, the co-op apologized to the student who was denied service, but said Bergstein's letter was a step backward in resolving the issue, writing, "People who were not directly involved with the interaction that occurred on April 24 have greatly misrepresented both parties and have thus slowed down the process of reconciliation."
Although the female student who was involved in the incident at the collective could not be reached for comment, Avi Mayer, president of the Pro-Israel Terrapin Alliance, said he had spoken to her and could give a rough timeline of events.
On April 24, the student and a friend visited the collective, and when she tried to pay for her items, the worker at the register said the student's "I Stand With Israel" shirt was offensive and told her to find someone else to help her. The student found another worker and made her purchase, but left the store "emotionally distraught," Mayer said.
"To my understanding, it was done openly and in front of others, and in a mildly humiliating manner, and that really is something that is not acceptable," Mayer added. "[The student] really does want to resolve this, but I think it goes way beyond her individual experience because we can't allow this to occur. We can't allow this to be an epidemic that goes on."
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 30
Rubes13
Rubes13
posted 5/07/07 @ 1:28 PM EST
I understand the position of the Food Collective on respecting the rights of individual workers, but... if they are going to allow themselves the freedom to choose who they will serve and who not, they have an obligation to let their "customers" know before waiting in line, only to be told they will not be served. (Continued…)
MR
posted 5/07/07 @ 1:54 PM EST
I think that any person working in the service industry, including a cashier at the co-op, should be allowed to deny service to a customer. However, based on this article, it sounds like it was done poorly. (Continued…)
Joe
posted 5/07/07 @ 3:29 PM EST
I am more than slightly disturbed at notions of the
"collective speaking as a whole." Is this a bad episode of Star Trek?
Since when is it a constitutional right to never be offended or have one's ideas challenged? I am not talking about some imagined right of someone who works on this campus, and represents the campus as an institution to deny service to a student. (Continued…)
alum
posted 5/07/07 @ 5:18 PM EST
Would someone please remind me as to the specific "right" to refuse service for political reasons that I continually hear about regarding this case?
In a real business setting, the cashier would likely have been suspended or terminated for refusing service based not upon the behavior of the customer, but on their wardrobe. (Continued…)
MR
posted 5/07/07 @ 6:10 PM EST
It's already in the laws in other areas. Many states have passed laws allowing pharmacists to refuse to serve customers who have prescriptions for birth control or Plan B. (Continued…)
Rachel
posted 5/08/07 @ 12:16 PM EST
I have been a loyal customer of the co-op for years, mainly because there are no other healthy food options on the entire campus, not because I agree with the political views of the workers. (Continued…)
Derek
posted 5/08/07 @ 12:28 PM EST
What a sad case of bigotry. The co-op worker should've controlled his/her anti-Israel hatred and and served the customer. Of all places to discriminate against customers - how ironic that she did so at a food co-op which is about people not profits. (Continued…)
Derek
posted 5/08/07 @ 12:35 PM EST
the arrogance and phoniness of the anti-Israel far left becomes more apparent daily....
I wish they would condem China's human rights violations 1% of the amount they focus on Israel. (Continued…)
Joe
posted 5/08/07 @ 2:29 PM EST
Quoting K.S.
"IN THE CO-OP. not IN GENERAL. could we stop speaking in terms of every political belief that one could imagine a leftist might espouse? that's a little broad. (Continued…)
Brian
posted 5/08/07 @ 5:25 PM EST
This is actually the first I have heard of such a policy that a cashier can refuse service to a customer on the basis of religious beliefs (prescription doctors and birth control/Plan B are completely seperate in my view). (Continued…)
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