Sid Geen died on June 7th, three months shy of his 97th birthday.

Sid grew up with six siblings in a small house on Selkirk Avenue. As a teenager he helped his father deliver coal until he got his first outside job at Oretzki’s Department Store on Selkirk Avenue. Sid’s own children grew up in a house at 121 Cathedral Avenue east of Main. Then in 1969, Sid purchased a turn-of-the-century mansion at 147 West Gate where he was proud to live for the next 55 years.

Predeceased by his wife Shleema in 2009, he leaves a large family behind, including great-grandson Daniel who just turned seven and specifically requested that he be mentioned here.

Sid graduated from Law School in 1955 as Gold Medallist. He soon became recognized as an agressive litigator, often representing trade unions. In 1965 a judge issued an injunction shutting down the picket line of one of Sid’s clients. Five years later, as a member of the new NDP government, Sid passed what became known as the Green Amendment which guarantees the right of any person to walk down a public sidewalk carrying a placard for the purpose of “communicating true statements” – possibly the most comprehensive Freedom of Speech legislation in Canada, if not the world. (No, the Green Amendment does not allow protest groups to shut down Portage and Main.)

Sid was never bound by conventional wisdom, instead forming his own unique perspective on events. (Those perspectives were shared for years with readers of the Free Press until a leftward shift in editorial policy made Sid too politically incorrect.) A good example of Sid’s different point of view was Obamacare: while others debated the impact on doctors and patients, Sid predicted that the insurance companies would be the big winners. So he bought United Health and quickly doubled his money. (In fact he cashed out too soon…the shares have since gone up tenfold.) But surely nothing has had a greater public impact than his vision, in 1968, that the third-party NDP caucus should be setting its sights not on replacing the Liberals as the Official Opposition, but on seizing power as the actual government. It was Sid’s audacity in challenging for the party leadership that led directly to the “Draft Schreyer” movement and subsequent victory in the 1969 election. (The family is grateful to Ed for the moving words he spoke at Sid’s funeral in testimony to his long-time colleague’s integrity, ability, and loyalty.)

Despite his noted accomplishments in public life, Sid sometimes said that he actually achieved more in the field of law than in politics. That can be argued; but he has surely left a remarkable legacy in terms of family life: 15 grandchildren who, despite living in four continents, have retained intimate friendships well into adulthood – and also nine great-grandchildren (so far) whom we hope will look forward to the same. For this Sid must share the credit with his wife Shleema, who put on countless Passover dinners for the entire brood year after year; and also his daughter Cathy and husband Peter who generously hosted regular family vacations and ocean cruises.

Sid would not have wanted his interest in sports to go unmentioned. In university he was Slingin’ Sid, star quarterback of the Law School team. In his late 40s, he decided he should take up hockey, and eventually joined the Manitoba Steelers, who would welcome him to their scrimmages well into his 80s. He was an avid golfer who almost shot his age (93 when he was 91). As a spectator he enjoyed football, most likely because he could second-guess the plays called by the coaches. He also liked watching golf, despite enduring years of disappointment waiting for Greg Norman to win a major tournament.

We cannot conclude without mentioning Sid’s long-time companion Dwila Burns, who brightened Sid’s later years following the death of his wife in 2009. Sid and Dilly enjoyed road trips together and she was a welcome addition to our many family gatherings. Dilly’s sister Sonia was married to Sid’s Law School classmate Scott Wright, and her father, former premier D.L Campbell, long enjoyed a mutual admiration society with Sid.

Funeral service was held on June 9th at the Chesed Shel Emes, with interment at the Hebrew Sick on McPhillips. Donations in Sid’s honor may be made to Operation Smile Canada.

(JTA) — Ben & Jerry’s Israel operation has come up with a flavor that does not leave much to interpretation. Called “Milk and Honey,” a nod to the biblical description of the Land of Israel, its namesake ingredients are supplied by Israeli cows and bees and its chocolate fudge pieces come shaped like Stars of David.

The company, which split from its American counterpart after a contentious 2021 boycott fight, is billing the new pint as its “most Israeli flavor ever” and, on its website, as a “symbol of hope, rehabilitation, and positive action” after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Its ingredients and production come from southern Israeli communities most affected by the massacre and the war that followed. The company, based in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi, said it “felt a responsibility to take an active part in the region’s recovery process.”

The milk and cream come from the dairy in Kibbutz Alumim, one of the Gaza-border communities infiltrated by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. The honey comes from the beehives of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. The chocolate Stars of David are made by hand at the Korint factory in Beersheba, part of the Shkulo Tov social enterprise, which helps integrate people with disabilities into the workforce.

Even the wrapper is local: the pint is adorned with “Fields of Light,” a painting by Rivi Doron-Gerloy, a southern Israeli artist who was killed in a Miami car accident last year.

The flavor was developed in partnership with the Ayalim Association, a nonprofit that works to strengthen Israel’s periphery. The company said royalties from sales of the new flavor will go to Ayalim’s rehabilitation and educational initiatives in the south.

The Israeli and American Ben & Jerry’s operations are now completely separate, a split that followed one of the more improbable diplomatic dramas ever to involve ice cream. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s said it would stop selling in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying sales there were “inconsistent” with its values.

The move set off an uproar in Israel. President Isaac Herzog called the boycott a “new kind of terrorism,” while Benjamin Netanyahu, then opposition leader, retweeted the company’s announcement that it would stop selling in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” writing, “Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy,” alongside Israeli flag and flexed-bicep emojis.

The original founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who no longer control the company but remain its best-known faces, also came under fire after the decision. In an interview, they were asked why the boycott logic did not extend to places such as Georgia and Texas, despite their opposition to those states’ voting rights and abortion laws.

“Why do you still sell ice cream in Georgia? Texas?” Axios reporter Alexi McCammond asked in a video that went viral on pro-Israel platforms.

Clearly stumped, Cohen shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he said, laughing. “You ask a really good question and I think I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit.”

Unilever’s then-chief executive, Alan Jope, also appeared to suggest that Israel had become an inconveniently sticky scoop of activism. “There is plenty for Ben & Jerry’s to get their teeth into in their social justice mission without straying into geopolitics,” he reportedly said in a quarterly earnings review at the time.

The standoff ended, at least commercially, when Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, sold the Israeli business in 2022 to Avi Zinger, the longtime Israeli licensee and owner of American Quality Products. The sale was accompanied by a legal fight that was inflamed when Zinger told an Israeli news outlet that, once he took control of the company in Israel, he could rename the signature flavor “Chunky Monkey” to “Judea and Samaria,” the Hebrew term for the West Bank.

Under the ultimate deal, Ben & Jerry’s could continue to be sold throughout Israel and in Israeli settlements, under Hebrew and Arabic branding, while the Vermont-based company said it disagreed with the move and would no longer profit from Israeli sales.

The split left the Israeli operation in an unusual position: carrying one of the most recognizable American ice cream names, while openly defying the political stance associated with that name abroad.

But the corporate restructuring has not been enough to cleanse the palate for everyone. On social media, the new flavor drew curiosity and praise, but also lingering resentment from those who said the brand name still carried too much baggage, even under Israeli ownership.

“I really don’t care if it’s owned by someone other than Ben and Jerry in Israel. Those two clowns’ names are still associated with the brand. I wouldn’t spend a penny for this ice cream regardless. That brand is done,” one person wrote on Instagram.

“We’ve been eating Häagen-Dazs since October 7th,” another said.

Last year, Cohen announced that he planned to produce a “flavor for Palestine” independently after Unilever blocked Ben & Jerry’s from creating one, soliciting suggestions about what should accompany watermelon, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, in his concoction.

“Milk and Honey” has come to market faster. So does the new flavor deliver a taste of the Holy Land?

One food influencer, who called the new flavor a “statement,” offered a less scriptural verdict on the taste, shrugging that it “tastes like vanilla with chocolate chips” — a conclusion echoed by others in Israeli food aficionado groups, who lamented that the honey was barely noticeable.

One commented, referring to dairy-free desserts made to comply with kosher laws prohibiting the mixing of milk and meat: “Not the tastiest thing I’ve ever eaten, but not as bad as a pareve dessert either.”

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

The post Years after a boycott fight, Ben & Jerry’s Israel debuts a flavor celebrating Israeli resilience appeared first on The Forward.

(JTA) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday night accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee of spending “millions in dark money” to ensure pro-Israel candidates win seats in tthe November midterms.

Mamdani made his remarks at a rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at Kings Theater in Brooklyn ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primaries for progressive congressional candidates. He called on the crowd to help elect Jewish former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, State Assembly member Claire Valdez and former Columbia encampment organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier. 

In a fiery 30-minute speech, Mamdani took aim not just at AIPAC but also Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza. He claimed that  “The monsters that we are up against, they take many different forms,” and then singled out AIPAC.

He described the major pro-Israel lobby as an organization “for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu’s wars.”

Mamdani continued by alleging that AIPAC moves “millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal, to preserve their power so that they can turn us against one another instead of our leaders turning towards the moral change we all know to be necessary.”

AIPAC did not respond to a request for comment about Mamdani’s remarks.

The lobby, whose endorsement was once heavily sought by politicians on both sides of the aisle, has increasingly come under fire for its campaign tactics. Pro-Israel Democrats are particularly struggling to hold onto seats as voters on the left increasingly turn against the Jewish state.

Sanders, for his part, doubled down on criticism of AIPAC when he took the stage. “The American people understand that a large part of our horrific foreign policy is impacted by AIPAC funding,” he said.

Turning to the local races, Mamdani voiced support for Valdez for her opposition to Israel. “When other Democrats chose to look the other way as Netanyahu committed war crimes, Claire didn’t just name the genocide,” he said. “She organized for a ceasefire.”

In a change of tone, Mamdani emphasized unity, including an appeal to Jewish voters.

“Whether you worship at shul, at a mosque, in a church, a gurdwara, a temple, or you don’t worship at all, we share a belief that our city deserves leaders who lead with hope and not fear,” the mayor said.

He added, “No matter where we live, how old we are, what train we take in the morning, or what bagel we order, we are New Yorkers and we want the same things,” including “a city that belongs to all of us.”

Reaction on social media was swift. One self-described mom from New York City posted on X of the rally and the Democratic Socialists of America there: “It’s pretty transparent and vile how Zohran Mamdani and the DSA are using ‘AIPAC’ as a euphemism for Jews, and how Brad Lander is going right along with it.”

Jewish writer Dovi Safier also criticized the comments, writing, “The mayor of the city with the world’s largest Jewish population is pushing conspiracy theories about ‘money men’ who ‘move millions in dark money’ to ‘turn us against one another’ — and calling them ‘monsters.’ Subtle.”

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

The post Mamdani calls AIPAC ‘monsters’ in rally ahead of NY primaries appeared first on The Forward.