Jerry Greenfield, left, and Ben Cohen, founders of the Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream company, Oct. 24, 2010. Photo courtesy of Dismas via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has again sparked controversy this time by claiming that Israel is committing genocide during a recent  interview with Tucker Carlson.

Four years after Ben & Jerry’s founders defended their Judea and Samaria boycott in a New York Times piece where they identified as “proud Jews,” Cohen’s religious identity appears to have shifted.

Member Of The Tribe?

He recently appeared on Carlson’s show to discuss his opposition to U.S. involvement in Ukraine and military spending, finding rare common ground between his far-left views and Carlson’s far-right audience. When asked about spirituality, Cohen took a surprising turn.

“In terms of spiritual belief, I don’t practice a religion,” Cohen responded. “I was born Jewish. I love Jesus. I think the words he said are wonderful, amazing. And you know, I’m fairly concerned that many organized Christian religions don’t really, I don’t know, follow Jesus’s words.”

Cohen added, “I think if we could follow Jesus’s words and think about the Sermon on the Mount, you know, take his words seriously, we wouldn’t be doing the things we’re currently doing.”

This religious pivot raises eyebrows given Carlson’s history of featuring anti-Semites and because Cohen previously used his Jewish identity to defend the 2021 boycott that sparked backlash from Jewish organizations and legal challenges across several U.S. states.

Cohen, 74, and co-founder Jerry Greenfield, also 74—childhood friends from a Long Island Hebrew school—sold the company to Unilever in 2000, but reportedly Cohen has explored repurchasing it.

Stance Toward Israel

During the boycott controversy, they wrote in the Times: “That we support the company’s decision is not a contradiction nor is it anti-Semitic. In fact, we believe this act can and should be seen as advancing the concepts of justice and human rights, core tenets of Judaism.”

They further stated, “As Jewish supporters of the State of Israel, we fundamentally reject the notion that it is anti-Semitic to question the policies of the State of Israel.”

The interview also casts doubt on Cohen’s current stance toward Israel. While primarily focused on other topics, when discussing conflict with Iran, Cohen made inflammatory claims about Israel.

Critical Of U.S. Too

“There seems to be some kind of strange relationship between Israel and the U.S., where, I don’t know, Israel now has the U.S. supplying weapons for its genocide,” Cohen said. “And what I’m told is that Israel wants some concept of greater Israel. I mean, I don’t really know much about that.”

He continued with broader criticism: “Right now what it means to be American is that we are the world’s largest arms exporter, we have the largest military in the world, we support the slaughter of people in Gaza, if somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?”

Cohen has made similar accusations earlier this year, claiming in March: “The U.S. supporting this genocide is essentially trampling on the soul of America,” adding, “It’s not a war, it’s a slaughter. I don’t think there’s much difference between somebody getting killed by a bomb or getting killed by being thrown in a gas chamber.”

Carlson did not challenge Cohen’s statements about Israel during the interview but agreed with his praise of Jesus. Cohen has recently promoted a website supporting DOGE, Elon Musk’s initiative to reduce federal government programs. Requests for comment through this website went unanswered.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.