NORTHAMPTON/EASTHAMPTON — The River Valley Co-op has denied a request from members of the western Massachusetts branch of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) to set up information tables at its stores in Northampton and Easthampton, a decision that co-op leaders later reaffirmed when asked by JVP to reconsider their stance.

JVP states their goal as “advocating for peace and equality in Israel and Palestine,” and member Deborah Yaffe explained that the group largely identifies as “anti-Zionist Jews,” meaning “we don’t identify our Judaism with the state of Israel.” The aim of tabling at the co-op stores, she said, was to present an opportunity for community discussions about Israel and Palestine, and to allow others to learn about the work of JVP.

“There are very few places where you can have these discussions,” she said.

The co-op seemed like a prime location because of the social justice-minded values it espouses, which is why she said the rejection came as a shock:

“They stand for human rights, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ — that it’s a place for everyone — but not us?” she asked.

Despite JVP meeting the co-op’s tabling requirements, such as being a recognized nonprofit, the group’s initial request to table was rejected on Feb. 5 because of “a significant divergence of perspectives on the best path to peace within our co-op,” according to a statement obtained by the Gazette.

When JVP sent a letter asking the co-op to reconsider this decision, they received a response from River Valley Co-op Board President Emma Woebbe on behalf of the co-op’s board of directors, also obtained by the Gazette, saying that “the Co-op is not the right forum for the important and painful discussion of the Israel Palestine conflict.”

In her response, Woebbe also said “we have heard from a decisively clear majority of our membership through our democratic process that it is important to prioritize maintaining a welcoming environment in our stores by rejecting the Israel boycott proposal,” referring to an October vote on the “Apartheid-Free River Valley Co-op” initiative, which proposed the deshelving of all Israeli goods in both the Northampton and Easthampton stores in protest of the Israeli government’s acts.

Molly Merret, a member of JVP who was also involved in the deshelving campaign, described the co-op’s decision as surprising and disappointing.

“The co-op just continues to crack down on free speech,” she said, also noting a dress code crackdown surrounding pins that employees wear on their uniforms in the wake of the de-shelving campaign.

Merret explained that many members of the western Massachusetts branch of JVP are members of the co-op, and while some have tabled there as members of other organizations, JVP has not tabled at the co-op before.

“We have seen how continuing to be confronted with this topic while shopping in our stores is unwelcoming and hurtful for many in our co-op community,” Woebbe said in her statement. “These issues have also been a source of store conflicts that are disruptive to our workplaces.”

Yaffe took issue with this sentiment, saying that JVP does not “confront” people when they table.

“When we table, we invite people to come over, ask questions,” she said.

Additionally, Yaffe noted she feels that this decision by the co-op seems consistent with broader themes of silencing pro-Palestinian activism across the country.

“There’s this dangerous conflation of just criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian activism with antisemitism,” she said.

But Yaffe said that JVP plans to continue tabling at standouts and other events in the area, and will bring their advocacy to other community forums in the absence of a table at the co-op.

River Valley Co-op management did not respond immediately for comment.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.