Commentary

A Minneapolis co-op, free expression and Gaza

Elizabeth Tannen

Rondi Atkin

October 20, 2025 8:30 am

(Photo illustration by Getty Images)

As Jews committed to the safety, liberation and free expression of all people, we are writing to express our disappointment with leadership at the Wedge Co-op; specifically, its board of directors and management, who, for the past eight months, have violated the values of our cooperative by restricting workers’ speech opposing the genocide in Gaza. 

As we brace with hope, relief and caution for the ceasefire to hold and the Israeli assault on Palestinian people to scale back, there is still a long road to Palestinian rights and wellbeing. The board and management at the Wedge — a 50-year-old food cooperative known for its commitment to food justice, equity, community, and democratic member-ownership — needs to realign with its values, its staff, and hundreds of its members and revoke the policy change they made to censor workers who wore pins in solidarity with Palestinians.  

In March, Wedge management issued a revised dress code prohibiting staff from wearing messages referencing values or causes not explicitly supported by the co-op. This occurred after a small group of Wedge member-owners attended the February board meeting to express disapproval of workers wearing pins that said “Labor for Palestine.”  

As Wedge member-owners and as Jews who oppose the occupation, we believe it is our moral and religious obligation to stand up for human and civil rights and support the workers, at both Lyndale and Linden Hills Wedge locations, who continue to risk their livelihoods by persistently and boldly advocating for their right to free expression and protest the ongoing suffering in Gaza.

Gazans have been starved. According to the UN, just 1.5% of arable land remains accessible or undamaged; the workers’ pins are clearly in alignment with Wedge values, which include food justice. Moreover, we find it unacceptable for any so-called progressive institution — particularly in this moment of extreme national repression — to censure objections to what numerous international and even Israeli organizations have deemed a genocide.  

So, in April, in response to this policy change, over 100 member-owners, many of us Jewish, attended a board meeting to challenge the dress code change and support workers who continued to wear pins in defiance of the dress code. We presented an open letter signed by over 600 people condemning the change. And in May, many of us attended a rally outside the Lyndale location calling on management to adhere to the co-op’s values. 

Instead of publicly answering to co-op owners, CEO Nick Seeberger claimed ongoing contract negotiations with workers was the necessary route to address the issue — despite rejecting proposals and diverting the conversation to a management-worker committee. 

In that context, Seeberger invited workers to draft their own version of a dress code, which staff undertook with tremendous thought and effort. But according to workers, the only concession their effort achieved was the allowance to wear a single pin representing a country’s flag, suggesting that this concession was a stall — not an accommodation made in good faith. 

Meanwhile, in Gaza, 92% of all residences have been destroyed, as well as mosques, hospitals, and schools, from kindergarten to university. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that roughly 240 journalists have been killed. Humanitarian aid was withheld. According to The Guardian, Gaza now leads the world in child amputees. And NPR reports that over 65,000 Gazans have been killed. 

Given this context, the Wedge’s restriction of workers’ speech repudiates our values of justice, equity and commitment to community — precisely the reasons many of us shop there. And, given the number of members who have protested the change, the continued censoring of workers contradicts our value of democratic ownership. 

While the Wedge board of directors may believe it needs to accommodate both sides, the truth is, only one side is morally just. Many Western nations and numerous international, academic, and Jewish organizations have condemned Israel’s actions. To accommodate those who support Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians is to endorse this slaughter. And despite the blessing of this week’s ceasefire agreement, we must be vigilant in truth-telling not only about the past two years of genocide, but about the state of apartheid to which Palestinians have been subjected for decades, and which is likely to persist for the foreseeable future. 

Judaism teaches that no one’s life — not even that of another Jew — is more important than any other life. In light of the atrocities committed against our Palestinian brothers and sisters, it is the duty of all democratic institutions to support those willing to speak out. 

The election for four new Wedge board of trustees runs until October 21st; this would be the time to contact candidates and see where they stand on our stated co-op goal to “meet the goals and aspirations of our community” — specifically as they relate to food justice, free speech. and member-owner participation.  

It is our fervent hope that the Wedge reinstates its former dress code and allows workers their right to free speech in support of those whose world has been destroyed. 

Editor’s note: Wedge Community Co-op responded with a statement: “We are heartbroken over the war in Gaza and have compassion for the Palestinian people. We are hopeful for lasting peace and the end to war and violence. Our mission is building community by developing a strong local food system and are grateful for the role we play in our community. Everyone is always welcome at the Wedge, every day. Our staff are an important part of realizing our mission, and we are working through structures we have in place through our collective bargaining agreement. We will continue through these processes to a resolution. Voting in the Board election is a key part of being a co-op owner! Please visit this link to cast your vote.”