Brooklyn, NY – Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) and New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson today denounced the Shnayder family, owners of the value import store, Net Cost Market, for stocking and selling dozens of packages of roasted sunflower seeds featuring a caricature of a greedy-and-sinister-looking Jew, complete with skullcap, on the label. The Cyrillic letters on the left of the label read, “Shalom, from Israel,” while the right side employs a slang phrase meaning “spit them out everywhere,” alluding to “dirty Jews.” The seeds are available in both 5.5 and 10.5 ounce bags. A survey conducted by Hikind’s office revealed that the seed bags are being sold in all four of Net Cost Market’s Brooklyn locations for a mere $0.99 to $1.99 per bag depending on size.
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“I was absolutely appalled when I saw this label,” said an outraged Hikind. “Net Cost Market has become a complicit partner in the dissemination of hatred against Jews. With each bag sold, the Shnayders are literally sowing seeds of hate.” At three of the four locations, consumers who spent $50 or more were given the package of seeds as a promotional gift right at the checkout counter.
Net Cost Market bills itself as the “Costco of the ethnic Eastern European market,” and offers a wide assortment of imports from all over Eastern Europe. The roasted sunflower seeds are produced in the Former Soviet Union by Kremlin Kitchen. “I was not surprised to learn that this anti-Semitic product is being made in Russia,” said Hikind. “Recent reports indicate that attacks on Russia’s Jewish population and their property have increased in both number and severity. Kremlin Kitchen is trying to capitalize on this existing wave of anti-Semitic sentiment with the Russian-American community.”
Hikind and Thompson are calling for all remaining packages to be pulled from store shelves immediately, and for future supply orders to be discontinued. “Today we have come together to express a simple demand that the owners of the Net Cost Market chain immediately pull these offensive packages from their stores,” Comptroller Thompson said. “Such a blatant expression of hate encourages anti-Jewish feeling among New Yorkers, and tears at the fabric of our civil society. These packages must go.”
Hikind added, “This insidious depiction of a Jew is reminiscent of the propaganda distributed by Joseph Goebbels. It is an image intended to degrade the Jewish people, and to incite fear and loathing of Jews. It has absolutely no place in our communities.”
U/D 5:28 PM
Hikind just received word from Edward Shnayder of Net Cost Market that all packages of the roasted sunflower seeds featuring a caricature of a greedy-and-sinister-looking Jew, complete with skullcap, on the label are being pulled from the shelves in all four stores effectively immediately.
“While it is commendable that the Shnayder family acted quickly to remove these offensive packages, it is outrageous for them to contend that they had no knowledge of the products being sold in their store,” Hikind said. “It is incumbent upon the management to know every product which is purchased from their suppliers, stocked on their shelves, and sold to their consumers.”
such an ugly packaging it wouldnt even attract me to look at it in order to purchase it!!
well, those israelis that chew them all day, do spit them out everywhere, even in shul!
At 1st thought I said, “Here goes Hikind again, building up a storm”. After reading the full article I think this is serious business. This should not be allowed.
Besides, wouldn’t it be against the law writing on any package “Spit it out anywhere”?
What is pathetic that the owner selling this item sound Jewish. I hope they were not frum as I can not see how a frum or even a non-frum jew could profit from such anti-semitic items.
What’s the big deal? I thought it was funny.
I would have bought it just for the label.
What happened to our ability to laugh at ourselves. The foundation of Yiddish humor was our ability to laugh, even at ourselves.
But, truthfully, I do not see the picture as offensive. I see it as a Jew “licking his chops” waiting to get his hands on these great garinim.
His face does not look evil to me. He looks EAGER to get at the nuts.
Thank you Hikind and Thompson
I really dont get it .
I agree that its in bad taste but what happened to the first ammendment? What happened to free press. Last time i read a secular news paper there were comics making fun of jews and arabs alike . i just dont get the problem
There needs to be a company that produces lard to feature an Islamic worshipper on the label. Lets see how funny that is.
Its despicable and repulsive.Thank u R’ dov 4 being there in times of need.
Can anyone post the contact information of the stores headquarters and the producer of this item?
sowing seeds of hate……. thats humor. no?
The sunflower seeds actually come from Iran. Kremlin Kitchen’s distributor is AHT International, which is a Tehran-based company. (search Google, and you’ll discover this.) This needs to be reported to US Customs, because Iran is under sanctions.
I think its hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!
The ironic thing is that a lot of European people look somewhat like that, not just Jews. It’s a cheap shot at Jews, I say make him remove it, and the next time these seeds show up, slap the dummie with a fine for stupidity.
there is also a russian mustard sold at netcost [which i frequent] depicting a stereotypical black man with bulging eyes and a stupid look wearing a fur hat. no joke it is really funny! i had seen the jewish one too and laughed. besides most of the consumers are russian jewish that is also why netcost has a huge selection of israeli stuff. calm down hikind it not sowing the seeds hate. i promise you russians will not start hating jews because of a packet of sunflower seeds.
Am I alone in noticing that Shnayder appears to be a Russian Jewish name? What on earth is wrong with the Shnayder family?
I do know them personally ,as i do business with them,i can assure u that they did NOT know about that,they are themselves JEWISH Russian immigrants,they do have LARGE mezuzahs on their doors in their queens headquarters,and they are proud Jews.
im glad they did take it off the shelvs
I’ll bet the store owners just ordered packages of sunflower seeds through a distributorship and didn’t notice the label. Big mistake, but probably not evil intent.
I’d buy them. Anything to support a company fighting Jewish Supremacism.
“While it is commendable that the Shnayder family acted quickly to remove these offensive packages, it is outrageous for them to contend that they had no knowledge of the products being sold in their store,” Hikind said. “It is incumbent upon the management to know every product which is purchased from their suppliers, stocked on their shelves, and sold to their consumers.”
I find it irony of the highest standard that Obama could sit in an anti-white, racist church for twenty two years and claim he had no idea and that was accepted as law. Now here we have a store owner that claims he did not understand the implication of the seeds and that is in NO WAY acceptable. I am not taking up for the seeds I think they should be pulled no doubt and I voted for Obama. I, however, can not sit by and watch the double standard sink us to an all time low.
Okay, you people who keep mentioning the first amendment are IDIOTS.
Yes, there is freedom of speech, there is also freedom to lash out at anyone who abuses that freedom. We have that freedom too. Idiots.
This is what happens when retards get internet access.
I don’t see anything wrong with the label. I am rather irritated that the shop owners would pull them off just because two people had a “hissy fit”
The drawing is by a notorius artist who goes by the name “A. Wyatt Mann”. Google that name and you will see the context from which this drawing was taken.
But let’s talk tachlis. Does the product have a reliable hechsher?
But let’s talk tachlis. Does the product have a reliable hechsher?
its only sunflower seeds….