“I can put my basket of beliefs into my basket of groceries”
Ben Bornstein – “When I first I heard about the ‘BeShutaf’ cooperative, I didn’t see any reason to become a member, because to me it felt like another grocery store with a gimmick.
But I got more and more curious about the place, and a year and a half ago I decided to become a member, and slowly became involved in the business. In the beginning I was more of a passive member, doing the one shift a month that is needed in order to have the privilege to buy your groceries in the cooperative store.
As time passed, I started contributing my professional PR abilities to the cooperative, and quite naturally became BeShutaf’s PR manager. I soon became an integral part of the cooperative, the community, and the people that are part of it. It is very fulfilling to represent an idea that you truly believe in.
That’s the point where the ideology became quite clear to me. We are here to create a consumer-driven revolution. Understanding that where, what and from whom I buy my food, I gain great economic power and responsibility. I can put my basket of beliefs into my basket of groceries.
With that comes another great privilege – the people you meet here. We became a strong, mutually supportive community, helping each other way beyond the day to day cooperative issues. Within the everyday urbanite experience, it’s a precious added value”.
