Ben and Jerry's founder's surprising change of heart: I was born a Jew, I love Jesus

Four years ago, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of the iconic ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, declared in a New York Times op-ed: “We are the founders of Ben & Jerry’s. We are also proud Jews.” They were defending their company’s boycott of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and they anchored that stance in their Jewish identity and values.

Now, at least for one of them, that message has shifted.

This week, Ben Cohen appeared on Tucker Carlson’s talk show to voice his opposition to U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine and America’s massive defense budget. But toward the end of the interview, Carlson turned the conversation to Cohen’s personal beliefs.

“In terms of a spiritual belief, I mean, I don’t practice a religion,” Cohen said. “I was born a Jew. I love Jesus Christ. I think the words that he said are wonderful, are amazing. And, you know, I’m kind of distressed that a lot of organized Christian religions are not really, I don’t know, abiding by the words of Jesus Christ.”

Cohen’s comments come against the backdrop of past tensions. Carlson has previously hosted guests known for antisemitic views, including Holocaust revisionists. Cohen’s words also stand in stark contrast to the religious identity he once invoked to defend his company's controversial political choices.

Back in 2021, Ben & Jerry’s boycott of Israeli settlements sparked legal backlash, protests from major Jewish organizations, and lawsuits in U.S. courts. Cohen and Greenfield had framed their support as a principled stand rooted in Jewish ethics.

In response to a subsequent question, he said, “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?”

This is not the first time this year that Cohen has accused Israel of genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza, a charge the country strenuously rejects. In March, he said, “The US supporting this genocide is essentially trampling on the soul of America,” and added, “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.”