Thread by @nancylevine

In 2015, The New York Times reported on Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's relationship with spiritual guru, former rabbi Marc Gafni.

Gafni was accused of sexually molesting two underage girls in the 1980s.

John Mackey was chairman of Gafni's nonprofit.

nytimes.com/2015/12/26/us/…

More than 100 rabbis and Jewish leaders, led by New York Rabbi David Ingber, undersigned a petition to Whole Foods: “Stop Marc Gafni from Abusing Again,” citing “many, repeated and serious allegations, both public and private, former and recent.”
change.org/p/whole-foods-…

Sara Kabakov identified herself as the then-girl whom Gafni reportedly described as “14 going on 35.” She came forward publicly for the first time in an opinion piece in the Forward: “I Was 13 When Marc Gafni’s Abuse Began.”
forward.com/opinion/329620…

Mackey vacated his position as board chair of Gafni’s center. The Forward reported:
“A spokesman for Gafni said that Mackey had also left the board, ‘as all previous board chair members do.’ He added that, ‘There was no break between Mackey and Gafni.’”
forward.com/news/337904/wh…

I emailed Whole Foods board members, requesting comment. A Whole Foods spokesperson responded:

“John no longer serves on Mr. Gafni’s board and has no connection to the Center for Integral Wisdom. That being said, there’s nothing else to say on this matter.”

Advocates at SNAP (seen in the movie "Spotlight") released a statement: “We hope it’s true that Mackey’s distancing himself from Gafni. If so, however, we disagree with the public relations staffer who claims ‘there’s nothing else to say on this matter.’”
snapnetwork.org/tx_austin_ceo_…

The Washington Post reported on coordinated protests at Whole Foods 365 stores in New York City and Los Angeles, calling for Mackey to break his silence about his relationship with Gafni.

washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-f…

Matthew Sandusky, adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, and founder of Peaceful Hearts Foundation joined protesters at Whole Foods in NYC. He said:

“There’s a culture of silence around [child sexual abuse]. I believe Whole Foods has an opportunity to really shape that conversation.”

Mackey’s Whole Foods Market Blog was updated to remove his video interviews with Gafni. Mackey’s blog post states that his involvement with Gafni is “strictly a personal relationship.”
wholefoodsmarket.com/tips-and-ideas…

Mackey issued a statement, declaring his loyalty to Gafni:

“I have known Marc Gafni for several years, and he has continued to tell me that he is innocent of the allegations being made about him...
forward.com/news/342742/wh…

Mackey's statement continued:

"Loyalty and the presumption of innocence are important values to me, so I will not join those who are condemning [Gafni].”

I wrote an open letter to board members of Whole Foods and Conscious Capitalism (Mackey's nonprofit org). Published by Feminine Collective and signed by 130 leaders of advocacy organizations, we asked board members to hold Mackey accountable.

femininecollective.com/an-open-letter…

We asked Mackey to disavow Gafni:

"Overlooking Gafni’s public admission minimizes and normalizes sexual violence, and impedes efforts to change the culture... Would Mackey be willing to update his statement about Gafni, and disavow his friend?”

Mackey didn't respond.

In 2018, Dr. Phil spent an entire episode of his show interviewing Marc Gafni who continued to deny all accusations, saying he was the victim of a smear campaign.

https://twitter.com/DrPhil/status/954347040816889858?s=20

In 2019, New York State passed the Child Victims Act, allowing child sex abuse survivors to sue their abusers. For more than 15 years, advocates and survivors worked to overcome legislative roadblocks posed by the Catholic Church and insurance industry. cnn.com/2019/01/28/us/…

The New York Post reported this month that Sara Kabakov sued Marc Gafni in Manhattan Supreme Court, thanks to the new Child Victims Act.

nypost.com/2020/03/04/pop…

The NY Post also reported "Another woman, Judy Mitzner, has alleged that Gafni touched her under her nightgown against her will when she was 16 and staying with him and his wife."

And:

"Mitzner sued him under the Child Victims Act in August, according to the Forward."

The NY Post reported that Gafni "runs a spiritual think tank called the Center for Integral Wisdom, whose followers include John Mackey, the co-founder of Whole Foods, according to Gafni’s website."

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey never disavowed Marc Gafni.