In the middle of the Commons, there is a small brick building with large wooden windows, innocuous and cheerful-looking. Until recently, these windows were covered with brown paper, as the building inside was undergoing renovations after the closing of its previous business, the Mate Factor, a quaint local cafe. This October, however, the Yellow Deli opened in the space, and with it came the stir of local controversy.
The building, and by extension the businesses therein, have been owned and operated by the Twelve Tribes (an extreme Christian group) for over a decade. In that time, the Mate Factor occupied the ground floor, while the upper stories were rented to other businesses. By all accounts, the Twelve Tribes are good owners and have consistently worked to honor the historic nature of the property, despite the labor abuses described below.
The controversy comes from the group itself. Originally founded in 1972 by Gene and Marsha Spriggs, the Twelve Tribes has established communities all over the world. The societal structure is meant to emulate the first-century church as chronicled in the Book of Acts: members live together in communes and
children are largely homeschooled. Possessions are shared among community members as they prepare for Judgment Day, where they will live and reign with Yahshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus). Additionally, members are encouraged to cut off all contact with the outside world.
In a pamphlet handed out to visitors to the Yellow Deli, the Twelve Tribes advertise themselves as a branch of the hippie movement of the 1970s, “A few … decided to make the best of the ‘Peace, Love, and Happiness Movement,’ starting a new way of life.” By leading a life of love and Christian faith against the “fatal flaw” (selfishness), the Twelve Tribes insist on “[continuing] in this battle until our dying breath.”
Despite this free-loving mindset, there is a sinister undercurrent to the group. There have been accusations of child labor and other unethical work practices among the Twelve Tribes, such as underpaying or failing to pay employees. It was for this reason that Ithaca’s Mate Factor was closed by the Department of Labor in 2018. Racist, misogynistic, and homophobic teachings have also been mentioned by ex-members, along with corporal punishment and child abuse. The Twelve Tribes themselves have addressed these rumors, saying, “To those who were fearful that anything new must have some evil motive behind it, our cause immediately became suspect… The use of the word ‘cult’ seemed to be the perfect weapon to dismantle our Movement.”
When asked to comment on the role the Twelve Tribes play in Ithaca, Gary Ferguson, the Executive Director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance simply said, “We work with all of our property owners and businesses, regardless of religious affiliation or other defining characteristics. We do expect all of our properties, businesses, downtown employees, and patrons/visitors to uphold and adhere to a code of conduct that is affirming and respects the dignity and rights of others.” The Alliance is currently working to release such a code to the public.
While it is true that Ithaca has consistently supported and patronized the Twelve Tribe’s businesses, there have also been organized efforts to boycott them, due to the aforementioned accusations. This was especially true for the Mate Factor. Whether that legacy will carry on to the new Yellow Deli remains uncertain.