StandWithUs is urging schools, campuses, synagogues, community organizations, and individuals to celebrate Israel by designating March 30 as the day to buy up Israeli goods at local stores.
The date was chosen because the anti-Israel boycott campaign has planned a global boycott of Israeli products for the same day (March 30). Protestors will stand outside stores, asking shoppers not to buy Israeli products.
"We need to show the boycotters that their efforts remain doomed. Let the boycotters know that when they call for boycotts of even one or two stores or products, they will face a much larger movement to buy Israeli goods," said StandWithUs co-founder and CEO Roz Rothstein. "We are telling people to go to their local stores, request the exact Israeli products being targeted, and buy them out. Let store managers know they should keep Israeli products well stocked on the shelves."
StandWithUs, in partnership with the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, successfully countered similar boycott days in 2010 and 2011. They mobilized Israel supporters in every store that the boycotters had targeted worldwide. Shoppers bypassed the protesters and bought out entire Israeli product lines. Delighted store owners said it was their best shopping days and promised to keep their shelves stocked with the targeted products.
March 30, 2012, is an opportune day to purchase Israeli products because the Jewish holiday of Passover is in April this year. Shoppers can choose presents from the wonderful array of Israeli-made items, from fine Israeli wines to the high-quality Ahava beauty products, Israeli-made jewelry, shoes, clothes, and food, including Sabra or Tribe hummus and Osem cookies.
"We must defeat the boycotters who advocate destructive, instead of constructive, measures, who undermine hopes for peaceful coexistence, and whose only goal is to cripple and damage Israel by hurting Israeli citizens," Rothstein emphasized. "We can only do this by joining together to be part of a BIG campaign like this."
BUY ISRAEL WEEK is an integrated print and online marketing campaign organized by jdeal.com, The Jewish Week Media Group of NY, Washington Jewish Week, Florida Jewish Journal, Tribe Media Corporation, the Jewish Standard of New Jersey, the Chicago Jewish News, Texas Jewish Post, J. the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California and Jewish News of Greater Phoenix – representing the largest Jewish markets in the United States, as well as Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers’ Association of Israel, Israel Export and Cooperation Institute, Conference of Presidents and Stand With Us.
From NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 4 Buy Israel Week sponsors will benefit from a marketing package that includes exposure to up to 1 million people in targeted markets across the US, as well as comprehensive social media outreach through Facebook and Twitter, blog features, YouTube videos and “Seriously Surprising Israel Deals” featuring Israeli products and giveaways.
I must admit that I'm kind of surprised to be reading about this for the first time in the JPost. Usually, I get emails about stuff like this way in advance.
Stand With Us is sponsoring a BIG day. That's Buy Israeli Goods day.
StandWithUs is urging schools, campuses, synagogues, community organizations, and individuals to celebrate Israel by designating March 30 as the day to buy up Israeli goods at local stores.
The date was chosen because the anti-Israel boycott campaign has planned a global boycott of Israeli products for the same day (March 30). Protestors will stand outside stores, asking shoppers not to buy Israeli products.
"We need to show the boycotters that their efforts are doomed. Let the boycotters know that when they call for boycotts of even one or two stores or products, they will face a much larger movement to buy Israeli goods," said StandWithUs co-founder and CEO Roz Rothstein. "We are telling people to go to their local stores, request the exact Israeli products being targeted, and buy them out. Let store managers know they should keep Israeli products well stocked on the shelves."
StandWithUs, in partnership with the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, successfully countered a similar boycott day on November 30, 2010. They mobilized Israel supporters in every store that the boycotters had targeted worldwide. Shoppers bypassed the protesters and bought out entire Israeli product lines. Delighted store owners said it was their best shopping day and promised to keep their shelves stocked with the targeted products.
March 30 is an opportune day for Israeli products because the Jewish holiday of Passover is in April this year. Shoppers can choose presents from the wonderful array of Israeli-made items, from fine Israeli wines to the high-quality Ahava beauty products, Israeli-made jewelry, shoes, clothes, and food, including Sabra or Tribe hummus and Osem cookies
"We must defeat the boycotters who advocate destructive, instead of constructive, measures, who undermine hopes for peaceful coexistence, and whose only goal is to cripple and damage Israel," Rothstein emphasized. "We can only do this by joining together to be part of BIG."
Visit www.BuyIsraelGoods.org-The Web site includes a store locator so people can find stores in their area that carry Israeli products. The BIG campaign is a partnership between StandWithUs and the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce. StandWithUs is encouraging Israel's supporters to take videos and photos of themselves purchasing the products and submit them to big@standwithus.com.
StandWithUs created a flyer listing "Six Reasons You Should Oppose Boycotting Israel" at www.standwithus.com/flyers/pdfs/saynoboycottsflyer3.pdf. One reason, the flyer lists, is that boycotting Israel hurts the peace process by encouraging hard-liners and "does nothing to help the Palestinians improve their lives." Shoppers should buy both Israeli and Palestinian products as "an investment in peaceful coexistence."
StandWithUs has released an online button promoting the campaign for supporters to post to their Facebook walls. A physical button is also available to pin on your clothes, attach to your key chain, etc. Pick it up from www.standwithus.com
And StandWithUs doesn't support boycotts of the 'settlements' either.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
This weekend, you're invited, more than usual, you're invited to Buy Israeli Goods and shop for Israel (Hat Tip: Lance K). 
