What can I do?
Do you ever ask yourself that question? I seem to be finding myself asking that a lot lately. It is usually in the context of “I am just one person, so what can I do?” While there are many issues that might make me stand in front of the mirror asking that question, one seems to be recurring often- what can I do to help protect Israel from the lies and assaults from her enemies? I am too old to serve in the IDF and I am too far away to do anything that seems “tangible.” Yes, I write columns and speak to people but there must be something else! A brand new campaign to help Israel is being kicked off this year. It is tangible and it can help!
“Buy Israel Week” is an event that is meant to help bring awareness that I (and we) can do something to help- to buy Israeli products and ask our retailers to stock them. “Buy Israel Week” is the brainchild of Manhattan marketing executive Frances Zelazny. I had the opportunity to speak to her last week and gained a new understanding of “put your money where your mouth is.” We all know that there is a general assault on all things Israel. We tend to think only of the military or political assaults but there is a concerted effort to boycott Israeli products and bring pressure on retailers not to stock products of any kind from Israel.
Those who support the Palestinians portray Israel as “the aggressor.” They use economic tools such as boycotts and protests in order to hurt Israel’s ability to export products. What can we do? The simple act of buying and using Israeli products allows us to “push back”- to respond that we support Israel. If you use a cell phone, you are using technology developed in Israel. If you get sick and need state of the art treatment, you will probably need a medical protocol that was developed in Israel. So why not enjoy cheese or wine or cosmetics or a thousand other products that are made in Israel?
It may seem trivial- what difference could buying a few groceries make in the face of the great struggles facing Medinat Yisrael? A shopping bag full of Israeli items is a bag full of the Jewish future! Wow, how is that for a bargain! When we ask ourselves “what can I do?” we are admitting defeat. We are admitting that we can’t influence the world around us, but we can. We can all do a little and the accumulative result is enormous. Visit “buyisraelweek.com” and get the full story.
“Buy Israel Week” is going to be an annual event. It is also an effort that we can support every time we buy the things that we need in our homes. It seems so easy and it is. It is one more way that you can support the present and the future of Israel.




This article appeared in the South Florida Jewish Journal and the Atlanta Jewish Times.