Published: 28 June 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
IN ISRAEL THESE DAYS, boycott isn’t a very popular word. Damage caused by BDS has given the term – and the tactic – a bad reputation. But boycotting has been making a comeback in recent days, at least when it comes to matters of religion and state.
Outraged calls for a boycott of one of the country’s leading wineries, Barkan Wines, exploded across the political establishment and on social media on Tuesday, following a television news report that charged that the company had systematically discriminated against employees of Ethiopian origin in order to comply with the strictures of a kashrut-certifying organisation.
Barkan removed Ethiopian Israelis from its production line at the bidding of Badatz Eda Haredit – an extreme ultra-Orthodox group that certifies the kashrut of Barkan and other products, making it acceptable for even the strictest religious customers to consume.
FULL STORY El Al and Barkan Wines: A tale of two boycotts (Haaretz)
AND SEE
After furore, Barkan winery says Ethiopian workers to work as usual (Times of Israel)
Leading winemaker had banned employees of African descent from coming into contact with wine to comply with strict new kosher license, prompting cries of racism
Boycotting these Israeli companies won't get you on any blacklists (972)
Israelis from across the political spectrum are calling to boycott of two major companies for discriminatory practices against women and Ethiopians. But what about that one boycott Israelis will simply not abide?
Photo: Employees of the Barkan Winery who were transferred from their jobs over questions of their Jewishness. (screen capture: Kan)
