SodaStream factory in West Bank shuts due to “racism and anti-Semitism”
A controversial fizzy drinks company whose factory was located in a Jewish settlement on the West Bank was forced to close due to “racism and anti-Semitism,” its chief executive has said.
Daniel Birnbaum, boss of SodaStream, employs 600 Palestinians but his company has still been targeted by boycotters. He says he will now up sticks and move to the Negev desert in Israel’s south, after a campaign to evict them.
“It’s propaganda. It’s politics. It’s hate. It’s anti-Semitism. It’s all the bad stuff we don’t want to be part of,” Birnbaum said, referring to efforts by Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement, which said its pressure was behind the decision to move.
“They’re mistaken,” he said. “They didn’t take into consideration the families. SodaStream should have been encouraged in the West Bank if [the BDS movement] truly cared about the Palestinian people.”
SodaStream has made headlines before when, in 2014, actress Scarlett Johansson resigned from her role as Oxfam ambassador, after the charity criticised her decision to advertise the brand.
Shortly after its high-profile targeting by BDS, which also accused managers of paying Palestinian workers far less than their Israeli counterparts, the company’s revenues nosedived and it was forced to relocate.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
