Washington Jewish Week Buy Israel Week : Page 4
BuyIsraelWeek Buying Israeli products a “pleasure” By Abigail Klein Leichman Special to the WJW D on’t buy Israeli products just to support the Jewish state. Buy them because they’re well-made, cutting-edge – even avant-garde in quality, look and feel, says Nili Shalev, Israel’s Economic Minister to North America. “It’s not just important to buy Israeli. It’s a pleasure,” says Shalev. “Israel produces high-quality products mainly targeted for export, since Israel itself is such a small market. Whether it’s fashion, jewelry or gourmet foods, they’re packaged beautifully to give the buyer a real feeling of uniqueness and innovation,” she says. “There is no better way to support the Israeli economy than to get engaged with Israeli companies that are active in the United States.” Speaking at the two-day KosherFest exhi-bition in Secaucus, Shalev zeroed in on the many Israeli edibles that are marketed to (not just Jewish) consumers in all niches, from gluten-free to gourmet. “The advan-tage is that they are kosher but also tasty and healthful,” she says. As for gadgets, Israeli brands such as Epi-Lady are epic, but for the most part Israeli technology is on the inside. “Israeli innova-tion is embedded in practically every high-tech device on the market,” says Shalev. There are other ways to wear Israel on the outside, however. Lilly Berelovich, president of New York-based trend forecasting company Fashion Snoops, lived in Israel for four years and is now looking to promote hot Israeli designers such as Sharon Brunsher, Yosef Peretz, Anya Fleet and Aluma. She’s expecting to meet and greet these and many other established and up-and-coming designers at Tel Aviv Fashion Week, Nov. 21-23, and is working with the Israeli Embassy on ways to intro-duce them to American buyers. “I want to elevate awareness of the creativ-ity that Israel has to offer in all realms, to get the focus off the constant talk of conflict,” Berelovich says. “There are other things to talk about.” She calls Israeli designers “daring, innova-tive and different. I think their creative angle is unlike anything I’ve tasted here in the U.S. It does not surprise me that a lot of high-tech ideas are born in Israel because of that creativity and daring. Israeli designers are not held back by commercialized concepts, and it shows in their use of fabric, detail and composition, even how silhouettes are cut.” Berelovich is also a fan of home décor de-signers, such as Elemental, which don’t have Nili Shalev, Israel’s Economic Minister to North America with Menachem Lubinsky, president of LUBICOM Marketing and founder of Kosherfest. Photo provided by the New Jersey Jewish Standard. much recognition outside of the Jewish state. “Our goal is to curate an event to highlight that,” she says. “People are still asking if there are a lot of camels in Israel, and they’re miss-ing out on a lot of creative talent.” See ECONOMY , next page More than 71 years ago a group of American visionaries dreamed of forming a support organization for Magen David Adom as their way of helping to build our national homeland and save lives.     Today, American Friends of Magen David Adom is… Donating thousands of ambulances and other emergency vehicles to Magen David Adom. Building and renovating MDA Emergency Medical Stations and the MDA Israel National Blood Services Center. Supplying MDA with vital equipment, urgently needed medical supplies, emergency gear and much more. Providing unwavering support for Magen David Adom and Israel’s people since 1940 as MDA’s primary and strongest supporter in the world. l it, l i w u If yo eam r d o n it is Mark D. Lebow, Chairman of the Board Arnold Gerson, Chief Executive Officer Karen Berger, Associate Regional Director 352 Seventh Avenue, Suite 400 New York, NY 10001 Toll-Free: 866-632-2763 northeast@afmda.org To DONATE please go to www.afmda.org B4 November 17, 2011 • Washington Jewish Week Buy Israel Week
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