Itzik Elrov
Follow Haredi example
Op-ed: Haredi man who initiated ‘cottage cheese boycott’ urges Israelis to join initiative
In recent years, our global village has shrunk. If in the distant past we were certain that our land floweth with milk and honey and that there is no better place to live in, in the era of the Internet and social networks it turns out that we were “a little off.”
When food chains started to allow us to purchase food through the Internet, they apparently forget that the road to comparing prices with the wide world became much shorter. In the past, when a distant cousin would arrive from abroad and get upset by our expensive food prices, we wouldn’t take him seriously. He’s probably not used to our strong shekel, we told ourselves, and continued to buy happily. But times have changed.
People increasingly understand that the price hikes we’ve experienced recently show arrogance and detachment from the people. People are starting to understand that citizens of European states buy dairy products for 50% less than what we pay here. “It’s because of the kosher certificate,” said the cynics amongst us, yet then came the blow: Recently it turned out that Israel-made products are being sold at a cheaper price in the United States despise the kosher issue, and despite the transportation costs and taxes.
I admit that I love reading the talkbacks more than the articles themselves. When I saw the pain sweeping the Internet and when people started to ask why we shouldn’t impose a boycott and show our displeasure, I thought to myself: Why not, really? What will happen if we boycott a certain product or company that inflates prices for a month?
This won’t hurt me as a consumer, because I would know that I performed moral duty, and when I think that prices are inflated I don’t buy. As a haredi man, I have seen how boycotts are being utilized by haredi society and I told myself: This is how the whole public should conduct itself.
Yet while the haredi public follows its rabbis when they order it not to buy certain foods or boycott certain companies, the general public did not have one address where it could come together. This is where Mr. Revolution 2011, Facebook, came in. We opened a group to see if people would join and finally understand how to boycott.
Cottage cheese a symbol
When Ynet reported the boycott, the entire media went wild in a way we haven’t seen in a long time. The day after, when food chains offered special sales and Knesset member started to talk about bringing back cottage cheese regulation, the question that emerged was as follows: Is that what we want? Will a two-week discount on cottage cheese, to be followed by another price hike, nullify us? Will regulating the price of cottage cheese drive the prices of other products down? I’m convinced that the answer is no. Hence, cottage cheese is merely a symbol in the great battle that has now started.
The public understands that time is critical. The citizens understand that at the moment of truth, once the boycott starts on July 1st, they will be offered very cheap cottage cheese as part of a special sale, just so this struggle fails. Yet the people already recognize gimmicks. This time, we really want a change, and this change is possible and easier to achieve than ever.
Don’t buy cottage cheese, because we want a real change and not discounts. The cottage boycott is merely the opening shot. Once we experience the sweet taste of victory in this oh-so-just struggle, we will understand that we too advanced to the 2011 era, and that we too know how to prompt change. We would then be able to bring food prices down considerably and know that we restored our lost dignity as consumers.
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