Fed Up With Scotch Boycotts of Israel? Boycott Their Whiskey

Fed Up With Scotch Boycotts of Israel? Boycott Their Whiskey.
Jonathan S. Tobin 06.12.2011 - 7:06 AM

In the last few weeks, the Scottish municipalities of Dunbar and West Dunbartonshire were in the news because of their official boycotts of Israel. In a gesture of support for the Palestinians, Dunbar has sought to boycott all products made in Israel while West Dunbartonshire has banned books by Israeli authors from being acquired by their public libraries. But some pro-Israel activists are not taking this lying down. They say two can play at this game and are now promoting a counter-boycott of the most famous product of the region where Israeli books may no longer be read: Scotch whiskey.

The Jerusalem Post reports today that the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC) has called for Jews to boycott whiskeys produced in the West Dunbartonshire region. The FJMC is an umbrella group for men’s clubs affiliated with the Conservative movement of Judaism has brought to its members attention that three well known producers of spirits, Morrison Bowmore, Loch Lamond and Chivas Brothers are products of that region of Scotland. Chivas, which also produces the Glenlivet and Ballantine brands, is a popular staple of Sabbath “Kiddush clubs” which follow services at some synagogues.

While there are some in the Jewish community that might view less alcohol consumption in synagogues as a good thing, the Scottish boycotts of Israel are no joking matter. They are part of an international push to treat Israel as a pariah state via boycotts, divestment and isolation. Since supporters of this movement treat the one Jewish state in the world differently from the way they view other countries, including those with real as opposed to trumped up human rights violations on their records, it is impossible to view these boycotts as anything other than anti-Semitic.

According to the Post, at least one of the whiskey manufacturers is attempting to distance themselves from the West Dunbartonshire Israel-bashers. A spokesperson for the Morrison Bowmore Distillery made it clear that they had no role in the municipality’s decision to boycott Israel and that they would be forwarding all protests they receive over the matter to the council to “ensure it is made fully aware of the potential implications of its policy.”

Though it is far from clear that there are enough Jewish or other pro-Israel imbibers willing to give up their favorite drink to make the Scots listen, the principle here is a sound one. Some Scots may think Israel has no right to defend itself against Palestinian terror, but there is no reason why anyone who cares about the Jewish state should not send a counter-message to the boycotters that regions that promote anti-Semitic measures will be given the same treatment.