Dr. Ira Unger loves Scotch, but not more than he loves Israel.
That’s why, at his daughter’s recent high school graduation party, he chose to serve bourbon over his preferred Scottish single malt.
“I’ve developed a taste for Scotch,” said Unger, a member of Beth El Congregation of the South Hills’ Men’s Club, “but if this boycott of Israeli goods isn’t solved, I can certainly develop a taste for bourbon.”
So what does Israel have to do with cocktails? Recently the answer has been, quite a bit.
In January 2009, the West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) in Scotland declared a boycott on the purchase of Israeli goods, citing excessive military action against Palestinians during the IDF’s Gaza incursion that year. Earlier this month, Rabbi Charles Simon, executive director of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC), sent an email to many of his constituents calling for a response boycott of the Scotch whisky brands created in the region. Continue reading
