We Can Boycott the Boycotts
By Ofir Akunis
Investing in Israel is one way to strengthen the Jewish state
I first arrived in the United States in May 2024 as Israel’s Consul General in New York. It was the height of the post-Oct. 7 campus protests, and universities across the country were filled with crowds waving signs calling for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” against Israel.
About a year and a half later, Mayor Zohran Mamdani walked into Gracie Mansion for his first day in office and nullified Mayor Adams’ executive order restricting BDS by the city.
This May, in Midtown Manhattan, demonstrators protested outside an Israeli real estate expo. That same month, Park Slope Food Coop members voted to boycott and end the sale of Israeli products at the popular Brooklyn cooperative.
These are just a few of many examples, but they mirror some of the darkest moments in Jewish history.
In 1933, the Nazi regime launched a state-sponsored boycott against Jewish-owned businesses and professionals. The Nazis created hit lists of Jewish businesses and vandalized many of their storefronts. Five years later, on the night of Nov. 9, 1938, the Nazis looted and destroyed Jewish businesses across Germany and Austria in what became known as Kristallnacht. Ninety-one Jews were murdered that night.
But in the 1930s, the Jewish people did not have a state to turn to. Today, we have a strong, independent state in our ancestral homeland. We are no longer powerless in the face of those who seek to isolate Israel and the Jewish people.
That is why, when choosing how to invest our money, we should remember the privilege we have today of being able to invest in the Jewish state. Investing in Israel allows us to contribute to the growth of the Jewish homeland, a country that will always be a safe haven for all Jews worldwide. And buying property in Israel gives families a place in the Jewish state for future generations.
But there is another reason to invest in Israel. The Jewish state’s economy is thriving. International Monetary Fund (IMF) data shows that Israel’s economy is expected to grow by 3.5% this year, surpassing the projected growth of 2.3% in the United States and 1.3% in the EU. Additionally, Israel’s GDP growth is forecast to outperform all G7 countries in 2026. In April, the Israeli shekel reached its highest level against the U.S. dollar in 30 years. The multifront wars we have faced over the past few years have not stopped our economy from flourishing.
I was born in Tel Aviv and grew up there in the 1980s. Every time I return home, I marvel at how the skyline has grown and how Israel’s technology and innovation sectors have exploded, earning Israel the “Start-up Nation” moniker. What was once a nation the Jewish people dreamed of is now a country at the forefront of the global economy.
That is the Israel we should choose to invest in. Not an Israel defined by our enemies who seek to boycott or destroy it, but an Israel defined by its people, innovation and resilience.
Those who call for BDS want to convince the world that Israel should be cut off from society. We have the opportunity to send the opposite message.
We can boycott the boycotts.
It doesn’t matter if Mamdani, campus protesters or any other ignorant voices call for BDS. Most of them don’t work in foreign policy or even know the history of Israel or the region. Calling for these boycotts is none of their business.
But it is the business of the Jewish people to unapologetically defend the Jewish state, and investing in it is one of many ways we can do so. It is a privilege and responsibility that we did not always have, and one that we must not take for granted.
Ofir Akunis, is Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Consul General of Israel in New York.
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