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Israelis find new market

Organisers of an Israeli street market which traded in Golders Green from Sunday to Tuesday say it was the perfect riposte to those advocating boycotts of Israeli goods.

December 18, 2008 10:40
1 min read

Organisers of an Israeli street market which traded in Golders Green from Sunday to Tuesday say it was the perfect riposte to those advocating boycotts of Israeli goods.

Zionist Federation executive director Alan Aziz said a key aim of A Taste of Israel was to introduce the non-Jewish market to Israeli food, beauty products, arts and crafts and jewellery. “I overheard one person ask a stall-owner: ‘So what’s life really like in Israel?’ That’s fantastic. We want to promote Israel in a non-political way so people can see it as the great country it is.”

Chanucah and Christmas shoppers browsed the 34 stalls, including a JC stand, in Finchley Road, Temple Fortune. Many stall-holders stayed in rooms donated by local hoteliers.

Among those promoting their wares was 46-year-old Modi’im teacher Revital Rubin, who makes jewellery as a hobby. Having taken part “as an adventure”, she had been heartened by the Sunday trade. “There were a lot of families, children with their fathers buying presents for their mums for Chanucah.”

But Edith Segal from Tel Aviv had found less demand for her jewellery. “It’s really hard,” she reported. “People don’t spend because of the recession.”