Vote YES on all MEC Special Resolutions.

For the last year, Israel supporters across Canada have been working towards preventing anti-Israel forces from imposing a boycott of Israeli goods on MEC.

This year, 5 special resolutions are being brought forward for electronic voting prior to the MEC annual meeting. Approving these resolutions will change MEC’s governance rules so as to make it much more difficult for anti-Israel forces to hijack future MEC annual meetings. Only current MEC members can vote on these special resolutions.

While we do not endorse specific candidates, this article may be of interest.

If you are a MEC member as of January 8, 2010, go to the MEC website today and VOTE YES ON SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS 1 THROUGH 5. Voting ends on April 9, 2010 (noon Pacific Time).

Please forward this e-mail to your friends and family. Help protect MEC’s ethical sourcing policy from abuse by anti-Israel activists.

For more information on specific resolutions, please contact Dan Schloss, Pacific Region Manager, Advocacy, Canada-Israel Committee at 604-622-4242 or danschloss@cicweb.ca.

BUYcott Month is a little offbeat, but promises to be a lot of fun. Supporters of Israel from around the world are being asked to send in photos of themselves or friends buying and enjoying Israeli products, taking part in Israel-related cultural events, “breaking” a boycott, or doing anything that celebrates Israel or fights anti-Israel activity during the month of March. As part of this campaign, these photos should include people giving what’s called a “Finger-B” hand gesture to indicate their activity is part of the BUYcott Month project.

You can already see some of the fun submission that have already been made at the BUYcott Month home page, and the people behind the program are already cooking up some surprises, so you should visit the site often.

Most importantly, BUYcott activists should contribute to the BUYcott Month site as soon as you can so that we can get as many stories out as early in March as possible.  Instructions for submitting your photos/stories appears here: http://www.buycottmonth.com/send-us-your-story.html.

Code Pink have decided to pressure Ricky’s, a small New York chain store into discontinuing Ahava products from Israel. Time for an equal and opposite reaction. New Yorkers – time to go to Ricky’s and stock up on Ahava products. Tell the manager how much you love them. Email them and tell them not to give in to special interest bullying.

Website: www.rickys-nyc.com

Address & Phone:

44 E. 8th St (btw. University Pl. and Broadway)
(212) 254-5247

590 Broadway (btw. Houston and Prince)
(212) 226-5552

718 Broadway (@ Washington Pl)
(212) 979-5232

988 8th Ave (@ 58th St)
(212) 957-8343

466 Ave of the Americas (btw. 11th & 12th)
(212) 924-3401

From Code Pink:

This Valentine’s Day, have a heart and join us sending a CODEPINK-style valentine to the president of Ricky’s NYC, a family-owned chain store here in New York City, to tell them ‘Stop carrying AHAVA cosmetics! AHAVA means love in Hebrew, but there is nothing loving about the company’s practices.’ Help put the pressure on Ricky’s to stop carrying the products and we can add it to the other successes from this campaign!

Together we can make a difference!

• Breaking a Boycott – a post by popular Vancouver blogger Jonathon Narvey
• England, France, Underpants! – a post from the UK blog Divest This!
• Anti-Israel protest fizzles as long johns sales soar – by Lauren Kramer, Canadian Jewish News

Below, the CIC’s Dan Schloss speaks about MECs ethical sourcing policy and opposition to boycotting Israel:

In this video, Vancouver writer Jonathon Narvey shows his support by purchasing an MEC membership:

BUYcott in support of Mountain Equipment Co-Op ethical sourcing policy and its Israeli products held in cities across Canada

VANCOUVER, Nov. 29 /CNW/ – BUYcott activities took place today on-line and at Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) stores in cities across Canada. This BUYcott has resulted in significant sales of merchandise – Israeli and otherwise – from MEC. The BUYcott was organized in response to a national picket and threat to boycott MEC stores unless MEC ceases doing business with Israel. An earlier attempt to force MEC to boycott Israeli goods was defeated by MEC members at their annual general meeting last spring.

BUYcott Israel activists were out in large numbers in cities across Canada today, and we look forward to sharing video and photographs of these events on our website in the following days.

“This clearly demonstrates that the Canadian public supports MEC’s ethical sourcing policy and rejects efforts to politicize the activities of one of Canada’s most socially conscious merchandisers,” said Michael Elterman, Chair of the Canada-Israel Committee’s Pacific Region.

The BUYcott initiative, which is spreading worldwide, was launched earlier this year in Canada by a group of organizations that aim to neutralize calls to boycott Israel by making them counterproductive.

Added Elterman, “Calls to boycott will thus lead to greater sales of Israeli products and more favourable exposure for Israel. Israeli wines, cultural products, and the Ahava line have all been successfully BUYcotted over the past year.”

BUYcott groups have already been created in several American cities, as well as in England, and we expect that other communities will follow.

Ignore boycott, it’s time to BUYcott Israel

With the Aryan Guard in Calgary disbanding, it’s good riddance to one bunch of anti-Semites. Now, if only another bunch would disperse, as well. The misguided members of this particular group plan to picket at Mountain Equipment Co-op stores today to protest the retailer’s selling of Israeli-made products. MEC management should ignore them and continue selling made-in-Israel goods. Anyone who wants to boycott merchandise made in a democracy because of the despicable belief that this democracy has no right to defend itself against attacks by terrorists determined to wipe it out should be dismissed with the contempt merited.

Israel is the only country in the world that suffers condemnation for fighting back when attacked–and that bespeaks loudly of anti-Semitism, for no other reason is discernible.

Sunday, a counter-protest is taking place–it’s called BUYcott Israel, and its purpose is to urge people to go to MEC and specifically purchase Israeli products there, to show their support for Israel and for MEC’s sensible refusal to cave in to the wrong-headed protesters. The pressure must be kept up against those who would boycott Israel.