To imbibe or not to imbibe?
That is the question being posed by some Jewish Scotch drinkers in the, wake of a fledgling booze boycott organized to protest a ban on Israeli products in a region of Scotland that includes a handful of distilleries. The issue would seem to be a natural topic of discussion in congregational kiddush clubs, whose members gather after Shabbat morning services to snack, kibbitz and make a lchaim or three over their favorite glass of spirits.Local groups, however, are split on whether the boycott is warranted or misguided. The issue derives from a 2009 ruling by the West Dunbartonshire Council, a local governing body in Scotland that is tantamount to a U.S. county board, to boycott Israeli products in response to what it deemed was "disproportionate force" in last year's Gaza flotilla incident."I find it disturbing that the esteemed council found no reason to mention the reason for the IDF's operation in Gaza," wrote Hellerstein, referring to the Israel Defense, Forces. "Therefore, it saddens me to have to inform you that the global counter-boycott of Scottish whisky products, distilled in the West Durbanshire [sic] Council region, is beginning.""Your letters are placing pressure on the West Dunbartonshire Council to reconsider their actions," the club said on its website. "Please continue to write to the distributors and encourage them to educate and lobby the Council as well. The issue is not about drinking Scotch it is about changing Council policy.""I would venture that of all the people I've talked to, none of them would stand behind' making a fuss about the West Dunbartonshire Council," he says. "It's a nonfactor for anything that affects Israel or the world. It's an excuse to stir up [expletive] about nothing."The response went on to express concern about the potential implications of the boycott and counter-boycott on the local economy. However, local media consultant Steve Rabinowitz, who worships in Hellersteins minyan, is not moved by the distillery's statement.In response to her letter, the distillery emphatically denied any association with the council's policies: "We would like to assure you that The West Dunbartonshire Council in Scotland does not represent the views of Loch Lomond Distillery with regard to the decision of West Dunbartonshire Council to participate in the BDS campaign [Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions] against Israel, nor were we consulted in any way prior to their decision to participate in the BDS against Israel."Local wine and spirits maven Joshua London (co-author of WJWs weekly "Lchaim" column), calls the brouhaha "a lot of nothing," adding that he's "not aware that anyone is actually" participating in it locally, though "there are definitely people doing it around the country." But the council s decree, he stresses, doesn't have the force of law.Whether or not that happens could depend on the actions of American kiddush clubs. As of last week, the counterboycott was still on track despite an acknowledgement - by the International Kiddush Club, the umbrella group with which the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs is affiliated - that several distilleries do not support the anti-Israel boycott.The story gained traction in Internet circles earlier this month when Jameel Rashid, a pen name for an Israeli blogger living in the U.K., posted a letter on his website directed at several distilleries located within West Dunbartonshire calling for a counter-boycott of Scotch whisky. In turn, the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs, which is affiliated with the Conservative movement, has led the rallying call for the same action."Of course Loch Lomond had nothing to do with the vote," he said in an e-mail. "And most Israeli products and services being boycotted by the county have nothing to do with the occupation ... since Lomond obviously did nothing to prevent the vote there and does not so much as even take a stand on it (never mind attempt to reverse it), too bad for them . . . I'm boycotting those distilleries until the county reverses themselves or they do a lot more to try to get the county to."Earlier this rhonth, Board of Deputies of Anglo Jewry representative Nigel Lawrence told YNet that the local council "isn't able to enforce a ban or make the decision to criminalize trade from a state; this can only come from Westminster [the national governing body]."Still, others differ on the issue. Harvey Fry, owner of the newly opened, whiskycentric Jack Rose Saloon in D.C.'s Adams Morgan neighborhood, says that it is not justified. A noted whisky aficionado, Fry (who is not Jewish) has organized private tastings for several kiddush clubs across the area.In the D.C. area, however, several groups are still trying to evaluate the boycotts legitimacy. Judith Hellerstein, a member of Conservative Adas Israel's Congregation in the District, contacted the Loch Lomond Distillery, which is located within the council's jurisdiction, expressing concern about the council's actions.Among other groups contacted, the boycott and counter-boycott are not yet well-known. Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, the chair of the board of Agudas Chasidei Chabad (and father of Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad's chief D.C-area representative) said he had just heard about the counter-boycott, and has not followed the issue closely. The same goes for Rabbi Jack Luxemburg of Temple Beth Ami, a Reform congregation in Rockville. Calls to other area synagogues were not returned.
"Your letters are placing pressure on the West Dunbartonshire Council to reconsider their actions," the club said on its website. "Please continue to write to the distributors and encourage them to educate and lobby the Council as well. The issue is not about drinking Scotch it is about changing Council policy."
