Sodastream Attempts A Re-Brand, Focusing On Coexistence
Image by Screenshot/Reddit
Back in the intemperate days of 2014, swearing your allegiance to or against DIY sparkling water company Sodastream was an excellent litmus test designed to measure where you stood when it came to the challenges of Israel and Palestinian co-existence.
74 Palestinians were fired when the company closed their West Bank plant due to global pressure, then re-hired when the Israeli government agreed under duress to reinstate their work permits. Mayim Bialik shilled for them, touting the environmental benefits of not wasting plastic when creating your own sparkling water at home. And when actress Scarlett Johansson joined the party (guiltlessly!), there was an international uproar. It was a full “storm in a soda cup.”
But several years later, things are a little more low-key down at the Sodastream factory.
Their beverages are now manufactured with a label that reads “This product is produced by Jews and Arabs working side-by-side in peace and harmony.” The world (by which I mean the basement dwellers of Reddit, where this photo came to light) are skeptical about capitalism promoting ethical coexistence, but it certainly is an interesting business move to counter BDS.
Shira Feder is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected]
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
