Ultra-Orthodox Groups Threaten Coke Boycott Over Channel 12 Coverage

Ultra-Orthodox activists are escalating their campaign against Channel 12 and its controlling shareholder, businessman Dudi Wertheim, by calling for a consumer boycott of Coca-Cola and other brands he owns through the Central Bottling Company. The anger comes amid rising tension between the Haredi sector and the wider public over military draft exemptions and the arrest of draft evaders.

The article says the dispute has already produced unusually large protests, including a road blockade that was cleared by police using force and a major demonstration by the Gerrer Rebbe, who came with thousands of his followers to Prison 10. The boycott is now shifting the struggle away from the streets and into consumer pressure.

According to the Haredi site Bably, grassroots calls to stop buying products linked to Wertheim are gaining momentum. The companies named include Coca-Cola, Tara dairy, Prigat, Neviot, and the beer brands Carlsberg and Tuborg. Organizers say, “It is impossible that they will incite against our public on one hand, and on the other hand profit from its money.”

The stated aim is to hit Wertheim financially and force him to understand that Channel 12’s editorial line against the Haredi community is not worthwhile. The organizers hope that if the channel’s management ignores public criticism, it may respond to the profits and losses of its food and beverage businesses. At the same time, hardline factions are reportedly considering changing their road-blocking tactics after police violence, and may switch to surprise short blockades at several points on the Ayalon Highways in Tel Aviv.