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BOYCOTT ISRAEL CAMPAIGN
COMPANY : Timberland

PRODUCTS & AFFILIATED COMPANIES:

Footwear: Hiking, Multi-Sport, Sandals, Casual, Office, Boots, PRO

Outwear: Leather Jackets, Waterproof Parka, Lightweight jackets

Clothing: Shirts, Polos, Sweaters, Sweat Shirts, T-Shirts, Pants, Shorts

Gear: Belts, Hats, Backpacks, Luggage, Socks, Sunglasses, Wallets, Watches

 

RESEARCH FINDINGS :

Timberlands is a $1.1 billion footwear, apparel & accessories company. Its President and CEO Jeffrey Swartz is an active zionist.

In a recent "solidarity visit" to Israel he advised how best to get Israel's propaganda lies acceptable to the US public. In an interview where he made it clear he was speaking as the CEO of Timberland, he suggested sending 100 IDF thugs to the US for a week as ambassadors for Israel.[1].

Although Timberland is a publicly traded company, his family holds approximately 47% of the stock and has approximately 81% of the voting power.[2]


Jeffrey Swartz,
President & CEO of
Timberland Company

 

ADDITIONAL INFO & REFs :

[1]

Jerusalem Post, April 26 2002:
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/04/26/News/News.47808.html

Timberland boss: Israeli message is not reaching US
By Etgar Lefkovits

Israel has failed in the public relations war against the Palestinian Authority, and is likely to lose the support of the American public unless it stops reacting and starts communicating its own point of view, Jeffrey Swartz, president and CEO of the Timberland Company said yesterday.

"I'm a shoe guy, and if I did as lousy a job building my brand as Israel does in telling her side of the story, than I'd certainly be fired," Swartz said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post at the culmination of a four-day Boston solidarity visit he made to Israel this week.

Saying "a truth not told is a truth not heard is no longer a truth," Swartz, an observant Jew who oversees operations of the $1.1 billion global footwear, apparel, and accessories company, said part of the problem is Israel always seems to be on the defensive - responding to Palestinian claims - and does not succeed in getting its message across.

"We know [PA Chairman] Arafat is the bad guy, but how are you going to solve the problem?" he asks.

The issue, he concedes, is exacerbated because it needs to be explained in 10 second sound-bites for the American audience.

Swartz proposes that 100 reservists who took part in the recent military operation be sent for a week to speak to thousands of American Jews in the 50 largest US markets.

"They should tell the American Jewish community what is going on through the eyes of a simple average person, which will be much more informative, impressive, and effective than your well oiled politician doing the same thing," he said.

The goal of such a mission, Swartz says, should be threefold - encourage American Jewry to visit Israel and see the situation for themselves; mobilize 100,000 American Jews to be more politically involved; and encourage them to write a check to help Israel.

Swartz voiced the hope such a campaign would bring 25,000 American Jews to Israel by the end of the summer, helping Israel's ailing economy.

He said the editorial pages of most leading US newspapers have turned against Israel in recent weeks. He noted the pro-Palestinian attitudes prevalent on university campuses, which he said are often an indication of future developments.

"You put CNN and [US Secretary of State] Colin Powell together and this could make things very bad for Israel," he said, noting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and UN special envoy Terje Larsen are "hard at work" trying to reduce mainstream America's support for Israel.

Swartz said that after his 96 hour visit he is going home with a "sense of duty" to ensure the "overwhelming and life changing" things he saw during his trip - including a bag of the steel shrapnel doctors at Hadassah-University Hospital, Ein Kerem pulled out of the insides of a 25-year-old reservist wounded by a car bomb in Hebron - are publicized.

Timberland operates six stores in Israel, and it products are sold in 17 other sporting-goods stores owned by its Israel distributor, Sakal.

Their store in Jerusalem closed several years ago due to poor sales, but Swartz said he wants to see more stores open - especially now.

Swartz said that he has heard of many American businesses having second thoughts about investing in the country due to "canards" spread in the US media. He said the "canards" are based on unconfirmed rumors about Israel's military operation, something he vows to fight with all his strength.

"There is a right and wrong, and American Jews need to be informed, inspired, and engaged because we are losing the battle for their hearts and minds," he said.

"Did I come here as a Jew and as the CEO of Timberland? Yes. Might my board of directors say to me - what are you doing giving an interview to The Jerusalem Post expressing such strong feelings? Sure. But I owe this to my children, to my family, to you, and to the nation of Israel," he said.

"The Godfather was wrong when he said this is nothing personal, it's just business. This is deeply personal," he concluded.

 

[2]

History:

Timberland’s history began in 1952, when founder Nathan Swartz bought a half interest in the Abington Shoe Company. Three years later, he bought the remaining interest and welcomed his sons into the Company, manufacturing private label shoes for leading brand manufacturers. In 1973, the Swartz family began manufacturing its first guaranteed waterproof leather boots and shoes under the Timberland brand name, and in 1978, they changed the name of the company to The Timberland Company. In 1986, Nathan’s son, Sidney Swartz, became the sole proprietor of the family operation. A year later, Sidney brought the Company public on the American Stock Exchange. Since 1991, Timberland has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TBL.

Sidney and his son, Jeffrey, are actively involved in the management of the Company. Sidney is Chairman and Jeffrey is President and Chief Executive Officer. As of March 30, 2001, the Swartz family, together with trusts and a charitable foundation established by the family, held approximately 47% of Timberland stock and approximately 81% of voting power.

source:
http://www.timberland.com/cgi-bin/timberland/timberland/corporate/tim_investors_main.jsp

 

[3]

To find the closest Timberland Store to you (or their authorised dealer) use the store locator on their website:

US:
http://www.timberland.com/cgi-bin/timberland/timberland/ corporate/tim_store_locator.jsp

International:
http://www.timberland.com/cgi-bin/timberland/timberland/corporate/tim_international.jsp

There stores are available in the following countries (muslim countries are shown in bold):

Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Belgium
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Cyprus
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Finland
France
French West Indies
Germany
Greece
Guam
Guatemala
Hong Kong
Iceland
Indonesia
Palestine (Israel)
Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Oman
Panama
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
U.A.E.
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Venezuela

 

URL: http://www.inminds.com/boycott-timberland.html