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A Sweatshop-Free, Jewish-Owned Clothing Company Is Creating Jobs in Palestine

It may be No Sweat, but they need your help
 

Saving The World Is: no sweat. especially in cool kicks like these.Saving The World Is: no sweat. especially in cool kicks like these.You may have heard about No Sweat: A little apparel company aiming to make a big difference in the Middle East. Run by CEO Adam Neiman, No Sweat is more than just 100% union made apparel. In addition to creating sweatshop-free, organic and vegan products, Neiman is dedicated to creating jobs in Palestine. Unlike a lot of clothing manufacturers, No Sweat is upfront about their sources and production sites, such as the Arja Textiles factory in Bethlehem, Palestine. So, why did a Jewish guy from Boston want to source from a textile factory in Palestine? I'll let him tell you in his own words:

"While economic development is no substitute for a diplomatic settlement, no settlement can survive without a sustainable Palestinian economy. So while waiting for a diplomatic resolution, we have created a mechanism for ordinary citizens of
good faith to build goodwill on the ground, and support the peace to come. The concept is simple. When faced with an apparently irresolvable conflict, if there is any one thing all parties agree on, do that one thing and see what happens."

Neiman's optimistic ideals and goals for No Sweat have garnered a lot of positive press over the past couple of years—they've even been the subject of an Al Jazeera profile. That said, No Sweat still needs major funding to pull off this experiment in entrepreneurial diplomacy properly. As Neiman put it, "Hamas has chosen guns. Abbas has bet on butter. If we don't provide Palestinians on the West Bank with butter—good private sector jobs NOW—Hamas and guns will certainly prevail."

You can help No Sweat by voting for them in this month's Ideablob contest, where they're finalists competing for $10,000. You've got until March 31 to vote.


 

Jewcy's Comment and User Blog Policy

A fair warning
Jewcy Staff
 

Jewcy's comments policy is very simple:

  • Commenting at Jewcy is a privilege and not a right. It can be revoked if these guidelines are not adhered to.
  • Comments threatening the site, any of our staff members, bloggers, or other commenters will result in immediate action.
  • Commenters are required to use a civil tone. Jewcy respects the opinion of all community members and authors and we expect the same from users who comment.
  • Comments must be shorter than the article they are commenting on.
  • Comments must stay on the topic of the post.
  • No personal attacks or name-calling. All comments must be topic-specific, directly related to the content of the post and should not aim to insult the author or other commenters within the Jewcy community.
  • Comments that are racist, homophobic, sexist or otherwise bigoted or prejudiced are not allowed.
  • Comments are moderated by the Jewcy Moderator. Any request that comes from the Moderator should be taken seriously.
  • If you observe a commenter who is not following the rules, then you should anonymously report them to the Jewcy Moderator. When doing so, please be as specific as possible, include the person's username and link(s) to the comment thread(s) you are referencing.
  • Comment posts must be substantive and about whether you agree or disagree with the articles or other comments. If you feel that there is a topic that is not being covered on the site, please send a pitch email to a Jewcy editor or use your user blog as a platform for your opinion.
  • User blogs are intended as a place for Jewcy members to post about Jewish topics and their opinions. They are not a place to post links to post excessive outside links, link to your personal blog, or promote yourself or a product you are selling. If you would like to take out an ad on Jewcy, take out an ad. Misuse of the user blog can result in being blocked from the site.

Also: spam is not allowed.


 

Board Game Controversy! Where's Jerusalem Again?

Monopoly "World Edition" raises tricky questions
 

Mr. Moneybags: he doesn't know whether Jerusalem is in Palestine or IsraelMr. Moneybags: he doesn't know whether Jerusalem is in Palestine or Israel Hasbro, maker of the game Monopoly, is set to become a world leader in political geography: After a recent promotion for their forthcoming "World Edition" created some controversy, they swiftly and deftly nipped the problem in the bud. The international crisis began when the company asked players to vote on what cities should be featured on the new board. Urban centers were listed alongside the countries in which they reside--which created a crisis in consciousness for Palestinians who claim Jerusalem as their own.

With arguments erupting over whether the location should be listed as "Jerusalem, Israel," or "Jerusalem, Palestine," Hasbro reacted the way any fed-up parent or teacher would in the face of squabbling children: "Fine," they all but said. "If you're going to fight over the countries, then you won't have any countries at all."

Perhaps John Lennon's "Imagine" played in the background as the countries were swiftly removed from the site. "Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too..." Too bad real life isn't dealt with as simply as board games.

Related: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect 200 Shekels


 

Jewciest Week Ever: From Christopher Hitchens to JDate

This week we had some ethical crises. Good thing we're In Treatment!
Emily Gould
 

This week, we paid a visit to the 92nd Street Y, where Shmuely Boteach and Christopher Hitchens got to the bottom of the whole 'is there a God' thing. People discussed our take on the Huffington Post, as well as here and here.

Two weeks into writing our JDater Of The Week column, Izzy had an ethical crisis and vowed to be nicer. Boinkology noticed.

Our comic artist Eli Valley took on Antisemitism in British textbooks; the Kvetcher wasn't crazy about it.

We watched the new HBO series 'In Treatment' and talked about our troubled childhoods. We thought about what Barack Obama's potential presidency means for Jews.

And we got drunk at a Brooklyn Yeshiva turned bar named Deity.