Why not Pepsi?
This Tuesday, I was meeting with a longtime friend, Jack, who is one of Detroit’s preeminent Jewish businessmen, community leaders, and philanthropists.
As I sat down across from him in his Detroit office, he offered me a Diet Coke. The offer was quickly followed by “I would never offer you a Diet Pepsi, nor have I even touched a Pepsi product in decades.”
“Why not?” I asked.
Jack explained: “Decades ago, when I traveled to Israel for the first time I noticed that coca-cola products where all over, but there was not a Pepsi option to be found. I was curious, and found out that the Arab countries threatened to boycott Pepsi should they sell to the Israeli market.”
“Since that day,” said Jack, “I have never touched or purchased a Pepsi drink.”
I found Jack’s conviction to be quite inspiring. You see, with politics and diplomacy we can easily get desensitized and confused about how to respond to issues facing the Jewish people and the Holy Land of Israel.
But Jack’s reaction reminded me of how a brother or sister would respond when a family member is being threatened.
As Jews, there may be things that seemingly divide us - but at the end of the day - we are family!
Jack reacted like a brother would. He’s still not drinking Pepsi.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky