A group of 150 prominent leaders and business owners recently signed a pledge to act against antisemitism in the United States. Among those pledging is Kfir Gavrieli, the CEO of Tieks, a premium line of women’s shoes. Others joining the fight include Arianna Huffington, CEO of Thrive Global, and Shari Redstone, chairwoman of Paramount Global.
The pledge read, in part, “As business leaders, we have a collective responsibility to stand up for the society we want. Today, we stand against antisemitism and violence against Jews. This is true regardless of your views on Israel; this is about protecting people from the injustice of antisemitism and hatred.”
Why the Pledge Matters
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recently reported that antisemitic incidents increased 34% between 2021 and 2020. “The message that this data is sending us is clear: Antisemitism, like other forms of hate, is not going away, and we must proactively work together to protect our community by combating antisemitic statements and behavior before they lead to even more violence,” said Scott Richman, ADL regional director New York/New Jersey.
Online attacks are also increasing. The ADL reports that following the Israel-Gaza conflict, there were more than 17,000 tweets on Twitter with some form of the phrase, “Hitler was right.”
The pledge allows people to share responsibility in standing up against antisemitic slurs and violence. The goal is to help protect people while taking a stand against hate. The pledge also protects everyone’s right to practice their religion.
A big part of the pledge is to simply show that these attacks of violence and hate speech are not going unnoticed. By taking this pledge, CEOs and leaders of many Silicon Valley companies are making it clear that this type of insidious discrimination will not be tolerated.
Kfir Gavrieli’s Role
The move to support this pledge is not surprising for Kfir Gavrieli. Throughout his career, building Tieks, Gavrieli has supported numerous social issues including women’s empowerment efforts. The Gavrieli Foundation is the largest individual lender on Kiva, lending over $10 million to women entrepreneurs living in poverty worldwide. At one point, the company donated $1 to Kiva for every “like” they received on their company’s Facebook page. This campaign resulted in the fastest-growing Facebook page for a clothing industry around the globe.
Gavrieli’s giving doesn’t stop there. He and his foundation have helped support Jewish and Israeli efforts for many years. He’s worked with leadership from numerous Jewish and Israeli organizations, including the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 30 Years After, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and the Israeli American Council.
In addition, Gavrieli has hosted an online series on American Jewish University’s B’Yachad Together series called “Doing Business for Good,” where he shared insights on how to grow socially conscious capitalism.
For Gavrieli, selling shoes and providing microloans is his day job. Israel is his passion.
He is quoted as saying, “I’m trying, over time, to change the tide a little bit and make it cool and fun to support Israel rather than to bash it; help people reconnect with Judaism … and hopefully change the perception of Israel and help get to the point where the Jews aren’t as oppressed a minority as I perceive them to be.”
Kfir Gavrieli encourages others to support the cause, sign the pledge, and work together eliminating discrimination against the Jewish population.
