John --

Earlier today we sent out an email promoting a BUYcott at Indigo and Chapters across Canada in response to a BOYCOTT of Indigo and Chapters being promoted by ‘activists’ who keep repeating a vicious lie. In that email we referred to the HESEG Foundation, a charitable foundation founded by Heather Reisman and her husband Gerry Schwartz, and made an accidental error describing what the HESEG Foundation does. Please do not in any way circulate the original email.

Please take a moment to read the following which more correctly frames the situation and the underlying facts:

The Situation

Indigo and its CEO Heather Reisman have been targeted for nearly a year by a sustained campaign of slander, vandalism and violence including smashed store windows, spray-painting and postering of Indigo storefronts, vandalism within stores, and destructive social media campaigns urging people to boycott Indigo and Chapters. The most recent negative campaign claims INDIGO KILLS KIDS! All of this activity has been based on an accusation that Heather funds the Israeli Defence Force through the HESEG Foundation. This is a deliberate and malicious lie designed to hurt Indigo, its employees and its founder. Here are the actual facts about HESEG:

What is the HESEG Foundation and what does it do?

The HESEG Foundation is a charitable foundation, fully funded by Heather Reisman and Gerald Schwartz, that provides university scholarships to young Israelis who for one reason or another do not have family who are able to support them financially or emotionally. HESEG does not support the Israeli Defence Force in any way. Nor, as has been suggested by ‘the activists’, does HESEG recruit or encourage people to come to Israel.

What does the HESEG Foundation have to do with ‘Lone Soldiers’?

Many of those who receive scholarships are referred to in Israel as ‘lone soldiers.’ This is a term that was given to them when they did their service precisely because they had no family to support them during that period of their lives. This label remains with them all their life.

Notwithstanding the truth about HESEG, Heather and Indigo continue to be the subject of attack. For the last few weeks there has been a broad campaign, spurred by those repeating the lie, calling for Wednesday, September 25 to be a "Boycott Day of Action" against Indigo and Chapters locations across Canada.

To counter this injustice, we are launching a national and international #BUYcottIndigoChapters Campaign on September 25. We urge you to participate by purchasing from Indigo or Chapters in-store or online and encouraging your friends and family to do the same. By standing together, we can show our support for those who stand with us.

How You Can Participate:

• Visit your local Indigo - Chapters store on September 25th, or shop online.
• Share your purchases on social media with the hashtag #BUYcottIndigoChapters. You will find images for social media here.
• Encourage your community, including interfaith and inter-ethnic allies, to take part.

Your support is crucial in this effort. Let’s unite as one community with our allies and stand with Heather Reisman, Gerry Schwartz, Indigo and Chapters in the face of this malicious campaign. Together, we can mount a powerful campaign demonstrating support for targets of hate.

Regards,
CIJA