“Over 1,200 American firms share in U.S. exports to Israel–the country with the highest per-capital imports from the U.S. outside of the Western Hemisphere,” according to R. Elchanani, a member of the board of the Tel Aviv Chamber of Commerce, who addressed a luncheon meeting here of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
“In 1954 alone,” the Israeli businessman said, “$74,000,000 worth of American merchandise was exported to Israel, comprising both multi-million groups such as grains automobiles and machinery, and a variety of thousands of items. The purchases in the U.S. were but an indication of Israel’s being a country in need of large imports of raw materials, equipment and many foodstuffs and consumer goods, and therefore a country where competition between foreign suppliers was indeed keen.”
Successful sales on the Israel market, Mr. Elchanani pointed out, therefore frequently depended on the availability of a local agent or representative, with the necessary contacts knowledge of local needs and data. The speaker emphasized that only a small part of the purchases in the U.S. constituted purchases by the Israel Government. Direct businessman-to-businessman contacts were the best way to do business with Israel, Mr. Elchanani concluded.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
