The president of J. W. Mays, a department store chain in the metropolitan area which has imposed a ban on imports from Arab countries, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that the public has expressed cooperation with the firm’s boycott of goods imported from countries that are “unfriendly and arbitrary” toward Israel.
Max Shulman, president of Mays, said that all products from Poland, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia as well as from Arab countries have been barred from Mays stores until further notice. Mays volume of business is $120 million a year, according to Mr. Shulman, who stressed that business dealings with countries “guilty of excessive discrimination against Israel will resume only when those countries show they know how to behave properly toward Israel, which is far more equitable in its treatment of other peoples.”
Mr. Shulman noted that the consumer here has shown “favorable response” to Israeli products found at Mays, which, he added, has stepped up its imports from Israel “thanks to merchandise that is distinctive in styling and competitive in price.”
Israeli products featured in the Mays chain include giftware, religious items, toys, candy, outer garments, knit goods, rainwear and beachwear. Mr. Shulman said the firm plans to send representatives to fashion shows in Israel but there are no current plans to establish a buying office there. He asserted that Israeli products “sell well” and that continued importing from Israel “would strengthen its economy.”
Mays is also using El Al Israel airlines for shipping merchandise. Praising El Al’s service, Mr. Shulman said that it is “much more efficient than any previous shipping from the Middle East.”
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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.
