Israeli businesses are being affected by escalating violence
Israeli businesses are being affected by escalating violenceGarrett Mills

The wave of terror attacks in the past week is gut-wrenchingly tragic. It’s just vile that Israeli lives are less important on the international stage. The global media is relentlessly unashamed of itself for ignoring dozens and dozens of terrorist attacks. International organizations supporting Israel have started movements like #IsraeliLivesMatters and #StopIncitement and we 100% support these efforts.

But one thing we don't talk about, even among those that support Israel, is that Israeli livelihoods are at risk too.

A hashtag is great, but what about the millions of Israelis whose daily lives are disrupted? And indeed, isn’t that disturbance precisely what the terrorists want?

Consider some of the indirect results of the ongoing wave of terrorism directed towards Jewish Israelis:

• Roads closed, and neighborhoods potentially shut

• Shortened school hours for security concerns

• Bus travelers shaken by attacks

• Public places empty

• Events cancelled

And we can save lives, but what about livelihoods? Those roads closed? People can’t get to work. Fear and anxiety are difficult to suppress in this situation and it’s hard to focus.

Think about it - how comfortable would you feel riding a bus in Israel now? What about sending your young kids on one? How about just walking down the street alone?

Israelis try to carry on as usual, but it's difficult to ignore the situation.

Will my child be next? My girls saw a terrorist shot, what should I do? These are the concerns we’re having on a day-to-day basis these days.

Public places are empty, so terrorism has forced those merchants to deal with a severe slowdown in business. And when business gets too slow, Israelis will start losing their jobs.

The phenomenon is so dangerous that Jerusalem City Councilwoman Einav Bar asked Netanyahu for immediate emergency assistance for affected businesses.

We as the Jewish people and Israelis have neglected to provide support to those trying to sustain their businesses and provide jobs to hardworking Israelis. JudaicaWebStore.com is attempting to help the effort by promoting online sales to keep artists and manufacturers in business.

"Vendors we’ve worked with for years are complaining about the sudden change in sales," said CEO Ran Toren. "Many have asked if we’ve got space on our site for additional products or can run special promotions. Others are turning to sites like Etsy or E-bay."

"As an online retailer that supports local artists and manufacturers, we want to make sure that they stay in business, so we’re trying to accommodate as many requests as possible," Toren added.

Business is not business as usual around here.

Don’t let the terrorists win – support campaigns to raise awareness and don’t let economic harm come to those who need our assistance. Israeli lives matter, and so do Israeli livelihoods.