Halal Kiwi calls for boycott of businesses linked to ‘Zionists’
A New Zealand app designed to easily identify halal restaurants and products has created a boycott list – telling users what products and companies to “boycott” based on whether they are connected to “Zionists”.
Halal Kiwi, set up in 2021 originally as an app and recently expanded into an additional website offering, has a register of 300 brands and businesses on its “boycott list” that it claims are supporters of Israel, and either run, founded or have some connections to so-called “Zionism”, including Goodman Fielder bread brand Vogel’s and Spotlight.
The Post has seen inaccuracies and questionable descriptions in some of its listings, some that call a founder a Jewish immigrant and executives members of Zionist groups, along with incorrect information on company ownership.
McDonald’s, Starbucks, confectionery giant Mondelez, perfume brand Jo Malone and Johnson & Johnson are among global organisations included on Halal Kiwi’s boycott list.
Its website states: “This list is still expanding as we confirm the companies with any relation to Zionism.”
In one entry, which has now been deleted, Halal Kiwi incorrectly described Johan Klisser, the late founder of bread brand Vogel’s as its owner. It read: “Vogel is owned by a Jewish immigrant who is also in the NZ Friends of Israel Association.”
Klisser came to New Zealand after the Holocaust. He began making Dr Alfred Vogel's Swiss wholegrain bread recipe and set up a bakery creating what we know today as Vogel’s. He died in 2022. Goodman Fielder has owned the brand since 1990.
Klisser’s daughters are said to have been upset by the listing. They declined to comment.
Until recently, Halal Kiwi was an open source and anyone could add companies to the list.
Software engineer Mohamed Soliman, who is the founder of Halal Kiwi and runs the venture in his spare time, said the list was set up to inform consumers about where they were putting their money – he said it called for the boycott of organisations that were funding or contributing to Israel’s part in the war in Gaza.
But Juliet Moses, spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council, slammed the list – calling it “disgraceful” and “antisemitic”.
She questioned the credibility of some information on the list, which also offers names of alternative companies and brands to shop with.
“It is antisemitic and I can’t see any other way to look at it,” said Moses, who said the list targeted businesses associated with anyone who “supported Israel’s right to exist”.
“For the vast majority of Jewish people, supporting Israel’s right to exist is an integral part to their identity, so this is saying that unless they are willing to renounce Israel, then they should be boycotted and subjecting them to a double standard or a litmus test that doesn’t apply to other groups of people,” she said.
“You could do this about any country whose human rights record you don’t like and say people who have any association with that country no matter how tenuous, or if they or their family is from there originally, that they, and their products, should be boycotted.
“There are individuals that this is targeting either because of their views or that they are Jewish – it’s a form of discrimination. The fact that it is on an app where you can find halal food and associating it with people who wish to observe their religious laws is distasteful.”
Moses said the Kiwi Jewish community had been subjected to growing levels of hate and antisemitic incidents since October 7, when Hamas militants crossed the southern border of Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza kicked off.
Almost 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than double that injured since the conflict began. About 1140 Israelis were killed in Hamas’ attacks and dozens remain held captive.
“Everybody I know and talk to is devastated about what's going on and the loss of life. You might disagree on what caused it or who is to blame, how it is to be ended, but I think it would help if people actually acted on the good faith assumption that people are devastated by civilians dying on both sides and all the suffering that is going on.”
Soliman defended the boycott list, saying it was “the least we could do to support the people of Palestine and the genocide that is happening by Israel”.
“It doesn’t say anything about being related to Jews, it is related to Israel itself and what they’re doing as a genocide to the people of Palestine,” Soliman told The
“We are researching and anything that is made in Israel or supporting the economy of Israel or supporting the army, that gets added to the list.
“For example, let’s say that I pay $1 of my money to something that supports Israel and maybe 1% or 1 cent of that money will go to fund the army to buy a bullet or bombs, or anything that will harm the people of Palestine. It is nothing relating to antisemitism or the Jewish people, it is related to Israel and what they are doing to the people of Palestine.”
Pressed about how the list could be seen as trying to ostracise some groups and financially impact organisations, Soliman said: “It’s the businesses’ fault. If they don’t support Israel, then I’d be more than happy to buy from them.”
His motivation was not to create antisemitism, rather to encourage more people and governments to refuse to financially support Israel to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinian people.
“One country is doing a genocide on another country so I’m boycotting that country. I’m not boycotting certain people ... it is not related to a certain religion or certain background or race. I’m against anyone who kills anyone.”
Soliman said about 9000 people had downloaded the Halal Kiwi app, 5000 of them new downloads since launching the boycott feature in January.
“It is antisemitic and I can’t see any other way to look at it.” Juliet Moses, above New Zealand Jewish Council spokeswoman