August 6, 2014
Dear Fellow Members and Friends of the Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (PICC):
The PICC has received a tremendous response to our last letter calling on the Delaware Valley business community to bolster its activities with Israeli businesses. Many PICC members and friends have reaffirmed their commitment to pre-existing relationships and have pledged to develop new, mutually beneficial affiliations in the region. For our part, the PICC has hired an Israeli company to provide us with IT support and is also working on various events to help facilitate other business connections, including:
- An angel investment conference scheduled for end of August;
- A Neuroscience forum targeted for mid-September;
- A BIRD Foundation presentation targeted for the beginning of October highlighting available grant opportunities for collaborative research projects between U.S. and Israeli companies; and
- Co-hosting an Israeli venture capital delegation on October 27th and 28th. In addition to strong support from our business community, we have received numerous inquiries from individuals asking how they can help.
For those of you who don’t have the opportunity to invest in, or work directly with, Israeli companies, we urge you to buy Israeli-made consumer products which are readily available in our area. Just some of the many examples include apparel, food, personal care items, household goods and prescription drugs. For a listing of these Israeli consumer products, please visit the PICC’s homepage and click on the “buy Israeli goods” link.
In addition to adding Israeli products to your shopping list, please join us in supporting U.S. companies that promote trade and commerce between Israel and our region, such as American Airlines/US Airways. With its direct flight between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv, not only has US Airways strengthened the U.S.- Israeli tourism industry, but it has been a major facilitator of the nearly $5 billion of Israeli exports to the U.S. that pass through the Greater Philadelphia region every year. Once again, whatever way you wish to support a peaceful resolution to the current conflict, we urge you to take appropriate action. If you would like to assist the PICC in its efforts, please feel free to contact us to learn more about how you can help.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Bendit
President
The Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce