The Baltimore Jewish community again welcomed a large group of Israeli vendors visiting the area on Nov. 19 for the fifth tour of Shuk to the Core — a trip organizers hope will be the last.
The event at Beth Tfiloh Congregation showcased more than 25 vendors who traveled from Israel to sell their products and engage with community members supporting Israel and its economy. The first Shuk to the Core in the United States took place in 2014, before being resumed after the Oct. 7 attacks to support Israeli businesses struggling due to the economic downturn caused by the Israel-Hamas war.
And while the fighting has mostly died down, the impacts of the war are still being felt across Israeli society.
“We only do this during the time of war because the economy [is] so bad in Israel. That said, the war is for the most part, we hope, over, but the economic war is going to be going on a while, so they [the vendors] are trying to push us to do it, at least on an annual basis, if not more, to help them, because it makes a huge difference in their lives,” said Stuart Katz, a co-founder of the moving marketplace.
This Shuk to the Core tour is stopping in seven eastern U.S. cities: Sharon, Massachusetts; Plainview, New York; Philadelphia; Baltimore; New York City; and East Brunswick and Paramus, New Jersey.
Katz explained that for many people who live outside Israel, it may seem like everything in the country is going back to normal. But that’s not the case for many of the vendors coming to the event, he said; some lost their homes in the war and are still living in temporary housing, unsure of what the future holds for them.
“It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning when you just don’t know what’s going to happen. So at least when we bring them to the States for two and a half weeks, they know what’s coming. They have an itinerary, and they’re going out and selling,” Katz said. “And when they make a sale and they meet people, they feel good, and that is going to hopefully help them go back home and continue.”
Last year’s stop at Beth Tfiloh was the first time the event came to the Baltimore area. Katz said that returning to a community they’ve partnered with before makes organizing the events simpler.
“It makes it very easy. You go to a community that’s done it before, that wants to continue to help, and we kind of make it a win-win situation. And it’s not only for the vendors, but for the community [in] that they feel good, that they’re doing something,” Katz said.
Katz explained the vendors get a monetary boost from having people buy their products, but making the human connection at events is just as important.
Daniel Rothner, the other Shuk to the Core co-founder, said that this year, vendors and customers are generally more relaxed than they were in previous years, as the war seemingly comes to a conclusion.
Part of that, he said, is that vendors have fewer family members in the Gaza Strip, fighting Hamas, facing constant danger.
“[People’s] guard is definitely more down, that is for sure. I think that there’s a greater sense of calm. There are people that are serving on the front lines, but it’s definitely not as many. So I think that definitely plays a difference in terms of people’s psyche,” Rothner said.
Despite the benefits generated by the “Shuk” since 2023, Katz and Rothner reiterated that they hope this year is the last time they have to organize the tour.
They explained that the event is designed to support Israelis affected by the war — circumstances no one wants to see — and the travel comes with a price tag for both organizers and vendors.
Katz said that they’ll stop the events when vendors tell say they’re no longer interested in attending or that it’s no longer economically viable for them to travel for weeks away from their families.
“Hopefully this will not be necessary [in the future]. The numbers will increase in terms of people going to Israel and supporting businesses. So hopefully that will be the case, and we won’t have to do this perpetually,” Rothner said.
Despite hoping that this year will be the last Shuk to the Core, Katz praised the community for the support they showed the vendors across multiple events.
“Baltimore specifically was truly amazing, because they brought every corner of the community together — Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, just everyone. And to me, that’s a real sense of community,” Katz said.
