Registry

Does Bershka (Bershka BSK España, S.A.) support Israel?

Support documentedupdated 2026-07-30

Yes — Bershka (Bershka BSK España, S.A.) has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Fashion & apparel brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

Bershka is not a company in its own right: it is one of the retail formats of Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex), founded in 1998 and headquartered in Spain. No donation, humanitarian pledge, sponsorship or statement of support for Israel by Bershka or by Inditex has been documented. Everything the record shows in Israel is franchised retail: Bershka's Israeli stores belong to the independent local franchisee that also holds the Zara agency, and the controversy attached to the brand traces to that franchisee's chairman hosting an Itamar Ben-Gvir campaign event in October 2022 — an act Inditex publicly distanced itself from while keeping the franchise. The BDS movement's boycott call names Zara and rests on the franchisee's conduct rather than on any corporate donation. Actions by an Israeli franchisee are never attributed to the brand owner here.

Times of Israel — franchisee hosts Ben-Gvir event WAFA — Inditex statement distancing itself from its Israeli agent Wikipedia — Bershka (Inditex brand, founded 1998)

Timeline of documented support

200920112013201520172019202120232009 — Operations in Israel: Trimera Brands (Zara Israel) — the independent Israeli franchiseeOperations in Israel20092022-10 — Franchisee action: Itamar Ben-Gvir election campaign (event hosted by the franchisee's chairman)Franchisee action2022-102023-10 — Operations in IsraelOperations in Israel2023-10

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Operations in Israel2009—Trimera Brands (Zara Israel) — the independent Israeli franchisee
Bershka is a brand of the Spanish group Inditex and owns no stores in Israel. Its Israeli shops are run by the same independent local franchisee that imports Zara — the Israeli Inditex agency that a Canadian investor group led by Joey Schwebel bought from Gotex Brands in 2009 and that trades today as Trimera Brands. Hebrew-language sources put the Bershka network in Israel at roughly 18 branches and state plainly that the Zara Israel importer, not Inditex or Bershka itself, is the operator. Staff, leases and stock risk sit with the franchisee; Bershka's role is the franchise agreement, wholesale supply and royalties.
Operations in Israel2023-10——
On 10 October 2023, days after the outbreak of the Gaza war, Inditex announced the temporary closure of the 84 franchised stores its brands had in Israel — a network spanning Zara, Bershka, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti and Zara Home. The Bershka shops among them reopened later; about 82 Inditex-brand franchise stores were operating in Israel at the end of 2024. The closure and reopening were commercial and safety decisions taken over a franchised network, not donations or statements of political support.
Franchisee action2022-10—Itamar Ben-Gvir election campaign (event hosted by the franchisee's chairman)
Joey Schwebel, chairman of the Israeli franchisee that runs Bershka along with Zara and the other Inditex brands in Israel, hosted a campaign event for far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir at his Ra'anana home before Israel's November 2022 election, triggering boycott calls. This was the personal act of the franchisee's chairman, not an act of Bershka or of Inditex; in November 2022 Inditex told the Palestinian National Economy Ministry that its Israeli agent's statements "do not represent or reflect the company's policy and opinion."

Frequently asked questions

Did Bershka (Bershka BSK España, S.A.) donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of cash donations, but Bershka (Bershka BSK España, S.A.) has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel, Franchisee action). See the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 10 distinct sources are cited for Bershka (Bershka BSK España, S.A.). Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-07-30

Companies with documented support