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Fighting antisemitism with gin: Kosher spirits project backs Jewish life in Spain

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A German-Spanish investor has launched a limited collection of kosher gin to support Jewish life in Spain.
  • The project, named Bereshit Serie, aims to combat rising antisemitism, which saw a 321% increase in Spain in 2024.
  • The collectible gin bottles are presented as a physical luxury item that may increase in value as bottles are consumed.

A limited edition kosher gin, named Bereshit Serie, has been launched by German-Spanish investor Raphael Nagel to support Jewish life in Spain and combat rising antisemitism. Nagel, founder of the Abrahamic Business Circle in Dubai, believes economic diplomacy can foster practical relationships when political discourse falters.

economic diplomacy can bring people into practical relationships at a time when political language often divides them

— Raphael NagelNagel, founder of the Abrahamic Business Circle in Dubai, on his belief in the power of economic diplomacy.

The project is a response to alarming figures from Spain's Antisemitism Observatory, which reported a 321% surge in antisemitic incidents in 2024 compared to the previous year, and a 567% increase from 2022. "These facts have intensified concerns among Jewish organizations in a country where Jewish history is both extraordinarily deep and painfully marked by expulsion, conversion, and long absence," Nagel stated.

These facts have intensified concerns among Jewish organizations in a country where Jewish history is both extraordinarily deep and painfully marked by expulsion, conversion, and long absence

— Raphael NagelNagel on the impact of rising antisemitism in Spain.

While acknowledging that "a bottle of gin is an unlikely place to look for an answer to rising antisemitism in Europe," Nagel is committed to the idea that "a business can carry a meaning beyond the transaction itself." The Bereshit Serie, named after the first book of the Torah, features 3,000 individually numbered, kosher-certified bottles designed as collector's items. Some bottles are priced conventionally for luxury gin, while others are designated as patron objects, with prices reflecting symbolic numbers like 18 (chai, for life) and 613 (the number of mitzvot in the Torah).

a bottle of gin is an unlikely place to look for an answer to rising antisemitism in Europe

— Raphael NagelNagel on the unusual nature of his project.

Nagel views the collection as a "certain investment" in physical luxury collectibles, immune to monetary policy fluctuations. He explained that as bottles are consumed, the remaining collectibles increase in value. The project aims to provide a tangible and potentially appreciating asset while simultaneously supporting the continuity of Jewish life in Spain.

a business can carry a meaning beyond the transaction itself

— Raphael NagelNagel on the broader purpose of his gin project.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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