Totzeret Ha'Aretz
(Product of the Land)
Product of the Land ("Totzeret Ha'Aretz") is an Israeli slogan with historical and social significance.
Anyone who doesn't live in Israel is familiar with its English version: Made in Israel – which is written on a label attached to products manufactured here: furniture and food products, clothes and shoes, medicines and aluminum products, and any consumer product for the home or business.
The slogan Totzeret Ha'Aretz is our own internal affair, we Israelis.
These two words in Hebrew represent our industry and our commerce. Our agriculture. Our products.
And although they are already 100 years old, their status in the Israeli consciousness is not yet clear. The meaning fluctuates between positive and negative. There are those who say the two words with pride and there are those who mention them with a dismissive tone – it depends on who is speaking and in what context.
For many years, it was clear that this was a positive trait.
The slogan had a role in the economy that developed in the Jewish settlement (Yishuv) in the Land of Israel. At that time, it was important for the local leadership to encourage the new settlers to purchase products of their own people and to prefer them over the products of other peoples. When they said "Ha'Aretz" (the Land), they meant our land, the Jews', and when they said "Totzeret Ha'Aretz" (Product of the Land), they meant not only a quality product but also a national one, which had a goal: to establish the settlement by supporting the manufacturers and farmers.
After the establishment of the State of Israel, the slogan accompanied the citizens of the young state.
The country's residents heard it from the mouths of leaders and public representatives who made use of it to strengthen the Israeli economy – to provide a livelihood for the millions of immigrants who flocked to Israel, and to prove to ourselves and to the world that we have the skills to manage our own independent state. The citizens answered the call and in the spirit of those days felt that they were partners in building the land.
The orange—a symbol of Israeli pride from the 1950s.
A farmer from the Galilee presents his agricultural produce to a Knesset Member
Over the years, the Israeli economy underwent a metamorphosis.
Government involvement decreased, and the economy opened up to competition between importers and local manufacturers and farmers.
Israeli society also changed.
Citizens have more consumer awareness, and they check the costs of products and compare qualities. And when it comes to their wallet, national feelings disappear. They want the best for the lowest price. The internet and e-commerce dealt another blow to local manufacturers and completely lowered the value of the slogan Totzeret Ha'Aretz.
And if you add to this the fact that the Israeli manufacturers and farmers themselves turned to export their products, and left for the local market in Israel the goods that couldn't be sold abroad – you can understand why the value of Israeli products decreased and in the eyes of many, they are considered second-rate products that can be done without.
In recent decades, the original slogan left history for a moment and entered through another door, more festive and more branded. It bears the advanced title: "Totzeret Kachol Lavan" (Blue and White products).
The new slogan recalls the colors of the Israeli flag and plays on the national feelings of the country's citizens.
This is how the local manufacturers and industrialists are trying to improve their standing in the Israeli market. They receive assistance from the government, which has an interest in preserving Israeli products and promotes them within a special headquarters established in the "Ministry of Economy and Industry."
Is it convincing?
In the atmosphere prevailing in Israel, the patriotic spirit is dozing, and money plays a more important role than it. The decision whether to buy Totzeret Ha'Aretz depends on the personal mood of the consumer and the national mood of the citizens.
And that's all that's left to convince the Israeli consumer: a patriotic argument that has only a small effect, especially when there is a unique national mood, such as a war or a Corona pandemic, or any other emergency situation. And even that – is only for the short term, until the country returns to routine.
The updated words and graphics add color to a product that has not gone anywhere.
And like the history of Israelis in the country, it has also gone through a few linguistic twists and turns until it reached its current, elusive status, where you don't know if it's a compliment or a flaw.
"Choosing an Israeli product creates work for Israelis."
A video of the "Blue and White headquarters" at the Ministry of Economy and Industry.
Historical Bits
The "Totzeret Ha'Aretz" slogan was created at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the Land of Israel, a struggle developed between two peoples, Jews and Arabs, who conducted their lives under the British Mandate. Their lives ran on separate tracks, with a different way of life, but the physical proximity between homes and communities forced them to live together on the same piece of land.
The struggle was unavoidable.
It was a religious-national conflict that developed into a real war and continued throughout the first half of the century. In this conflict – the economy also played a role.
The Jewish Yishuv organized meticulously, and within it, organizations of farmers and industrialists arose who directed the marketing to their brothers, their people living in the village, the city, and the kibbutz.
Under the auspices of the National Committee (the supreme institution of the Jews in the country), an organization was even established called: "The Association for the Products of the Land." Its declared purpose was to instill in consumers and merchants the need to purchase local products that were manufactured in the Land of Israel.
The leaders praised it and called on their public in Hebrew to consume "Totzeret Ha'Aretz," which had qualities of both high quality and nationalism. Since imported products from abroad hardly arrived here, the intention was clear: to prefer products made by Jews and avoid purchasing products from Arabs.
That is also when the concept of "Avoda Ivrit" (Hebrew Labor) began to become widespread, which promoted the employment of Jews in jobs, and both concepts expressed the desire of the Yishuv leaders to strengthen the economy of the Jewish population and to differentiate it from the products of the Arabs.
An article in the Haaretz newspaper 1946 (in Hebrew). The headline: "Opposition to violent acts in enforcing Totzeret Ha'Aretz." The article mentions Jewish commercial organizations that advocate encouraging the purchase of products of the land through informational means and not by violence.
An advertisement in the Hebrew press, 1932,
an advertisement with a call to parents, teachers, and students to purchase a product "made in our country to help build the land
In 1948, the struggle ended and the State of Israel was established, with a Jewish majority and an Arab minority.
In its Declaration of Independence, it was written that this is a Jewish and democratic state, that advocates for equal rights for all its citizens, including citizens from the Arab minority.
From then on, it was no longer possible to explicitly speak only of jobs and products by Jews. The expression "Avoda Ivrit" was erased from the official lexicon and was not heard from the mouths of government representatives. In contrast, the expression
Totzeret Ha'Aretz sounded more neutral. It was possible to make use of it and encourage the consumption of products that were manufactured in the country, even though it was clear to every Israeli that it was a product of Jewish industry.
Usually, it worked.
The quality was not the first priority, and neither was the price, but the feeling was worth the price. The country's citizens were enthusiastic patriots, willing to do anything to protect what they had in their hands – a Jewish state after two thousand years of exile.
Totzeret Ha'Aretz was part of the symbols of the young Israel, a source of pride and an inseparable part of the displayed patriotism. Leaders and government representatives bore it on a banner and spoke about it from stages at national ceremonies, and continued to urge citizens to strengthen the source of pride.
For about three decades, they gave honor to our country's products, which were integrated into the Israeli way of life 24/7 – they wore clothes from "Ata," ate "Ptitim" (Israeli couscous) from Osem, drank Elite coffee, sipped wine from "Carmel Mizrahi," stored food in an Amcor refrigerator, heated the house with a "Friedman" brand oven, sat on a "Nohach Chair" from the "Oneg" company, shot with a Uzi submachine gun, and drove in a "Susita" car.
In the 1970s, a change in government took place.
The veteran leadership made way for a new leadership, and the economic ideals changed.
The new government representatives from the right side of the political map moved the economy to a free market track – they eased imports and opened the economy to competition between local manufacturers and manufacturers from abroad. As the Israeli economy became established and integrated into the global economy, the status of products manufactured in Israel weakened. The opening of the market to competition strengthened consumer awareness, which became a central issue in Israeli society. Commercial abundance flooded the Israeli market from all over the world, and patriotism was no longer a sufficient reason to prefer Totzeret Ha'Aretz.
The demand for local products decreased also because of local manufacturers and farmers. Many of them decided to be released from the local market and turned to the global markets. The government encouraged them to open export channels to countries in Europe and America, in Asia and Africa.
To ensure their success, they provided their best products to consumers abroad with the inscription Made in Israel. All that they could not sell there – they sold in Israel. In the Knesset and the government, and at national ceremonies, they praised the exporters, who received headlines in all media channels and were a source of Israeli pride.
In contrast, the Israeli consumer did not feel special pride, but on the contrary: Israelis understood that they were being sold the export surplus, and the status of Israeli products decreased even more. Now Israelis understood that they were buying second-rate goods.
On the state’s 75th anniversary, the Israeli market relates to Israeli products without special sentiments. Once every few years, they make headlines in the media under their original name, Totzeret Ha'Aretz, or in their upgraded version: "Totzeret Kachol Lavan."
Advertisers and public relations professionals promote it through advertising campaigns for manufacturers' and merchants' organizations in Israel. They also enlist government representatives who still see local industry as an important strategic asset for the Israeli economy. Politicians who are trying to win voters' votes before elections also join this campaign.
And that's all that's left to convince the Israeli consumer: a patriotic argument that has only a small effect, especially when there is a unique national mood, such as a war or a Corona pandemic, or any other emergency situation.
And even that – is only for the short term, until the country returns to routine.
The updated words and graphics add color to a product that has not gone anywhere.
And like the history of Israelis in the country, it has also gone through a few transformations on the lips until it reached its current, elusive status, where you don't know if it's a compliment or a flaw.
This is part of "The Israeli Story 1948-2025" project.
What is "The Israeli Story"?
A curated selection of Israeli snapshots, those that were and still are with us. Each one deserves an updated definition with a few words of explanation along with a tiny bit of history. Just a little – and all of them together go into the virtual Israeli Story that will remain online for future generations. You can see what's included in it by clicking on the icon below.
