So much for Acrobat

A letter and petition regarding the head of Abode in Israel:

Dear Sirs,

We, users of Adobe’s products, wish to express our resentment and protest against the acts and statements of Mr. Reuven Agassi, chairman of Quicksoft Ltd., which officially represents Adobe in Israel.

Mr. Agassi has recently stated in public that he will not employ anyone who did not serve in the Israeli army or did national service, and called on other companies to do the same.

Such blatant discrimination is prohibited under Israeli law. We would like to point out that over 20% of the Israeli population is non Jewish and is not required to serve in the military. Furthermore we would like to emphasis that the present discussion regarding conscription, obligatory or voluntary, and the debate regarding alternative civilian service are important elements in the democratic dialogue being held in Israel today.

Many young Israelis avoid serving the State as an act of protest against the policies of the Israeli government. Avoiding military service for many represents a rejection of militarism, so widespread in Israeli society, a militarism exemplified all too well by Mr. Agassi’s statement.

In his public statement, Mr. Agassi offended many of Adobe’s customers in Israel. We are convinced that Adobe, represented by Mr. Agassi, does not wish to offend its customers and that Mr. Agassi’s statement will have a negative effect on Adobe’s international public relations. We find Mr. Agassi’s statements to be inappropriate for a company that practices fair employment policies.

We call on Adobe to publicly denounce the statements made by its representative in Israel.
Sincerely,

The Undersigned

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