"Designers on Duty: Reservists Juggling Businesses and Battlefields"

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Designers on Duty: Reservists Juggling Businesses and Battlefields: "Customers have been writing to me saying 'We're behind you.' It's heartwarming."

In their daily lives, Rotem, Noam, and Eran design and sell furniture, home decor, and useful household items. However, the war has turned their world upside down, and they've been called up for reserve duty. As small boutique businesses, some of them just starting out, have been left behind without anyone to manage them.

Being a small business owner in the design industry in Israel is already challenging, but during wartime, it becomes even more so. But what happens when you're a reservist called up for active duty and you have to leave behind your small boutique design business? This is the reality for several reservists who have left their private businesses without knowing what will happen to them – especially during the typically profitable holiday shopping month. Now, their sole focus is on serving their country.

The Fighter Who Wants to Improve the World

Eran Spiegel, a 47-year-old from Tel Mond, is intimately familiar with the challenges of serving in the reserves during wartime, having launched a new eco-friendly design business just a month prior. Spiegel, a fighter in the Maglan commando unit, created an online store selling environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing accessories. After years of working as an employee, he quit and began extensive research and personal experimentation aimed at consuming more sustainably. "I believe we need to reduce pollution in the world and consume more wisely," he explains. He translated his experience into a warehouse in his home and an e-commerce site called Yooz (a play on the word "use").

"On a family trip across the United States, it dawned on me about the issue of sustainability. I realized that the world is moving forward, while in Israel we're far behind when it comes to the products we buy for our homes, especially single-use and cheap plastic. That's why I decided to start a business that sells useful and high-quality products that meet all standards and are also stylish, including water bottles, food containers, picnicware, toiletries, tableware, and more. They are all made of high-quality stainless steel, bamboo, and silicone – or a combination thereof," he says.

At the beginning of the war, he volunteered at the IDF's Expo command center, donating bamboo toothbrushes, packing, and shipping equipment. After a few days, he joined his unit, but left his new venture behind. A Facebook post by his friends called on customers to support the young business and purchase from it to keep it afloat.

But Spiegel is optimistic, both about his business and the future of the planet. His message is to buy less but smarter: "We need to abandon single-use and switch to reusable, but not cheap and low-quality plastic. Our products are free of harmful substances and are durable for years. We don't cut corners on any parameter – quality, design, or sustainability." To celebrate the launch of the website, Spiegel is offering a 20% discount on a variety of products.