This Advent, let’s be peacemakers, not genocide enablers. Boycott Amazon when it matters most. Be the hope this Christmas.

Christmas without Genocide

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how can you participate in the boycott?

What does it mean to boycott Amazon?

We’re sending a message that we won’t, as consumers, support businesses that are complicit with genocide, starting with Amazon. This Advent season:

Don’t purchase anything from Amazon, starting November 21st, through December 25th

Uninstall the Amazon shopping app from your phones and other devices on Black Friday

deliver us from genocide. deliver us from ICE. deliver us from exploitation. deliver us from greed. deliver us from mass surveillance. deliver us from Amazon. deliver us from evil.

deliver us from genocide. deliver us from ICE. deliver us from exploitation. deliver us from greed. deliver us from mass surveillance. deliver us from Amazon. deliver us from evil.

Want to go all in?
On Black Friday:

  • Cancel Prime

  • Cancel Audible, Kindle+, Amazon Fresh, Music, or other Amazon services

  • Turn off your Alexa

  • Don’t buy groceries from Whole Foods

  • Ask your friends to do the same

We can’t have business as usual when the stakes
are so high.

Sign up for a Reminder

why we’re boycotting Amazon

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According to the UN Special Rapporteur’s report:

“Microsoft, Alphabet (Google) and Amazon grant Israel virtually government-wide access to their cloud and artificial intelligence technologies, enhancing data processing, decision making and surveillance and analysis capacities. In October 2023, when the Israeli internal military cloud overloaded, Microsoft, with its Azure platform, and the Project Nimbus consortium stepped in with critical cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. Their Israel-located servers ensure data sovereignty and a shield from accountability, under favourable contracts offering minimal restrictions or oversight. In July 2024, an Israeli colonel described cloud tech as a weapon in every sense of the word, citing these companies.”

Amazon, along with Google, has been providing Israel with cloud infrastructure and AI tools to store and process large swaths of surveillance data that is used to track and target civilians through Project Nimbus. Israel’s system of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide is deeply dependent on these technology tools.

As a retailer, Amazon also operates in the occupied territories, sustaining their economies and supporting settler expansion.

Amazon also has a troubling history of union-busting and worker exploitation. They have also entered into contracts with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and DHS in support of ICE. The convenience they offer comes at a cost to human dignity and the sustainability of our planet. These practices are antithetical to our shared vision for human flourishing and the Christmas message of “peace on earth, goodwill to mankind.”

Boycotting Amazon for Advent is an invitation to refocus on what makes the season special: not a shopping extravaganza, but a time of reflection, anticipation, and hope.

thoughtful giving during Christmas

The angels didn’t declare to the shepherds: “Good news! You get next day shipping.”

Christmas was never intended to be about long hours for retail and warehouse workers, debt to pay for gifts, the season’s trendiest toy. At least, it wasn’t until capitalism and American media co-opted a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Christmas is a celebration of hope, of God’s plan for the salvation of humankind. This salvation is both eternal and immediate. We no longer have to live by the measures of the world, nor be burdened by its expectations. Christmas is an antidote to the everyday demands, distractions, and suffering of the world.

Still, it can be hard to break free of the expectation to give gifts. We fear judgement, disappointment, and strained relationships.

If you give a gift this season, consider simple gifts that are sustainable, durable, relationship-focused, and truly meet a need. Our planet, our homes, and our lives don’t need any more clutter.

We’ve curated a list of shops, artisans, and Palestinian businesses below. In the spirit of honoring another of God’s gifts, our planet, also consider regifting a present, buying from a local thrift store, purchasing a membership to a local museum, or offering the gift of time: a warm drink or a shared meal. Humans are made for connection, and anything that fosters it will be especially appreciated.

we don’t need more toys

gift ideas that aren’t things:

  • Museum membership

  • Zoo or aquarium pass

  • Movie night gift cards

  • Amusement park tickets

  • Mini golf outing

  • Bowling passes

  • Ice skating session

  • Indoor play place passes

  • Trampoline park pass

  • Arcade game credits

  • Kids’ cooking class

  • Art or music lessons

  • Science center admission

  • Children’s theater tickets

  • Sporting event tickets

  • Escape room visit

  • Train or trolley ride

  • Farm or petting zoo visit

  • Camping trip

  • Beach or pool day

alternatives to Amazon

Books

Toys

Book Apps
(instead of Kindle)

Makeup

Clothes

  • Mercari

  • Quince

  • Patagonia

  • Poshmark

  • REI

  • Wear Consciously

Palestinian Gift Shops

Gifts

FAQs

  • The sad reality is that there are many businesses who have provided the infrastructure to Israel to continue its genocide and systems of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. These companies include Nvidia, Palantir, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Lockheed Martin, and many more.

    The challenge for us consumers is that many of these companies are buffered from consumer action due to the fact they have a near monopoly (e.g. Google) or are not consumer-facing.


    It can also be a challenge to get people on board with boycotting a long list of companies; it can dilute the impact. This is where Amazon made strategic sense. However, we encourage you to learn more about the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) and the UN Special Rapporteur’s finding.

    You can also sign up for our “Advent Action-a-Day” to take additional steps to support Palestinians. If you are feeling inspired, there are many more ways to participate in the movement to free Palestine.

  • You can stop purchasing from Amazon anytime. However, we want to send a clear signal to Amazon that the dip in their profits during the holiday season are not due to an economic slump but rather an intentional boycott. That’s why we’re asking everyone who’s participating in the boycott to cancel all Amazon-related subscriptions and delete their apps on Black Friday. That way, there’s no mistaking what’s driving the decrease in sales.

  • Message us at advent@menno.org to learn more.

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