Indigo Books & Music is Canada’s largest book and lifestyle retailer, with over 200 stores nationwide. While the company itself does not operate in Israel, its founder and long-time executive Heather Reisman has deep financial and ideological ties to Zionist institutions. Reisman co-founded the HESEG Foundation, which funds “lone soldiers”—non-Israelis who voluntarily serve in the Israeli military, including during operations in occupied Palestinian territory. This foundation directly supports Israeli military infrastructure involved in war crimes and apartheid, according to multiple human rights reports.
In 2023, CJPME named Indigo one of Canada’s top five companies to boycott for its complicity in Israeli apartheid. Reisman’s spouse, billionaire Gerry Schwartz, also funds the HESEG Foundation and has supported numerous Zionist initiatives. Though Reisman stepped down as CEO in 2022, she remained on the board through 2023 and retains financial influence in the company. Indigo has thus become a symbol of the normalization of militarized Zionism in Canadian corporate culture.
Indigo’s rating is Medium from a global, systemic harm perspective—it does not operate in occupied territory or manufacture goods tied to military production. However, for those prioritizing Zionist ties, the impact is High: the company’s founder and board member directly funds Israeli combatants and sustains public support for military apartheid. Reisman’s philanthropic reach shows how Canadian corporate wealth circulates into colonial violence abroad, using the cultural credibility of a bookstore to deflect accountability. Indigo’s harm is symbolic, financial, and ideological and for those committed to Palestinian liberation, a clear boycott target.
Support your local, independent book stores. A favourite in Vancouver (that ships across Canada and US) is Massy Books.
Bookshop.org: a B Corp that shares proceeds with independent bookstores and offers fair ebook and audiobook options