Viet Thanh Nguyen, Mosab Abu Toha, Jenan Matari, and Daniel José Older join more than a hundred other writers who have signed an open letter declaring a boycott of Indigo Books and Music, the largest bookstore operator in Canada.
By endorsing the letter, the authors commit to “no longer backing events hosted or sponsored by Indigo Books, contributing to the ongoing consumer boycott against Indigo due to Heather Reisman’s involvement and backing of actions that amount to genocide in Gaza.”
Issued in solidarity with the Indigo Kills Kids campaign, the letter urges Reisman and her spouse (Gerald Schwartz, founder of Onex Corporation) to fully divest from Indigo and/or dissolve the HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers—a Canadian charity that provides incentives for foreign nationals (“lone soldiers”) to enlist in the Israeli military. It proceeds to outline how Reisman and Schwartz have contributed an average of $5 million each year to grants and scholarships aimed at supporting individuals who join the Israeli armed forces, and how the HESEG Foundation has maintained its charitable status despite the Canada Revenue Agency’s position that aiding the military of another country is not a charitable activity.
Image courtesy of boycottindigobooks.com
In the closing months of 2025, after more than two years of demonstrations, boycotts, and advocacy campaigns led by groups such as Can Lit Responds, No Arms in the Arts, and other activists within Canada’s literary realm, the Giller Prize—Canada’s most prestigious and financially rewarding literary prize—quietly severed its long-standing partnership with Indigo Books, following the project’s earlier disassociation from lead sponsor Scotiabank in the same year.
The Boycott Indigo Books initiative is now urging writers to “stand with us, prioritize humanity over profit, and oppose Indigo’s transformation of books into weapons” by adding their signatures to the open letter below and joining the boycott.
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Here is the letter in full:
We, the undersigned members of the literary community, pledge not to promote Indigo Books by any means and to refrain from participating in events organized by Heather Reisman or sponsored by Indigo Books until the following demands of the Indigo Kills Kids (also known as Boycott Indigo Books) are satisfied:
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- Heather Reisman and Gerald Schwartz dissolve the HESEG Foundation OR
- Reisman and Schwartz divest fully from Indigo Books by selling all of their shares.
Heather Reisman, who founded, chairs, and leads Indigo Books, together with her partner Gerald Schwartz, have drawn substantial profits from Indigo Books & Music Inc. to establish the HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers, a Canadian charitable organization that encourages foreign nationals (“lone soldiers”) to voluntarily join the Israeli military. The HESEG Foundation offers grants and scholarships that cover tuition at Israeli academic institutions as well as the recipients’ living costs during their studies, contingent upon the completion of at least one term of active military service in Israel. Reisman and Schwartz contribute an average of $5 million annually to grants and scholarships supporting individuals who enlist in the Israeli forces. According to Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), the HESEG Board of Directors has included several members or veterans of the Israeli military who have faced substantial criticisms for serious alleged violations of international law under their command. Even though the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) states that “supporting the armed forces of another country” is not charitable, the HESEG Foundation has continued to receive and maintain charitable status.
The Israeli government, whose soldiers enforce a harsh occupation of Palestinian territories, is currently engaged in the devastation of the Gaza Strip, with The Lancet suggesting that from October 7, 2023, the death toll could conservatively surpass 200,000. Children represent a significant share of those fatalities reported to date.
The Palestinian solidarity movement within Canada has pressed for Indigo to be boycotted since 2006. In July 2025, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese released a report highlighting how several businesses stand to gain financially from the ongoing assault on Gaza and broader regional conflicts. It is clear that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has become more urgent than ever. The people of Gaza are currently facing genocide. It is our moral obligation to name and hold to account companies that assist in the killing of Palestinians.
Throughout 2025, the Giller Prize disengaged from its partnership with Indigo Books. This divestment followed years of pressure from CanLit advocates, including a public letter signed by more than 2,000 Canadian writers. Yet Reisman has shown no intention of selling her Indigo stock or stepping away from her position at the HESEG Foundation. Instead, she persists in supporting Israel and its military through the wealth generated by Indigo Books. In 2024, Reisman and Schwartz contributed $4,600,000 to the HESEG Foundation.
The literary community must continue to oppose Indigo’s financial support for the Israeli military and its role in the broader conflict. In the past year, Israeli Occupation Forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza since a proclaimed ceasefire in October 2025. Israel has approved funding to construct 34 additional illegal settlements in the West Bank, and the United Nations has warned that settler violence in the occupied territories has reached unprecedented levels. Over the past year, Israel has conducted strikes against Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Qatar, targeting schools, medical facilities, critical infrastructure, and homes.
We call on all authors to join us, to value humanity over profit, and to take a stand against Indigo turning books into bombs.
