Pudding protester to return to Israel

Naor Narkis shutters Facebook page that encouraged Israelis seeking a lower cost of living to head to Berlin

The Israeli expat who sparked an uproar in past weeks for encouraging Israelis to move to Berlin to enjoy cheaper groceries will return to Israel in the coming month.

Naor Narkis, a 25-year-old former Israeli army officer, said on social media that he would return home to fight for cheaper consumer prices, while shutting down the controversial “Olim L’Berlin” Facebook page he administrated, which initially triggered a debate on the cost of living in Israel.

“In the coming month, I will return to Israel,” Narkis wrote in a statement on Facebook. “The experience I’ve had here has influenced me greatly. I am not interested in making promises or pretending I can bring about change. At the moment I primarily want and need to rest, but I am hopeful that all of us, together as a society, can. I fully believe that we Israelis have all the required energy and the strengths [to bring about] a better life in Israel for many people. Thank you, and most importantly, see you in Israel.”

The uproar began several weeks ago when Narkis flaunted photos of his grocery receipts — including those of Milky, a popular chocolate pudding that sells in Germany for one-third of the price in Israel — and boasted about the good life in the German capital.

Now known as the “Milky” protest, the Facebook campaign received over 17,000 “likes,” and pictures of Israelis holding signs asking German Chancellor Angela Merkel to give them a visa have gone viral.

Narkis said the Facebook page “proved that if you want to change something enough, all you need is to keep your eyes open, and loudly say what you think, that you can do anything.”

The campaign marked a new channel for economic discontent, three years after a massive protest movement by hundreds of thousands of Israelis demanding lower prices, more affordable housing and a narrower gap between rich and poor, largely failed in its goals.

But the political backlash has been even stronger, with the idealization of Berlin viewed as a hurtful provocation. Less than 70 years after the end of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed, memories are still fresh — especially among Israel’s large community of survivors — and there are those who still refuse to visit Germany or buy its products.

AP contributed to this report.