Malka Beer, an Israeli company put the image of India’s legendary leader, Mahatma Gandhi, on its bottles to commemorate Israel’s 71st Independence Day. The image nearly set off a diplomatic spat between Delhi and Jerusalem, since Gandhi had always taken a tough stand against the consumption and promotion of alcohol.
Mahatma Gandhi was the only non-Israeli face on the limited edition bottles that included three former Israeli Prime Ministers — David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir and Menachem Begin and the father of Zionism, Theodor Herzl.
The company apologized for this faux pas, saying it did not know he championed the banning of alcohol. “Malka Beer offers its heartfelt apologies to the people and the Government of India for hurting their sentiments. We highly respect and value Mahatma Gandhi and regret our action of putting his image on our bottles,” Malka’s brand manager, Gilad Dror, said. Dror added that the use of Gandhi’s face on the bottles “had in fact been to honor” him.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
