INDEX / DIRECTORY / BROOKS RUNNING

Brooks Running

Sports RetailFashion & Apparel 107 CITED SOURCES UPDATED 2026-08-01
BDS-1000 Score 375 /1000 D Tier D - Moderate

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BDS-1000 Dossier: Brooks Running

Key Findings

  • Economic: Brooks Running’s ultimate parent, Berkshire Hathaway, wholly owns Israeli precision-toolmaker Iscar Metalworking (acquired in stages 2006–2013, ~$10bn combined valuation), with no divestiture reported, though no operational link between Iscar and Brooks Running’s footwear business was identified.12
  • Political: Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett has personally headlined multiple Israel Bonds fundraising events, including one in June 2024 - after October 7, 2023 - raising $80 million, and has called Israel a “terrific” investment and “the most promising investment hub” outside the US.345
  • Distribution: Brooks-brand products reach Israeli consumers solely through an independent third-party importer, R.U.N Sports Ltd., not through any Brooks/Berkshire-owned entity, office, or facility in Israel.67
  • Not found: No public evidence of any military, defence, or digital-technology nexus - no contracts with Israeli security bodies, no Israeli manufacturing or R&D presence, no settlement operations, and no appearance in the Who Profits, OHCHR settlement, or AFSC Investigate databases.891011

Target Profile

FieldDetail
Company NameBrooks Sports, Inc. (“Brooks Running”)
JurisdictionUnited States (founded 1914 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); no public evidence identified of Israeli incorporation, tax residency, or Preferred Technology Enterprise status1213
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington, USA1412
SectorAthletic footwear and apparel manufacturing and retail
OwnershipWholly owned operating subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. since 2012; Berkshire Hathaway is publicly listed (NYSE: BRK.A/BRK.B); Brooks itself does not file separate public disclosures151617
Key Executives / GovernanceDan Sheridan, CEO since April 26, 2024 (with Brooks since 1998); Jim Weber, CEO 2001–2024, board member since 1999; Warren Buffett, Chairman/CEO of ultimate parent Berkshire Hathaway. No public evidence identified linking any of these individuals to defence, Israeli surveillance-sector, or settlement organisations in their personal capacities beyond Buffett’s Israel Bonds activity documented below1819203
Israeli-Nexus SummaryNo direct Brooks Running operations, contracts, or personnel in Israel; the nexus runs entirely through parent-level Berkshire Hathaway holdings (Iscar Metalworking; historic Teva stake, fully divested) and Chairman Warren Buffett’s personal/public Israel Bonds advocacy, with Brooks-brand retail in Israel handled by an unaffiliated licensed importer

Key Facts:

Executive Summary

Brooks Running is a Seattle-headquartered athletic footwear and apparel company operating as a wholly owned, standalone subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Across four independent domain audits - military, digital, economic, and political - no evidence was found of any direct Brooks Running operation, contract, facility, investment, or personnel presence in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The company does not manufacture in Israel, does not hold Israeli defence or security contracts, does not operate Israeli data centres or technology partnerships, and does not appear in any of the principal civil-society or UN databases tracking corporate involvement in the occupation (Who Profits, the OHCHR settlement-business database, or AFSC Investigate).8910

The documented Israel nexus is instead indirect and concentrated at two levels. First, at the corporate-parent level, Berkshire Hathaway wholly owns Iscar Metalworking Companies, an Israeli precision-tooling manufacturer headquartered in Tefen (within Israel’s internationally recognised 1948 borders), acquired in stages between 2006 and 2013 for a combined valuation of roughly $10 billion, with no divestiture reported; Berkshire also held, and fully divested by late 2021, a substantial stake in Israeli pharmaceutical firm Teva.122325 No evidence links Iscar operationally, financially, or in governance to Brooks Running’s footwear and apparel business, and Iscar’s own product line - industrial metal-cutting tools - carries no identified defence-contract nexus.26 Second, at the individual level, Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett has a long-documented pattern of personal advocacy for Israeli investment, including headlining Israel Bonds fundraising events that raised roughly $290 million over 2016–2018 and a further $80 million event in Omaha on June 7, 2024 - the first such event documented after October 7, 2023 and during the Gaza war - alongside personal Israel Bonds holdings of roughly $5 million and public statements calling Israel “the most promising investment hub” outside the US.34527

Brooks Running’s retail presence in Israel is limited to sales through R.U.N Sports Ltd., an independent, third-party-owned importer based in Petah Tikva that has distributed Brooks (and other brands) in Israel for over 20 years through roughly 100 partner stores and six company-operated outlets; this is a licensed-distributor relationship, not a Brooks- or Berkshire-owned subsidiary, joint venture, or franchise.6728 No public evidence was identified of any Brooks corporate statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict, October 7, or the Gaza war, in contrast to the company’s explicit public commitments on other social issues (e.g., its 2020 founding of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition).2930

What is not supported by the evidence is equally significant to this record: no defence contracting or tactical-product sales to Israeli security bodies, no Israeli manufacturing, R&D, or cloud/data-centre presence, no Project Nimbus or Israeli cybersecurity vendor relationships, no settlement operations, no lobbying or PAC activity tied to Israel/Palestine policy, and no named appearance for Brooks Running or Berkshire Hathaway in the UN Special Rapporteur’s July 2025 “economy of genocide” report (A/HRC/59/23), which was directly searched for these terms and returned no matches.313233 One item - a 2020 OFAC settlement with Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. - could not be confirmed as connected to Brooks, Israel, or any related matter, and is documented here strictly as an unresolved open lead rather than a confirmed nexus.34

This evidentiary record - a real but attenuated, parent-level and individual-level financial/advocacy nexus, absent any direct operational, military, or digital-technology connection - yields a BRS score of 375, placing Brooks Running in Tier D (Moderate).

Timeline of Relevant Events

DateEvent
1914Brooks founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the M.E. Goldenberg Company / Brooks Shoe Manufacturing Co.1335
2001Jim Weber becomes CEO of Brooks Running.18
5 July 2006Berkshire Hathaway completes acquisition of 80% of Iscar Metalworking Companies (Tefen, Israel), valuing the target at approximately $5 billion.136
2011/2012Brooks Sports, Inc. becomes a standalone wholly owned operating subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.1516
2013Berkshire Hathaway acquires the remaining 20% of Iscar for approximately $2.05 billion, making it wholly owned; TTI, Inc. (indirect Berkshire subsidiary) separately acquires Ray-Q Interconnect Ltd. of Lod, Israel.23738
Q4 2017Berkshire Hathaway takes an initial ~1.86% stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.23
Mid-2018Berkshire’s Teva stake grows to 4.2% ($1 billion).24
Feb–June 2018Warren Buffett headlines Israel Bonds fundraising events, including an $80 million June 2018 event in Omaha requiring $1–5 million pledges to attend.4527
20 October 2020OFAC settlement agreement with Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. recorded; underlying subsidiary and jurisdiction not confirmed from available sources (unresolved lead).34
Q1 2020–Q4 2021Berkshire Hathaway fully divests its Teva Pharmaceutical Industries position.25
12 March 2024Brooks Running announces CEO transition: Dan Sheridan succeeds Jim Weber.3919
7 June 2024Warren Buffett hosts an Israel Bonds event in Omaha raising $80 million - his third such event in 18 months and the first documented occurrence after October 7, 2023.340
2025Brooks Running reports 16–19% global revenue growth; UN Special Rapporteur report A/HRC/59/23 published, with no Brooks/Berkshire/Iscar mention found on direct text search.414231

Corporate Overview

Brooks Sports, Inc. is a footwear and apparel manufacturer headquartered in Seattle, Washington, operating as a wholly owned, operationally independent subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. since 2012.1516 Because it is not itself publicly traded, Brooks does not file its own SEC disclosures; all group-level financial disclosure occurs at the Berkshire Hathaway parent level, and Berkshire’s consolidated 10-K filings reviewed contain no Brooks-specific, Israel-related disclosure.174344

Brooks’ disclosed Tier-1 manufacturing footprint comprises factories in Vietnam (nine, accounting for roughly 85% of production), Indonesia, Taiwan, the United States, El Salvador, Peru, and the Philippines, with Tier-2 component suppliers concentrated in China and Vietnam; no Israel-based Tier-1 or Tier-2 facility appears in this footprint.212245 In Israel, Brooks-brand products are sold exclusively through R.U.N Sports Ltd. (ר.א.ן ספורט בע”מ), an independent Israeli company headquartered in Petah Tikva, founded by Ronen Bachor, Limor Bachor, and Ilan Benisti, which has served as Brooks’ official Israeli importer for over 20 years and also imports the ASSOS and OOFOS brands.6746 This distributor operates roughly 100 point-of-sale retail partnerships plus six company-operated stores and an online storefront; Brooks product also reaches consumers indirectly via resellers such as Mashbir//365, sourced through the same import chain.47 No Brooks-owned office, warehouse, retail location, or workforce in Israel was identified; any local employment sits within the independent distributor, not Brooks itself.67

At the parent level, Berkshire Hathaway’s Israel-connected holdings are distinct from and unrelated in governance to Brooks Running: Iscar Metalworking Companies (Tefen, Israel), a precision carbide metal-cutting tools manufacturer for the automotive and general manufacturing sectors, acquired in full by 2013 for a combined ~$10 billion valuation with no divestiture reported; and Ray-Q Interconnect Ltd. (Lod, Israel), an electrical-interconnect supplier to military, aerospace, and high-reliability industries, acquired via Berkshire subsidiary TTI, Inc. in October 2013, employing approximately 70 people at acquisition.123738 No evidence links either entity operationally, financially, or in governance to Brooks Running.

Domain Summaries

Military: Military

Mechanism of Involvement

No public evidence identified of any contract, tender, or agreement between Brooks Running and the Israeli Ministry of Defense, IDF, Israel Prison Service, Israel Border Police, or any other Israeli security body, nor of Brooks appearing in SIBAT directories or defence-exhibition catalogues.48 Brooks operates a “Community Heroes” 25%-discount programme for U.S. military personnel, first responders, and nurses via its own site and the GOVX/ID.me commercial platform; listed products (Adrenaline GTS 23, Glycerin 23, Ghost 16, Launch 10) are standard consumer running shoes, not ruggedised or mil-spec tactical variants.4950 Brooks’ published Tier-1/Tier-2 supply chain lists no Israel-based facility, and a direct Who Profits database query returned no Brooks Running or Berkshire Hathaway entry.218

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

The company’s core business - civilian athletic footwear - is definitionally distant from military end-use; its only documented military-adjacent programme is an open-market consumer discount available to any qualifying individual purchaser, not a state contract. No export licence, end-user certificate, or sanctions-enforcement action tied to Brooks and Israeli defence end-users was identified. One item - a 20 October 2020 OFAC settlement with Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. - exists in the public record, but the underlying subsidiary, jurisdiction, and product involved could not be confirmed, and no link to Brooks or Israel is established; this is flagged as an unresolved open lead, not a confirmed nexus.34

Named Entities and Evidence Map

Berkshire Hathaway (ultimate parent, 2012–present); Iscar Metalworking Companies (parent-level Israeli industrial holding, no military end-use identified); Who Profits database (queried, no result); AFSC Investigate database (queried, no result).189

Digital: Digital

Mechanism of Involvement

No public evidence identified of Brooks Running holding relationships with Israeli-origin cybersecurity vendors (Check Point, Wiz, SentinelOne, CyberArk, NICE, Verint, Claroty, Palo Alto Networks), of biometric or surveillance retail technology, of Israeli data-centre operations or Project Nimbus participation, or of AI/algorithmic systems provided to Israeli state or security bodies.515253 Brooks’ public e-commerce stack (per third-party aggregator data) uses Cloudflare, Microsoft Azure, Optimizely, Google Tag Manager, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud - none Israeli-origin.54

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Brooks is disclosed as a consumer of enterprise IT services rather than a technology provider, structurally limiting its exposure to this domain. At the Berkshire parent level - unconnected to Brooks’ own technology stack - Berkshire holds Iscar (industrial tooling) and, via TTI, Inc., Ray-Q Interconnect Ltd. (military/aerospace electrical interconnects, Lod, Israel, ~70 employees at 2013 acquisition); no evidence links either to Brooks’ operations or technology decisions.13738 A single unverified social-media post claiming Brooks is excluded from a “BDS-approved list” over “share interest in Israel” is documented only as an identified public claim, not corroborated by any primary BDS Movement listing.55

Named Entities and Evidence Map

Berkshire Hathaway (parent); Ray-Q Interconnect Ltd. / TTI, Inc. (parent-level, military/aerospace interconnects, no Brooks linkage); Iscar Metalworking (parent-level, no Brooks linkage); OHCHR September 2025 settlement database (queried, no result).373819

Economic: Economic

Mechanism of Involvement

Berkshire Hathaway wholly owns Iscar Metalworking Companies (Tefen, Israel), acquired 80% in 2006 ($5bn valuation) and the remaining 20% in 2013 ($2.05bn), with no divestiture reported.1236 Berkshire also held a Teva Pharmaceutical Industries stake peaking at 4.2% ($1bn) in mid-2018, fully divested by Q4 2021.232425 Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies have held Israel Bonds; Buffett personally holds roughly $5 million.564 Brooks-brand goods reach Israeli consumers via R.U.N Sports Ltd., an independent licensed importer, generating an inferred outward wholesale-payment flow from Israel to Brooks in Seattle - an inference from corporate structure, not a disclosed financial statement.67

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Brooks Running itself holds no disclosed investment, acquisition, facility, or real-estate presence in Israel or the occupied territories; all identified capital exposure sits at the Berkshire Hathaway parent/Buffett personal level, not as a Brooks corporate holding.57 The Teva stake - Berkshire’s most direct historical Israeli equity exposure beyond Iscar - was fully divested by late 2021, consistent with a temporal-mitigation reading.25 No NGO investigation, customs audit, or mislabeling finding was identified connecting Brooks products to settlement-origin goods, and Brooks does not appear in the Who Profits database or the PAX “Companies Arming Israel” report.858

Named Entities and Evidence Map

Iscar Metalworking Companies (parent-owned, Tefen, Israel, no divestiture); Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (parent-held, fully divested by Q4 2021); R.U.N Sports Ltd. (independent Israeli licensed distributor, Petah Tikva); Israel Bonds/Development Corporation for Israel (Buffett personal and Berkshire GUARD holdings).125656

Political: Political

Mechanism of Involvement

Warren Buffett has personally headlined Israel Bonds fundraising events in at least four instances (2016–2018 cumulative ~$290 million; a further $80 million event on 7 June 2024, the first documented after October 7, 2023), has purchased ~$5 million in Israel Bonds personally, and has publicly called Israel “a terrific” investment destination and “the most promising investment hub” outside the US.3452740 Berkshire also holds a 6% Chevron stake ($29bn in 2024); Chevron operates Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan gas fields and is the subject of an active, named “Boycott Chevron” campaign citing Gaza-adjacent operations - though this is a Chevron-specific campaign, not one naming Berkshire or Brooks.596061

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

No public evidence identified of any Brooks Running corporate statement on Israel-Palestine, October 7, or the Gaza war - a marked contrast to the company’s explicit, dated commitments on other issues (e.g., the 2020 Running Industry Diversity Coalition).2930 No lobbying registrations, PAC activity, or FEC filings specific to Israel/Palestine policy were identified; no donations to IDF-linked, JNF, or settlement-linked organisations were found; Brooks’ documented philanthropy (“Brooks Gives Back,” “Future Run,” Back on My Feet) is US-domestic in orientation with no Israel/Palestine-linked recipients.626364 Brooks/Berkshire do not appear in the OHCHR September 2025 settlement-business database (158 enterprises) or its OpenSanctions mirror, and no shareholder resolution on Israel/Gaza divestment naming Berkshire Hathaway was identified.91165

Named Entities and Evidence Map

Warren Buffett (Chairman/CEO, Berkshire Hathaway - Israel Bonds fundraising and personal holdings); Israel Bonds/Development Corporation for Israel; Chevron Corporation (Berkshire equity holding, Tamar/Leviathan gas fields, subject of separate “Boycott Chevron” campaign); “Brooks Israel” Instagram storefront (relationship to Brooks USA - licensee, distributor, or unaffiliated reseller - undetermined).35966

BDS-1000 Score (V4)

DomainIMPV-Domain Score
Military1.500.801.200.03
Digital0.000.000.000.00
Economic7.806.505.005.17
Political6.004.807.004.11

The Economic domain drives V_MAX at 5.17, reflecting Berkshire Hathaway’s substantial, un-divested Israeli industrial holding (Iscar) and the historic Teva equity stake, weighted against the absence of any direct Brooks Running economic activity in Israel. Political contributes the largest secondary weight (4.11), driven by Warren Buffett’s sustained personal Israel Bonds advocacy, including a post-October-7, 2023 fundraising event. Military and Digital both score near zero, reflecting the consistent absence of any military-contracting or digital-technology nexus across both audits. The resulting composite (375, Tier D – Moderate) reflects scale-free, evidence-only scoring: Impact (I) rates activity type, Magnitude (M) rates scale, and Proximity (P) rates directness of the Israel/Palestine connection, each independently vetted against the four domain audits above.

Methodology Note

End Notes

Footnotes

  1. https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/news/jul0506.html 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  2. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/berkshire-hathaway-buying-rest-of-israels-imc-for-2-05-billion 2 3 4 5

  3. https://www.israelbonds.com/News-Events/News/Warren-Buffett-Welcomes-Israel-Bonds-Back-to-Omaha.aspx 2 3 4 5 6

  4. https://www.jta.org/2018/06/13/united-states/warren-buffett-helps-raise-80-million-israel-bonds 2 3 4 5

  5. https://www.timesofisrael.com/warren-buffett-helps-raise-80-million-in-israel-bonds/ 2 3 4

  6. https://brooks.co.il/about/ 2 3 4 5 6 7

  7. https://www.dunsguide.co.il/en/C6b734857837e35175bd9d6e61c545981_shoe_stores/run_sports/ 2 3 4 5 6

  8. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3794 2 3 4 5 6

  9. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-human-rights-office-updates-database-businesses-involved-israeli 2 3 4 5 6

  10. https://investigate.info/all-companies?page=0 2 3

  11. https://www.opensanctions.org/datasets/ps_ohchr_settlement/ 2

  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Sports 2

  13. https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/brooks-sports-inc-history/ 2

  14. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/03-12-2024/

  15. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/companies/brooks-sport/ 2 3

  16. https://legalclarity.org/who-owns-brooks-shoes-berkshire-hathaway-explained/ 2 3

  17. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1067983/000095017024019719/brka-20231231.htm 2

  18. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/12/brooks-running-ceo-jim-weber-to-step-down.html 2

  19. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240312936273/en/Brooks-Running-Announces-CEO-Transition 2

  20. https://www.endurancesportswire.com/how-the-ceo-of-brooks-running-went-from-teaching-high-school-to-leading-a-billion-dollar-fitness-brand/

  21. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/supply-chain-transparency/ 2 3

  22. https://sourcingjournal.com/footwear/footwear-brands/brooks-running-supply-chain-vietnam-factories-glycerin-20-nitrogen-midsole-361596/ 2

  23. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/15/why-warren-buffetts-berkshire-loves-loathed-israeli-drug-stock-teva.html 2 3 4

  24. https://www.jns.org/buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-doubles-shares-of-teva/ 2 3

  25. https://fintel.io/so/us/teva/berkshire-hathaway 2 3 4 5 6

  26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISCAR_Metalworking

  27. https://www.etftrends.com/warren-buffett-raises-80-million-in-israel-bonds/ 2 3

  28. https://www.facebook.com/assosisrael/posts/

  29. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/10-06-2020/ 2

  30. https://www.campaignlive.com/article/brooks-running-amplifies-voices-diverse-runners/1735580 2

  31. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session59/advance-version/a-hrc-59-23-aev.pdf 2

  32. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide-report-special-rapporteur

  33. https://ngo-monitor.org/reports/francesca-albaneses-assault-on-global-corporations/

  34. https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20201020 2 3

  35. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Sports

  36. https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/news/may0506.html 2

  37. https://www.eetimes.com/tti-announces-acquisition-of-ray-q-ltd/ 2 3 4

  38. https://www.tti.com/content/ttiinc/en/about/press-releases/2013/October/pr-tti-ray-q-acquisition.html 2 3 4

  39. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/brooks-running-ceo-of-23-years-to-step-down-hand-role-to-an-insider/

  40. https://www.thetower.org/6351-famed-investor-warren-buffett-raises-80-million-for-israel-bonds-at-omaha-event/ 2

  41. https://www.retaildive.com/news/brooks-running-record-revenue-2025-earnings/811793/

  42. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/08-13-2025/

  43. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1067983/000119312526083899/brka-20251231.htm

  44. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/how-warren-buffett-helped-save-a-company-on-the-brink-of-bankruptcy-183326248.html

  45. https://retailnews.asia/brooks-running-moves-china-footwear-production-to-vietnam

  46. https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.run_sports_ltd.d93f3a7a87553885a851ff41bbf92a19.html

  47. https://365mashbir.co.il/collections/brooks

  48. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001067983/000119312511048914/d10k.htm

  49. https://www.govx.com/m/1912/brooks

  50. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/community-heroes-program/

  51. https://jobs.lever.co/brooksrunning/60821bec-beeb-4740-958f-92e80e80dcb2

  52. https://sportstechjobs.com/information-security-operation-center-analyst-brooks-running/6a3f59284d2ec41d44b5950a

  53. https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/1-29-2025/

  54. https://stackshare.io/companies/brooks-running

  55. https://www.threads.com/@dat_haytian/post/DFTTkpIy8eM

  56. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_Hathaway_GUARD_Insurance_Companies 2

  57. https://investinisrael.gov.il/InvestInIsrael/Pages/Berkshire%20Hathaway.aspx

  58. https://paxforpeace.nl/publications/the-companies-arming-israel-and-their-financiers/

  59. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/03/not-in-my-name-how-a-new-generation-is-divesting-from-israeli-apartheid/ 2

  60. https://www.yesmagazine.org/political-power/2025/03/31/chevron-boycott-gaza-genocide

  61. https://uscpr.org/campaigns/boycott-chevron/

  62. https://support.brooksrunning.com/hc/en-us/articles/360016636311-Donation-requests

  63. https://www.brooksgives.org/

  64. https://backonmyfeet.org/news/brooks-gear-matching-2022/

  65. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/israelopt-investors-divest-from-companies-linked-to-occupation-genocide-in-palestine/

  66. https://www.instagram.com/brooksisrael/?hl=en