Is this the week that Israel, the longest running Jewish American TV show, “jumped the shark”? I wonder. Ruth Marcus getting vexed in the Washington Post that restrictions on women in Israel are a “national security” threat because they will alienate American Jews, on whom the country depends. Abe Foxman complaining about threats to civil liberties in the Knesset for the same reason. And now that stupid ad campaign warning Israelis in the U.S. not to marry Americans, but come back home. It disturbed Jeffrey Goldberg among others. Again because it makes their job, propagandizing, impossible.
The Netanyahu government has now cancelled the ad campaign, in embarrassment. The Washington Post rubs it in: “The Israeli government has canceled an ad campaign in which it suggested that Israeli expatriates will ‘lose their national identities’ if they marry Jewish Americans or celebrate Christmas. “
Goldberg got the scoop, from Israeli ambassador Michael Oren, who said, “The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption’s campaign clearly did not take into account American Jewish sensibilities, and we regret any offense it caused.”
Maybe too late… JTA adds:
The Anti-Defamation League’s national director, Abraham Foxman, told Haaretz the ads were “heavy-handed, and even demeaning.”
According to the Haaretz report, Israeli’s Foreign Ministry consulted with the Absorption Ministry after receiving several complaints from American Jews and was told that the feedback from Israelis who live in the United States was positive.
Notice the Israelis thought it was great. Clueless.
I think, they decided not to aggravate too much the hand that feeds them.
The still need the hand.
What was very interesting was reading this Haaretz story and then this additional one talking about the modus vivendi worked out between Ben Gurion and an American jewish guy named Blaustein way back in the 50’s and etc.:
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/west-of-eden/controversial-commercials-highlight-historic-balancing-act-between-israel-and-american-jews-1.399239
Essentially, the story detail how Blaustein forced Ben Gurion to accept that American jews owed their first allegiance to the U.S.; to not say Israeli leaders spoke for all jews; to stop using the term “aliyah” even as it’s literal meaning “to ascend” implies a superiority being Israeli. In fact back in those days American jews even got Israel to refrain from calling itself “the jewish state” due to its implication that it is the only real state jews owe allegiance to.
The Sephardim, the Haredim and the Russians are in charge now. Haredim and Sephardim have lower educational standards than average and the Russians think the West Bank is Chechnya. None of these groups understands geopolitics as it is going to affect Israel. They don’t speak English. They are doped out on Israeli chosenness and violence. They don’t care what American Jews think .They just take American political support and money as a given. Anyone who disagrees is an antisemite or a SHJ.
The Diaspora has no influence over them.
This is the Jewish prison.
Or in the words of the Gashashim: “does a fisherman like fish?”
See Al Jazeera’s insightful take on this:
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2011/12/201112351511123220.html
Yes, the Israelis are clueless in their messaging but they are not clueless in the need for the ads. At the end of the Al Jazeera piece the reporter noted the why for the ad campaign. Over the last few decades the flow of Jews is from Israel to the United States and not the other way around. The last question asked is particularly pointed:
“… leaving many Israelis asking which place is really home.”
Let’s compare the U.S. and Israel for a moment. One is a multi-cultural location where Jews can speak English and celebrate Christmas with their Christian friends if they chose. I celebrate Hanukkah with my Jewish friends. Respecting other religious traditions does not mean adopting other religions. Many American Jews understand this and is one reason why they were offended by the ads. Or, one where only Hebrew is spoken (but apparently read see the English-language Economist on the “abba’s” chest), and only Judaism is respected and other religions effectively banned. American Jewry has spoken with their feet on this important question and like many other issues recently the Hasbara machine is panicking.