Commentary: Despite ‘crises,’ Israeli life remains on even keel
By Ira Sharkansky
Ira Sharkansky
JERUSALEM–The sky is not falling. Today.
After a week or so of panic following the encounter with the Turkish flotilla, nastiness from the peaks of the Turkish government, conventional censures from the United Nations and NGOs, and shrill comments of “We told you so” from J Street types, more conventional economics and politics have been doing their work. The most recent news is that Israeli and Turkish businesses are still dealing, and leading military personnel of the two countries continue with their mutually rewarding activities. Israel is shipping sophisticated military equipment to Turkey, and the Israeli Foreign Ministry has withdrawn its warning about visiting that country. Travel agents are celebrating, and again offering packages to the Turkish coast that for some years have been attracting middle- and working class Israelis looking for affordable family vacations.
After the Turkish flap, there was a week or two of high excitement among Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative extremists concerned to guard their turf over the issue of conversion to Judaism. All of the above again demonstrated their capacity to create reasons for spurring their activists to commotion. They saw indications that threatened the integrity of the Jewish people, and perhaps more importantly the status of their own organizations and personalities. The nucleus of their concern was what may be no more than a handful of individuals wanting a non-Orthodox conversion to take place within Israel.
The outcome to date is a tense standoff. The proposal meant to settle things from the Orthodox perspective has been withdrawn, at least for a while, from the Knesset’s agenda. The result is that a different handful or more from among 300,000 or so immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are not considered halachic Jews, and who actually want to convert, will find the road as rocky as before. Ultra-Orthodox activists are gloating, and the bureaucrats in the Interior Ministry continue to raise their objections to conversions by rabbis they do not accept as such, despite decisions that Reform and Conservative organizations extracted from the Supreme Court.
“The . . . Ministry insists that the candidate (from) abroad be partof a Jewish community (synagogue, usually) there for up to a year afterconversion before they’ll recognize his/her status. A Supreme Court decision outlawed the waiting period of one year that they came up with . . . butwhen we tried to get converts registered after the decision, Ministry officialstold us: ‘The court outlawed a 365-day waiting period, but that doesn’t meanwe can’t require 364 days.’ “
“This is sad… but if Israel continues on its course, it will see more like thisSubject: StandWithUs Northwest Alert! Olympia Food Coop Boycotts Israeli Products
The people who are organizing this will not get my help, but I won’t pretend to speak for the rest of you.
“Senior Palestinian health officials say that a large proportion of the aid received from Arab countries is useless. It includes medications beyond their legal dates, and equipment that does not work. “We could use only about 30 percent of what we received as aid.”
It appears that the Jewish people have survived aggression from the Turkey government, yet another blast from the United Nations and NGOs, plus an uptick in nastiness from Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative Jews. Given that record, I suspect that we will manage the attack launched by the Olympia Food Coop.
Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University
Educational and patriotic thoughts about American music
By David Amos
David Amos
SAN DIEGO–Earlier this month we celebrated our Independence Day. My thoughts brought me to the importance of American music, and the shameful neglect we have allowed music education to be. Part of this was stimulated by an article in the editorial section of the San Diego Union-Tribune by John M. Eger, on July 8.
But first, let me share with you a sensitive, meaningful poem by an anonymous music teacher, circa, well….anytime:
WHY I TEACH MUSIC:
Not because I expect you to major in music.
Not because I expect you to play or sing all your life.
Not so you can relax or have fun.
But…
So you will be human,
So you will recognize beauty,
So you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world, So you will have something to cling to, So you will have more love, compassion, more gentleness,
More good….in short, more life!
Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living
Unless you know how to live?
On American and modern music: We have been conditioned to believe that if it is called “modern music”, or if the name of the composer is unknown to us, it is probably ugly and not worth our attention. Yes, there is a natural tendency to dislike the unknown, but in music, sadly, we do not even give it a chance to redeem itself. Even the late Karl Haas (from the enormously popular radio program “Adventures in Good Music”) told me that he sometimes received fan letters which warned him that if he as much as mentions the fact that he was about to play music from the Twentieth Century, the radio would be turned off immediately. This is tragic; it is cultural suicide.
I remember sadly an evening of music played by the San Diego Symphony, maybe fifteen years ago. In the first half was music by Robert Schumann, and after intermission, the conductor programmed the fabulous Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók. The latter is to me one of the greatest compositions ever. Period. You can imagine my disappointment, pain, and frustration to see more than half of the audience trampling its way to Symphony Hall’s exits, just to avoid listening to Bartók in the second half! In retrospect, the program order should have been reversed.
The fact is, that there is a vast amount of modern music, a lot of it composed by Americans, which is accessible, enjoyable, even at a first hearing, and very melodious. In other words, it is what I call “listener friendly”.
After being so involved with the subject of American orchestral music (I gave a lecture on the subject to the music faculty of Hebrew University in Jerusalem), I have had many a talk with musicians, critics, and music lovers. One salient fact stands out: The American public has an inferiority complex about its own music. We tend to believe that if it originated in Europe, it is probably better, and if it is from the U.S., it will be lacking in depth and lasting value. Only history will eventually resolve this, but I have noticed in my various travels and conversations that most natives from other countries support and proudly believe in their own heritage, whether it be historic or contemporary. Audiences and musicians alike enthusiastically program and attend concerts of their own composers in Canada, Poland, Denmark, England, Mexico, and the former Soviet republics. I am sure that it is the same in many other places; but don’t get me started on Israel!
Curiously, when I was invited to guest conduct in Lithuania in 1992, when working out the repertory to be performed at the concerts, I was politely asked to “please not bring any Copland, Gershwin, or Bernstein”. At first, I was surprised and a bit annoyed, already thinking of several hidden implications from that request. But after directly asking the director of the Lithuanian Philharmonic as to “why”, the answer was surprising: “We don’t want you to bring us music from these composers, because we program them too frequently, and they are very popular here. We want you to bring to us some different American music”. So, I brought them Paul Creston, Alan Hovhaness, Norman Dello-Joio, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Ernest Bloch. After the fact, the musicians told me how much they enjoyed playing the music of these composers, and the audiences seemed responsive and enthusiastic, in both Vilnius and Kaunas.
As an aside, I was told by a cellist of the Vilnius orchestra, “We are glad that you brought us the music of Bloch. During the Soviet regime, we were not allowed to perform his music, just because he was Jewish”. He also proudly showed me a printed program for later in the month, where he was performing Bloch’s Schelomo, the Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra.
Getting back to our American heritage, it is best to quote the words and spirit of one of our greatest composers, Charles Ives. He not only preached, but practiced the concept of “Wake up, America! The culture and traditions of Europe are fine, but stand up, support, and enjoy your own wonderful music”.
I fully endorse that. Let us strive to discover and enjoy totally unknown and lesser known treasures of our past and present. Be careful, you may enjoy what you hear.
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Amos is conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra and a guest conductor of professional orchestras around the world
Theater Review: A Monument Comes to Life
By Cynthia Citron
Cynthia Citron
CALABASAS, California – Picture the Blue Man Group covered in mud. That’s a first impression of the Orto-Da Theatre Group, a sensational ensemble of actors from Israel making their American debut last week at the International Theatre Festival in Calabasas. Their presentation is called “Stones,” and, like the Blue Men, they work without words, completely in mime.
“Stones” was created and directed by Yinon Tzafrir, who was inspired by a monument erected in Warsaw in memory of the Jewish warriors of the Warsaw Ghetto. Sculpted by Nathan Rappaport in 1948, the stones have an interesting provenance. They were ordered originally from a quarry in Labrador by Adolph Hitler, who intended to use them for a personal monument to celebrate himself and the triumphant victory of his Third Reich. Fortunately, that was not to be, and the granite stones languished until Rappaport conceived his tribute to the men and women who fought in Warsaw.
So how do you build a performance piece around a monument? With great imagination and spectacular lighting (expertly designed by Uri Morag). The five men and one woman comprising the monument are seen first motionless and grubby, some in heavy relief, others melding into the background. Then slowly, very slowly—so slowly, in fact, that you think it’s a trick of your eye—they begin to come alive.
Moving like robots, a little bit clunky, as you would expect from people made of granite, they begin to reprise the 20th century history of the Jewish people. To the overwhelming sounds of trains, shouting, and gunshots, they mime arrival at the concentration camps, the showers that dispense gas rather than water, the smothering of a baby to keep it from wailing.
But from this horror-filled beginning they move on to Israel and the fighting and drama connected with the founding of the Jewish state. (The actual roll call of the nations ratifying the establishment of the new state is heard in the background.)
And there is even a bit of humor as we move into the late 20th century and the age of technology and the six individuals take turns changing the television channels with a remote control. In all these maneuvers there are appropriate sound effects and music, designed by Daniel Zafrani and Yinon Tzafrir.
According to the Festival playbook, this play is meant to celebrate the inevitable triumph of the human spirit. But there is an additional connotation to the concept of stones. It’s traditional, when visiting a Jewish cemetery, to leave a small stone at the gravesite to let the dead know you were there. Just as these large monumental stones in Warsaw remind the world that the Jews were there.
The third annual International Theatre Festival was held in Calabasas from July 17th to the 27th.
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Citron is Los Angeles bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World
Commentary: The unsettling messages in Andrew Shapiro’s speech
Shoshana Bryen
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Maybe it was just stylistic; maybe it was more. Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro’s speech touting the United States as Israel’s best friend repeated itself:
- Israel’s future as a secure, Jewish, and democratic state is under threat from the dynamics of demography, ideology, and technology.
- The dynamics of ideology, technology, and demography in the region mean that this continuing conflict poses serious challenges to Israel’s long-term security and its future as a Jewish and democratic state.
[Dispense quickly with his interpretation of Palestinian goals. No Palestinian leader has said that the Palestinian goal is the ’67 line with agreed swaps. Only Americans say that. The one agenda item on which Hamas and Fatah agree is that the recognition of Israel was a mistake by the international community – and that the mistake has to be corrected by the state’s disestablishment, though they differ on the necessary method and the government that will follow.]
“Demography, ideology and technology” is a sloppy, non-specific suggestion that the progress of life itself threatens Israel. But specifically what threatens Israel is the continuing unwillingness of (almost all) Arab states plus Iran and several non-state terrorist organizations to accept the legitimacy of Jewish sovereignty in the Middle East. Arab and Muslim rejectionists use oil money (as well as American aid in the case of the Palestinians and the LAF, the Lebanese Armed Forces) to buy weapons, training and technology from the United States, Europe, Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan in hopes of carrying out their intention to turn back the clock. They use media that is alternately willing and naïve – and often state-sponsored – and a UN that is corrupt and venal, to advance their agenda.
It is not against “demography” that Israel fights – it is against armed enemies who consider the “law of war” to apply only to others, if they consider it at all. It is not against “technology” that Israel fights – Israel is a master at using technology for defense and protection, including better protection of enemy civilians than those civilians have any reason to expect. As for ideology, unharnessed to the money, land, arms and political protection provided by states to other states or non-state actors, ideology is small stuff. It is only when states provide the tools of war to other states or non-state actors that large-scale terrorism and open warfare become possible.
And, interestingly, Mr. Shapiro knows that, which is why he spent so much of his dissertation on the Qualitative Military Edge, which he correctly defines as, “the ability to counter and defeat credible military threats from any individual state, coalition of states, or non-state actor, while sustaining minimal damages or casualties.” So he reminds the audience, “Each and every security assistance request from (Israel) is evaluated in light of our policy to uphold Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge….As a matter of policy, we will not proceed with any release of military equipment or services that may pose a risk to allies or contribute to regional insecurity in the Middle East.”
Why? Because it is understood countries that maintain a state of war with Israel might use American weapons against it. To some extent we oppose that – although the administration has sold $20 billion worth of military hardware to the Arab world in the past year-and-a-half.
So what will the United States do? Permit Israel to wipe out its enemies? No, clearly not. The Obama Administration was critical of Operation Cast Lead and has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to Gaza to ameliorate a situation it finds discomfiting – although the result is to ever more firmly ensconce Hamas as the ruler there and undermine Abu Mazen. The administration is providing hundreds of millions in aid to the LAF in hopes that it will do something about Hezbollah, while Hezbollah becomes ever more brazen in placing its rockets inside villages and harassing hapless UNIFIL forces. Will the United States encourage Israel to stop an announced blockade run by anti-Israel activists? No, clearly not.
And as Iran is the source of arms, training and funding for Syria and Hezbollah and an important source for Hamas, as well as threatening Israel directly, will we permit Israel to attack Iran? Or perhaps do it ourselves, as a means of removing what threatens so many countries at so many levels? No, clearly not.
Mr. Shapiro does allow for defense, however, mentioning Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and U.S. aid for it several times, and mentions David’s Sling, the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System upgrade and early warning radars.
All are good and useful and all after the fact of an attack against Israel.
All of this leaves us very, very flat. The administration, in the person of Mr. Shapiro, seems to understand that the military threat to Israel is real and needs redress. But its emphasis on the requirement that Israel “take tough decisions” to make peace implies that Israel has the key to peace, not its enemies. That Israel has to do something different. That if Israel doesn’t take the decisions the administration thinks it should, the American commitment to provide technology and money for Israel’s defense – because offense to get rid of its enemies isn’t on the table – could stop.
On the other hand, there was one really, really nice paragraph in Mr. Shapiro’s speech:
Yes, Mr. Shapiro, Israel’s hard-won expertise in warfare makes Americans on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan safer. American and Israeli troops are grateful for the partnership between the American and Israeli military and defense establishments that works to protect them – and as Americans and as JINSA, so are we.
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Bryen is senior director of security policy of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member.
AJCongress President explains status of his financially troubled organization
By Richard S. Gordon
NEW YORK– There have been a number of questions over the last few days concerning the status of the American Jewish Congress. Allow me to clarify those questions.
Over the last number of years, and especially after Bernie Madoff stole approximately $21 million from our organization, the AJ Congress, like many Jewish organizations these days, has been dealing with significant financial issues. With this in mind, it has become apparent to our Governing Council that this is a time for careful reflection and consideration as how to move forward and continue to be a major force in Jewish communal life as we have been for the last 91 years. We intend to do that.
During the course of this process, we will be operating with a skeletal staff over the next few months. However, we fully plan to continue the events that we have scheduled during this time.
In the interim, in consultation with our board, we will be considering how to move forward. We will consider several options, including the possibility of reconstituting the American Jewish Congress as a more streamlined, effective and modern organization that will continue to serve the Jewish community in the United States and abroad and supporting the efforts and security of the State of Israel.
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Preceding provided by AJ Congress
ADL condemns planned march in Estonia honoring Nazi SS
NEW YORK (Press Release) — Saying it would “trample on the memory” of World War II labor and concentration camp victims, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned a march, planned for July 31 in Vaivara, Estonia, to honor an Estonian division of the Nazi SS that fought in a 1944 battle against Soviet troops.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor, issued the following statement:
“Opposing Soviet repression is one thing, but celebrating the Nazi SS is quite another. Unfortunately, in the past we have seen Estonian officials participate in such events, rather than oppose them.
“Vaivara should evoke mourning and reflection, not celebration. Twenty thousand Jews from across the Baltics were imprisoned in the Vaivara camps, as were other victims and prisoners of war. Every two weeks the Jews who were too sick or frail to work were murdered. Those who march will trample on their memory.
“A telling choice once again lies before Estonian officials. They, along with responsible members of Estonian civil society, should unequivocally condemn the planned march in Vaivara.”
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Preceding provided by Anti-Defamation League
Commentary: Israel’s PR is out of Spin
By Ronn Torossian
Ronn Torossian
NEW YORK–On Tisha Be’av the saddest Jewish day of the year, I commemorated the destruction of the temple. On days of lamentation, I often think of scary things, and I believe that the State of Israel is in real danger because of their flawed Public Relations and communications work.
As a proud Zionist who owns one of the15 largest independent PR firms in the United States, I can find no other way to spin this: Israel’s communications are lacking, and poorly managed. Even two months after the flotilla’s terrible mismanagement, there’s no wake-up call in sight, no explanation. Unfortunately, there’s no sign the next flotilla will be managed any differently in the media, either.
Israel is a young country. Unfortunately, it learns things fast and painfully. The recent flotilla events with Turkey provided the quickest crash-course on social media to date. It spread through YouTube quickly, and people were responsive, enraged; it damaged Israel’s image. It took Israel some three to four days just to come up with their visual angle of the incident, and when it did come out, there were Hebrew Subtitles in the video. There is no reason for PR in Israel to be neglected this way.
Yet, the annual report on Israel’s advertising and PR industry released earlier this week show that the top 20 agencies grew in the first half of 2010 by 20 percent. Clearly, Israel is maturing in this industry, but isn’t capturing those minds for its statesmanship. Instead, diplomats come and go, and English is clearly not a first language. The State of Israel does not employ a Public Relations agency anywhere in the world, send timely media briefing statements to its consulates worldwide, or handle PR during conflict as it should, and must.
Israel must recognize how in-person, on-the-ground news differs from that broadcast on the television screen. The flotilla case is the perfect example. It will take a while to recover from what the world perceived as aid-ships being halted by a sea blockade that was stopping them from assisting an under-siege people. If that’s not enough, the YouTube, Facebook and twitter inputs from all corners of the world are not something people are going to forget, and they were not something Israel was prepared to confront.
Israel believed its justified cause would uphold its image in the public eye. While that may be true in some cases, a justified cause is not enough to be ‘right’ these days. You need to be promoted and conscious of your media presence. It’s not enough to just display a message – you need to be listened to.
“It turns out Israel Tourism may be coming on as clients. I’m having a hard time getting a handle on it”. Although this is taken from a scene on season one of Mad Men, it certainly isn’t irrelevant. Having formerly represented the Israel Ministry of Tourism for many years, I know that Israel has so many great perspectives to be pitched on, from the bible to its beach, but it needs to put them to use; it needs to employ a comprehensive, systematic “PR machine” that generates regular output. Immediate promptness and responsiveness are crucial.
What I observe from the 20 percent growth in advertising and local PR firms is that Israel has the orientation and appreciation for media and PR, but it’s not being aimed correctly. Its number one client – the country’s brand – deserves a ‘premium service’ that will provide the needed time and resources required to produce results that represent Israel properly.
Thoughts for Israel’s PR:
1. Framing: The “golden rule” states that framing which harms you can be handled effectively only with counter-framing, and not by debating the negative frame or trying to justify it. If Israel constantly deals with the framing of the occupier, it need not explain the process historically, but rather make use of counter-framing and hit the media with multiple stories discussing its innovations in technology.
2. United PR: There is nothing more counter-productive and irritating to a professional PR spokesperson than having to compete with a colleague’s role. You will never find the media having to compare two or three different sources within a company to discover the firm’s stance on an issue. So, why does Israel have multiple “voices” all stating different approaches, but all claiming the role of officially representing the country? It’s simply unprofessional.
3. The Message: I’m well aware of how tactical and dynamic Israel is. If we imagine the U.S. as boat the size of the titanic, which takes a while to shift and redirect itself, then, in comparison, we can imagine Israel as a small lifeboat that can maneuver quickly and easily within world affairs. In PR terms, Israel can change key messages, and quickly. Still, it is vital to have a strategy.
4. Frequency: Social media is important. It should not be used only as an emergency channel, like the ones Israel uses on TV and radio during war times. Social media should be used on a daily basis, and in a positive way. In the long run, it is the daily actions of a brand that determine its overall image. A daily blog post helps build a reputation for a writer and their topic.
- The messenger: For crying out loud, get professionals! None of the top 20 firms in Israel’s advertising and PR industry would even consider hiring half of the people that are thrown in front of camera crews or who pitch the media. Get rid of them. Hire professionals, offer incentives and provide a challenge.
I fear that at future Tisha Be’av we could mourn many more things.
Ronn Torossian is CEO, of NYC based 5WPR, one of the 15 largest independent PR firms in the U.S. He lived in Israel and was formerly National President of Betar. Today, he serves on the board of a number of non-profit organizations, including Aish Hatorah, ZOA, and is intimately involved with Rabbi Pinto.
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