Recently, A friend of mine mentioned that he was very impressed with an Israeli film he had just seen called “Beneath the Helmet which attempts to humanize the young IDF soldiers contrasting the slanted press the IDF and Israel have received from around the world.
I asked him where he had seen the film? and he responded…at the DC JCC- so there we are again.. . talking to the convinced- ourselves! This again begs the hasbarah question… where is it? Where are the creative, impacting messages geared to the American public in the media about the many Israeli accomplishments in energy, medical advancements, new agricultural advancements for developing countries enabling them to feed their people, all the accomplishments that would impress most Americans, just by their own cultural orientation- achievement.
In the Jewish community we are often talking about the bad wrap that Israel has received in the media, but I am now feeling that our Jewish community has yet to really understand what defines media outside of newspaper editorials and slanted TV news broadcasts. The vital question is how do we create impacting media messages for American public consumption?
I watch TV, listen to radio, notice outdoor billboards when on the road, read ads in newspapers and magazines, see poster ads on sides of buses, in subway stations and airports and I have yet to see any messages about Israeli accomplishments, no less short creative and impacting. This is how you reach and educate the American public. Today they still remain unenlightened about Israel and still given the slanted view by the TV news and biased news paper editorials.
Last spring I attended a lecture at Beth El Congregation in Bethesda where former Israeli Ambassador spoke before 500 attending. When asked about ..Where is the Israeli hasbarah, as all the people near by murmured ,” yeah, there’s nothing out there!” he responded – “We don’t do that type of hasbarah, but depend on our American friends and their organizations to do it for us or with us.” I could see everyone’s mouth drop open-“ WHAT?”
Maybe I am oversensitive to this because visual communications and media are my profession beyond Judaic art, but it’s very clear to most that there is a major need for all our Israel advocating organizations come together of one mind and create the needed P.R. that has yet to exist building a wonderful image of Israel not to American Jews again, but to the American public, using all possible media tools. The results will be gaining the needed American support in times of calm as opposed to us REACTING in times of crises , the typical Jewish limited media effort….The costly full page ad, consisting of a 30 word title, loaded with endless text and signed by 500 names at the bottom only to be read by the friends of the signees- a waste., what is not seen are the brief, creative impacting visuals with impacting messages. It’s time to learn effective hasbarah/P.R. in advocating for Israel .
Avrum Ashery is a Visual Communications/Media Advisor to the U.S. Congress- Retired
