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Thursday, July 30, 2015
The Silly, Sappy, Innocent Face Of Israel They Don't Get To See
Countless times each day I find myself seeing, hearing, tasting... experiencing something that I wish I could somehow share with people around the world.
If asked, most of them would say that Israel is a drab, desolate, strife-torn concrete and barbed-wire war zone. Because that's what the media (even those outlets nominally friendly to Israel's cause) shows them.
And all the official and grassroots efforts to package and export images of an Israel full of vibrant history, ancient archaeology, religious splendor, technical entrepreneurship, scientific innovation, medical breakthroughs, etc., fall flat, because of the "yeah,... but..." factor (as in, "Yeah, I know Israel is ___________, but I saw/heard/read that..."
Those negative images and messages reinforced daily in the media are virtually unshakable, and will not be overcome by the most inspired positive 'Hasbara' (propaganda). Or so I have always assumed.
And then I saw a silly, sappy commercial for an Israeli Drug Store chain, trying to sell a new model of shaving razors... and I realized that it is this simple sappy, silliness that could potentially get in under the programmed prejudices and defenses of the misinformed masses and start to allow people to see and understand how wonderfully normal (and beautiful) Israel really is.
I'd be interested to hear what you think:
Posted by David Bogner on July 30, 2015 | Permalink
Comments
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I loved it -- it may be an ad, but it felt like a slice of Israeli life. :-)
Posted by: sarah williams | Jul 30, 2015 2:09:07 PM
Great ad! While so many Israelis can be rude and obnoxious, there is also a sweetness and warmth with family and kids that you've got to love. You see that here, with the man's interactions with all of his family, especially singing to his daughter and holding her in the park. In that regard, it reminds me of the story a year or two ago when an Israeli soccer team in Eastern Europe put their jackets over the members of a local youth team to protect them from the rain, while the local soccer team didn't bother.
Posted by: Shalom | Jul 30, 2015 3:37:37 PM
Love the lunchbox he packed for his daughter.
Posted by: antares | Jul 31, 2015 3:50:27 AM
He`s a handsome,loving,warm, guy with and without the beard.Great commercial/
Posted by: Ed | Jul 31, 2015 8:31:48 PM
Hope he gets free shavers for life!!!!
Posted by: shelley bloom | Aug 2, 2015 5:28:22 PM
Loved it!
Posted by: SaraK | Aug 4, 2015 2:07:12 PM
