The Broadcast Authority for Television and Radio is refusing to air an anti-drug campaign clip that shows a teenage boy delivering a goodbye message to his family in the manner of a suicide bomber. It will instead be aired on Channel 1 and radio.
“My name is Omer Kendel, 16 years old from Ra’anana. I bid goodbye to my parents Vered and Shmuel, and my sister Karen, to go to a party in Tel Aviv. There is only one way to be truly free: To get drunk, to take drugs and to [mess up] the head. Don’t cry mother: I am going to heaven.”
Anti-Drug Authority Haim Messing was adamant in an interview with Ynet that the harsh format of the ad is justified by the need to drive the point home. “We understand that this is a difficult clip, but if we save someone, we have done our job. We were too subtle in the past.” Messing added that seven youths have died in the past few months due to substance abuse.
“My name is Omer Kendel, 16 years old from Ra’anana. I bid goodbye to my parents Vered and Shmuel, and my sister Karen, to go to a party in Tel Aviv. There is only one way to be truly free: To get drunk, to take drugs and to [mess up] the head. Don’t cry mother: I am going to heaven.”
Anti-Drug Authority Haim Messing was adamant in an interview with Ynet that the harsh format of the ad is justified by the need to drive the point home. “We understand that this is a difficult clip, but if we save someone, we have done our job. We were too subtle in the past.” Messing added that seven youths have died in the past few months due to substance abuse.