A recent news article described a study by American public relations experts on how to improve Israel's image in the U.S. Some Israeli officials are said to be enthused about the study's recommendations, and plan to incorporate them in future PR campaigns. Just what are these ideas, and will they in fact help the Jewish nation?
One of the primary recommendations relates to the need to stress the similarities between Israelis and Americans. The idea is to win the sympathy and support of the American people by showing that the average Israeli Jew is just like the average American, with the same goals, values and aspirations.
The problem with this approach is that the underlying assumption isn't true. This strategy is sure to fail in the long run, for the simple reason that Jews are NOT like everybody else. The difference lies in the covenant that was signed and sealed on Mt. Sinai over 3,000 years ago. It gives us a view of life and a set of responsibilities that make us different from other peoples. The covenant always has been, and always will be, the defining characteristic of the Jewish nation. It has never been cancelled or annulled, and is very much in effect today. Any attempts by Jews to deny, ignore, or relegate it to ancient history eventually lead to tragic results. The covenant is our strength, not our weakness, and it needs to be revealed, not concealed.
Another recommendation is that Israel should constantly stress how badly it wants peace. This approach is downright counterproductive. It creates an impression of weakness and a sense that Israel is afraid of its enemies, and it virtually invites further attacks.
Notice that the U.S. does not talk about making peace with Al Qaeda. It knows that the enemy is committed to America's destruction, that negotiations are futile, and that peace can only come as a result of winning the war.
Similarly, Israel cannot achieve peace with the Palestinian Arabs. They are totally committed to the death and destruction of Jews everywhere, and they've already passed this commitment on to the next generation. Israel should stop talking about how much it wants peace, and instead focus on victory, because only with victory will peace ultimately be achieved.
In addition to the issues stated above, the whole premise of the study seems misguided. The assumption seems to be that Israel is a small, weak country with a lot of enemies that can't survive on its own, and that needs the protection of a "superpower" such as the United States in order to exist. In other words, it completely dismisses the role of God in Jewish life. Instead, it asserts that the key to Israel's survival is to forge a stronger alliance with the U.S., and the way to do that is to make itself more "likeable" to Americans.
The difficulty here is that even if the desired alliance is formed, the U.S. will always naturally be primarily concerned with its own interests, and not Israel's. As long as the two interests are similar, things may go well. But when they diverge, as inevitably they will, Israel will be left in an exposed and highly vulnerable position.
So what exactly should Israel do in the current situation, if it's not willing to stake its entire future on its relationship with the U.S.? We should look to the covenant. A key point of it is that God promises to give the entire land of Israel to the Jews, assuming of course that we uphold our part of the agreement. Any attempt by Jews to surrender any part of the land to others, when not forced to do so militarily, is a severe breach of the spirit of the covenant, and will gain us no blessings from the Almighty.
The best thing Israel and Jews can do is to stop trying to win popularity contests, and start being true to ourselves and to our God. In fact, God is the only protector we need, but to earn His protection, we have to acknowledge His authority and strive to fulfill His commands.
Israel should announce, calmly and unapologetically, that there will be no separate Arab state in any part of the land of Israel, and that the entire land will be opened for Jewish re-settlement. Since the Arabs have proven that they have no intention of letting the Jews live in peace, they will be relocated to other Arab countries where they'll no longer be able to claim that Jews are spoiling their lives.
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Martin Wasserman is a software developer and former radio show host in California´s Silicon Valley. He can be reached at DeeperLook@aol.com.
One of the primary recommendations relates to the need to stress the similarities between Israelis and Americans. The idea is to win the sympathy and support of the American people by showing that the average Israeli Jew is just like the average American, with the same goals, values and aspirations.
The problem with this approach is that the underlying assumption isn't true. This strategy is sure to fail in the long run, for the simple reason that Jews are NOT like everybody else. The difference lies in the covenant that was signed and sealed on Mt. Sinai over 3,000 years ago. It gives us a view of life and a set of responsibilities that make us different from other peoples. The covenant always has been, and always will be, the defining characteristic of the Jewish nation. It has never been cancelled or annulled, and is very much in effect today. Any attempts by Jews to deny, ignore, or relegate it to ancient history eventually lead to tragic results. The covenant is our strength, not our weakness, and it needs to be revealed, not concealed.
Another recommendation is that Israel should constantly stress how badly it wants peace. This approach is downright counterproductive. It creates an impression of weakness and a sense that Israel is afraid of its enemies, and it virtually invites further attacks.
Notice that the U.S. does not talk about making peace with Al Qaeda. It knows that the enemy is committed to America's destruction, that negotiations are futile, and that peace can only come as a result of winning the war.
Similarly, Israel cannot achieve peace with the Palestinian Arabs. They are totally committed to the death and destruction of Jews everywhere, and they've already passed this commitment on to the next generation. Israel should stop talking about how much it wants peace, and instead focus on victory, because only with victory will peace ultimately be achieved.
In addition to the issues stated above, the whole premise of the study seems misguided. The assumption seems to be that Israel is a small, weak country with a lot of enemies that can't survive on its own, and that needs the protection of a "superpower" such as the United States in order to exist. In other words, it completely dismisses the role of God in Jewish life. Instead, it asserts that the key to Israel's survival is to forge a stronger alliance with the U.S., and the way to do that is to make itself more "likeable" to Americans.
The difficulty here is that even if the desired alliance is formed, the U.S. will always naturally be primarily concerned with its own interests, and not Israel's. As long as the two interests are similar, things may go well. But when they diverge, as inevitably they will, Israel will be left in an exposed and highly vulnerable position.
So what exactly should Israel do in the current situation, if it's not willing to stake its entire future on its relationship with the U.S.? We should look to the covenant. A key point of it is that God promises to give the entire land of Israel to the Jews, assuming of course that we uphold our part of the agreement. Any attempt by Jews to surrender any part of the land to others, when not forced to do so militarily, is a severe breach of the spirit of the covenant, and will gain us no blessings from the Almighty.
The best thing Israel and Jews can do is to stop trying to win popularity contests, and start being true to ourselves and to our God. In fact, God is the only protector we need, but to earn His protection, we have to acknowledge His authority and strive to fulfill His commands.
Israel should announce, calmly and unapologetically, that there will be no separate Arab state in any part of the land of Israel, and that the entire land will be opened for Jewish re-settlement. Since the Arabs have proven that they have no intention of letting the Jews live in peace, they will be relocated to other Arab countries where they'll no longer be able to claim that Jews are spoiling their lives.
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Martin Wasserman is a software developer and former radio show host in California´s Silicon Valley. He can be reached at DeeperLook@aol.com.