A buddy of mine, writer Zack Katowitz, tipped me off to an article on Haaretz.com. Of course, I prefer to call the Israeli news daily....
...instead, but that's besides the point.The article reports on the criticism of a recently released commercial for the Israeli cellular phone (plus) company Cellcom Media, and the founding of a Facebook Group condemning it. The group, called "גם לי יש בחילה מהפרסומת החדשה של סלקום" ("I too got nauseous watching the new Cellcom ad"), is trying to convince Cellcom to pull the ad:
"We could go into the media messages spouting racism any which way, but if you have come here than you too think they're uncalled for," reads the introduction to the Facebook group. "The McCann Erickson copywriter displayed an unbelievable propensity for bad taste."
The group also centered on what they feel is offensive in the new commercial, pointing out the fact that the supposedly "good" soldiers fear the possibility that the "monster living on the other side of the wall could steal the ball - but when the ball returns to Israeli hands, we discover that that monster isn't fierce at all, and actually feels like playing with the soldiers - oh joy!"
"Good enough reason to set up a beach party under the wall, complete with sexy female soldiers and musical instruments."
Unlike fellow blogger Jameel Rashid, I couldn't care less if the ad "makes IDF soldiers look human," or not.
(I was not fooled by the the soldiers in kippoth, crying and "praying" before they threw Jews out of their homes in Azza four years ago. Were you? What they did were acts of evil. Crying did not let them off the hook, nor did citing the "rulings" of their mamlakhti "rabbis.")
I think the Facebook Group has got it all wrong. If anything, I thought that the ad refutes any claims of "Palestinian" monsterhood, and is an advocate against the wall in question, showing that those on the other side are not monsters, but playful,...and harmless.
As you know, I am a big advocate against that stupid [Ariel Sharon's defacto border] wall. My only issue with the ad is the highly inaccurate portrayal of the so-called "Palestinians."
They really are monsters.
You can watch the video below, hosted on WeJew.com, and be your own judge.
You can also check out an "alternative" Facebook Group which has sneaked into the fray...
"Anti Cellcom Ad - IDF Playing Soccer Over Wall With Settler Children"
Why do you think for a second the IDF was playing soccer with the "enemy"?
ReplyDeleteI thought the IDF was playing soccer with the settler kids on the other side of the wall...
Unless of course, you think settler kids shouldn't be portrayed in Cellcom ads.
;-)
Because I do not know of any "settlers" who live THAT close to a concrete portion of the fence. Chain link portions, yes, but not concrete.
ReplyDeleteAre there?
Although "settlers" certainly live within in earshot of Mosques and their azanim {sp?}, the call to prayer in the background seemed to be implying that there were Muslims on the other side of the wall.
ReplyDeleteBecause I do not know of any "settlers" who live THAT close to a concrete portion of the fence. Chain link portions, yes, but not concrete.
ReplyDeleteMatan in the Sharon region is separated from Hablah (next to Kalkilya) with a fence just like that. I can probably think of a few. Maybe it was on the other side of Kever Rachel? Plenty of Jews there...
They could have called the video; "One day outside of Kever Rachel..."
OK. Good to know. I still think the call to prayer implies they are playing with Arabs.
ReplyDeleteThe call to prayer of the muazzin is so loud in some yishuvim, you would think its coming from the shuls.
ReplyDeleteSo...now knowing all the possibilities, couldn't this be next to kever rachel, and its friendly Jews kicking the ball back and forth to the IDF soldiers on the other side?
Jameel, Thank you for enlightening me about life in the "settlement."
ReplyDeleteIf you recall, I have lived in such settlements.
So,...obviously,...I know absolutely nothing of the muazzinim.
Sure, Jameel, anything's possible. It could be Qever Rahel, or wherever.
I was referring to the placement of the call to prayer in the context of the video.
Why was that put there?
I recall the call to prayer in Yaffo, as well. So?
Are saying it that it was not placed there for a reason? It was stuck in there stam, as an afterthought?
I was invited to the Facebook group, so I looked at the ad to see what the fuss was about. To me, there was no sign of Jewish settler kids. This was the separation wall and Palestinian kids were on the other side.
ReplyDeleteLike the writer, I have no objection to showing soldiers in the IDF as human. Unlike the writer, I have no objection to portraying Palestinian kids as human. They are not monsters until their leaders teach them to be. All in all, just a silly ad with a vague connection to telephones.
Jerry Waxman, Sderot
Hi, Jerry,
ReplyDeleteI also thought that the ad was much ado about nothing, and believe that it's more likely that not, that those on the other side of the wall were Yishma'elim.
I'm not sure why Jameel has decided to focus on this.
As politically incorrect as it may seem, at least according to Western/non-Jewish standards, an entire people comprises the enemy, not just the leadership. This is the halacha, according to the Ramba"m, one of the very few who comment on the matters within Torah she'bal peh.
Just read the Tanakh, and check out every time Yishma'elim pop up. Then you'll know why I call them monsters.
They have not changed, not in the time of the Ramba"m and not now. Anyone thinking they will, is not truly respecting their culture, and just trying to force them into a Western cultural box, in which they will never fit. For that matter, Jews should not fit into this box either. But, I digress....
Be that as it may, living in Sderoth, you certainly no what it's like to be, what Jameel and others call, a "settler."
Tel Aviv residents are also "settlers." They're just in denial about the Yishma'elim wanting it all. And that's the bottom line.
Ben Yehudah,
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, your logic is shared by too many well-meaning Jews and has not been to anyone's benefit.
"an entire people comprises the enemy, not just the leadership." You say it is Halacha - I accept that.
"They really are monsters." This is not Halacha - I don't accept it or the demonization of any people. It doesn't serve the cause of the Jewish people to do so.
"an entire people" i.e. group of humans, not monsters.
"an entire people" i.e not every single individual in the group.
By your logic, Ruth, a Moabite, was a monster (has v'shalom).
The IDF started losing wars at the time of the first intifada because the type of thinking you display falls right into the hands of the Arab media campaigners who can say, "See? Zionism is rascism."
When it becomes clear to the Jewish state, and to the IDF that Yishmael is the enemy, we will have a better chance at peace. Sounds paradoxical, but the point is that what is keeping us from achieving the Jewish dream is the fuzzy thinking in our leadership and in ourselves. When it becomes clear to us that our enemies are comprised of human individuals with similar aspirations to all Jewish human individuals, we have a better chance of bringing more of those individuals to support us at a human level, as has happened with a number of former terrorists who now support Israel.
I wouldn't consider Sderot the same as the Yesha settlements. I think Yesha supported Sderot more than Sderot has supported the people of Yesha - unfortunate, embarrassing, but true.
Jerry, you make some good points, especially at the end.
ReplyDelete"Monster" is subjective opinion, and not halachic. That's true.
You're right, there are some individuals who would be exempt from punishment, such as the ones who stand up to their gov't to declare the injustices against Israel.
Ruth? No. The Moabites did not lay claim to the land. They were not one of the "7 nations" incurring punishment over this issue. In fact, we were commanded to leave them alone in the end.
Well-meaning Jews? Many? I wish.
The fact is that the majority of religious Jews living in Yo"Sh are co-dependent, undying state loyalists. They could be our downfall.
Culturally Sderoth may be different. My point was that every point of land is considered marked for eventual destruction and take over by the Yishmaelim.