February 15, 2013 | 12:41 pm

One Israeli Creation for the Weekend

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

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This weekend, I invite you to enjoy Israel's finest creations: funny arrangements for popular songs. No extra words necessary

Jewish Style (Gangnam Style parody)

I'm Jewish and I Know It (I'm Sexy and I Know It parody)

Light Up the Night (Light Up the Night arrangement)

February 13, 2013 | 11:45 am

Media Framing- how to notice and handle it correctly?

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

We've seen it during Operation Pillar of Defense, but media framing is everywhere and at all times. As a part of the Media War, it is very important that we will be able to notice media framing, and handle it correctly. Here are a few tips...

The part the media have in our lives is not something to undermine. Each and every one of us relies on one of the various media forms to receive information on recent events. In the last couple of decades, the news sources we rely on get more and more varied. From the choice between a sole news channel on television and a daily paper, we can now choose between a variety of websites, channels and papers. The many choices help us to be able to read the custom content we are interested in. This customization can make people from two far ends of the world come together, but on the other hand, it can enlarge the differences between different communities.

For all of us, our favorite news channel/paper/website provides us plain information about recent news from our close community, our country and the even the rest of the world, but there are two other parts the media take in our lives, which we tend to overlook: agenda setting and framing. You see, the media also tell us what to talk about, and what to think. By picking certain stories and themes, the media sets the burning issues we find important and that we often discuss with our peers. Researchers have shown that the more headlines a certain topic receives via media, the more the people find it important. Stories which appear on the left side of the paper will subconsciously be perceived to be more important than the ones on the right side.  A story which will still be dealt with by the media the next day will also be the story we will keep talking about.

The papers not only decide for us what we will talk about, but also what to think of the matter. This is called Media Framing. The exact same story will mostly be presented in different ways on different news media. While appearing completely objective and neutral, the articles read or viewed always have an opinion hidden behind them. Even if it is not explicit or intentional, it can be quite noticeable, if we only ask ourselves several questions before reading: who is being presented? Which side is being presented first? Which last? What words does the editor use in the headline ("pro-Palestinians" and "human rights activists" are descriptions used in papers for the same group of people). Which delegate presents each side (Prime minister/ a citizen)? What words are being used in relation to the different quotes ("claims"/"says")? On what aspects of the story does the news source focus?  What does NOT appear?

Even since becoming aware of the matter during one of my classes, I began reading articles from different resources, in order to get a better picture as to what has really happened. I compare stories between different papers and websites in Israel, and also compare the Israeli reports to reports from abroad. I must admit I never thought the difference would be so distinct. By reading the same story in two different Israeli papers, I received the same information, but got two different impressions regarding the issue. Not to mention the grand, almost impossible difference between a report in an Israeli paper and the Al-Jazeera website.

For example, here are two news reports, one from Al-Jazeera and another from CNN, on the exact same matter. Notice the choice of words:

CNN

Al- Jazeera

On April 15th a group of Pro-Palestinians/Human rights activists planned to land in Israel and volunteer in Palestinian territories. The Israeli government decided to use its right to choose who can and cannot enter its gates, and prevented their entrance. The Israeli news was all over it. Some Israeli papers clearly didn't support the way Israel prevented those people their access to Israel, others stood behind the decision, complementing our leaders for the calm, peaceful way of handling the situation. The one thing almost all Israelis had in common was what they thought the world thinks of the whole story.  Opinion columns everywhere referred to the denial of their entrance as an event that will make us look bad on international television. Media experts talked about the bad name we have abroad, and how this whole story will make things worse. The story appeared in the headlines here for several days, but when I browsed the web for the international websites, I found almost nothing. Most websites abroad briefly published the story, focusing merely on the commander who hit an activist, in a short, almost unnoticeable article. Even abroad I found various versions to the exact same story.

Instead of trying to explain the differences unsuccessfully, here are the links to official news reports for you to get your own impression. After asking myself the questions listed above, the differences suddenly became very clear to me.

Jewish Journal

Al- Jazeera (notice who represents the Israeli side? At the beginning, how long does it take to mention the footage was not taken in Israel?)
 

CNN (notice the channel the video was taken from, and the caption inside)

Le Monde (France):

It is obviously impossible to read five different papers every day (unless you are a Communication or Media major in university), but the most important thing is to always be aware that what you read reflects not only the facts, but the people who give you those facts.

More on Media Framing on a sequal post.

For questions and more information, feel free to post anything on Israelife's Facebook page. 

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February 11, 2013 | 11:47 am

This week from Israel

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

Oh no, he's back!

A new bestseller novel in Germany takes a turn in history, and describes the imaginary scenario of Hitler's return to the world, after 66 years of disappearance.  In the comedy novel, named, "He's Back" (Er Ist Wieder Da), Hitler wakes up in 2011 without the slightest idea about what has happened in the intervening 66 years.

Read more here.

Defying security threats

A new Waldorf Astoria hotel in Jerusalem is finishing construction now, after an investment of 150 million dollars. The hotel, which is scheduled to open in summer 2013, is a risk of some sort, taken by investors who believe that in spite of security threats, Israel has the potential of remaining a prime tourist destination.

Read more here.

Segway, make room for Muve

Inventor Amir Zaid combined forces with the design software company Autodesk, to create what will  probably be the new big thing in urban transportation, thus becoming way cooler than Segway…$2000 and you can bust a Muve!

Read more here.
 

Israeli film takes over Berlin Film Festival

"The Gatekeepers," the Israeli Academy Award-nominated documentary, which goes behind the scenes of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, won the Cinema for Peace prize at the Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday evening.
This is the first time an Israeli film receives the prize, which has been handed out since 2001.

Read more here.

Our Kineret is almost back to her best

Turns out the cold and wetness we suffered from in the past few weeks weren't in vain. The water level of Lake Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, is slowly inching its way towards its maximum capacity! After years of drought, there is very very good news!

Read more here.
 

Will Alicia Keys be joining us this summer?

Israeli producer Shuki Weiss is holding talks with the singer's agents for what is expected to be the first in a series of international performances in the country. Keys, if you read this, I have only one thing to say: Pleeeeeaaaaasssseee come!

Read more here.
 

Israeli surfers become heroes of the day in Hawaii

Three Israeli surfers, Tzvika  Elias, Yair Naftali and Gabi Liptz,  went to the aid of eight children struggling in the waters off Hawaii on Saturday, after huge waves began surging toward the coast.

Read more here.
 

The Israeli Fed Cup team is back on track

The Israeli national tennis team members, Shahar Pe’er and Julia Glushko performed more than well at the Europe/Africa Zone Group I campaign in Eilat on Saturday.

Read more here.

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Tel Aviv.COM

The Tourism Ministry, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality and Tel Aviv Hotels Association have launched a new website to promote Tel Aviv. The initiative, in cooperation with representatives of the gay community in the city, is designed to expose tourists to the many tourist and cultural opportunities offered in the city.

Take a look of the new website.

Watch the new video, presenting Tel-Aviv

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February 8, 2013 | 12:31 pm

One Israeli Creation for the Weekend

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

Guy Rotem is a 23 years old musician, on the verge of his big breakthrough. He writes his own songs, and accompanies his voice with percussion. I came across his music while wandering around the virtual halls of YouTube, and found it absolutely beautiful and soulful.

In a short interview to "Israelife", he said: "I've been listening to Turkish and Persian music since I was a newborn, and it became a big influence on the music I make. In about six months I am planning on leaving Israel and moving to Istanbul, Turkey. There, I plan to learn from the best of the best in the field and return to Israel with new, interesting music."

Ruchot Karot (Cold winds)

Ale BaShalechet (A leafe in the fall)

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February 6, 2013 | 11:13 am

Will we finally be visa-free?

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

"A bipartisan, bicameral group of congressmen has drafted legislation that would allow Israelis to visit the United States for 90 days without a visa."  These words opened an article in The Jerusalem Post a couple of weeks ago. You may read this and think to yourself "well, that's nice, but what is the big deal?"

Well, let me tell you something- this news  is AWESOME! It is the biggest deal since the moon landing! In case this legislation will be approved, it will change the most exhausting process Israelis go through (yes, more exhausting than the IDF recruitment day) - Issuing a visa to the U.S.

Anyone traveling on an Israeli passport needs a visa to enter the United States. This visa is required whether your visit lasts several months, or merely a weekend. There are several kinds of visas, from tourist to working to cultural exchange , every visit to the States. When landing, we must stand in a long, tiring  line and wait for a serious, sometimes frowning clerk who checks the dates on the visa, making sure it is not expired. An expired visa means one thing- a round trip back home. This visa can have a life that lasts from four months to ten years, depending on several criteria, some reasonable, and some rather random.

In my lifetime, I have issued four visas. The first two were tourist visas (b1), and they were issued for me, when I was a child. The second one expired when I was 19, and serving in the IDF. Then, I  was issued a third visa, a cultural exchange visa (J1) after my military service, when I was sent by the Jewish Agency as an Israeli delegate to a summer camp. This visa expired after four months (for the two months period of camp, and another two months of traveling). This visa was very easy to issue, because I was sent by an organization. The fourth visa was issued several months ago.

Up until then, I had no idea what a tiring process this is. How hard will I have to work in order to get a taste of Manhattan? Now that I know what it takes, I can tell you- it's not worth it! Well, not really, but it is, in fact , a very long procedure that treats us all as unentitled for the honor of visiting the U.S, until we prove ourselves to be worthy.

The first step is to schedule an appointment at the U.S Embassy in Tel-Aviv. It is done online, through the Embassy's website. A smart person will schedule an appointment as early in the morning as possible, in order to avoid experiencing the word "delay" like never before.  Prior to the day of the appointment, there is a form we need to fill  out online. It's called "DS-160 application" and it is one long son of a pigeon… It is filled with countless questions that dig into every single aspect of your life, demanding to know every step you've ever made and your intentions for the future.

In this form, you need to give exact information (as much as possible) about your next planned visit (with whom you intend to travel, for how long, what are your plans, what is the exact address you'll stay in, etc.…); give your travel history to the States (which is quite a long list in my case); give information about your relationship status; describe your professional history and give full information about your current occupation; disqualify any criminal history or criminal intentions, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. It takes several hours to fill out, and usually requires several recesses. The problem is, the webpage expires after 30 minutes or so, and it can be quite disappointing if you forgot to save your progress. Oops.

The next step is the interview itself. This is one of the most nerve- wracking day in a visa-aspiring Israeli's life, for this is the big judgment day. This day can either end with a big smile, or with a session of screaming into a pillow. It all depends on your personal evaluation, made by one American clerk, which will determine whether you are worthy of having a visa.

You might think I sound over-dramatic, but this is the exact feeling you get from the moment you enter the Embassy. The first step is a security check. Because you obviously did not schedule your appointment to earlier than 8am because you mistakenly thought a good night's sleep is priceless, it will take about an hour for you to actually enter the building, due to a very long line. It is forbidden to enter the building with purses, backpacks or cell phones. All you can and must carry with are the printed DS-160 form, ID, passport, scheduled interview authorization and two passport pictures (where you cannot wear glasses, hat or earrings, and it is forbidden to smile).

Once you're in, there are three stations you go through. The first one is Fingerprint verification. During this stage, your fingerprints are being verified. This one is a bit stressing, because you cannot help but feeling you are a soon-to-be-convicted criminal, but it doesn't take so long. The second station, which is the most serious, nerve-wrecking part, is the interview with an American consular officer.  Most consular officers speak Hebrew, as well as some other languages such as Russian, Arabic, Spanish, but if your English is fluent, the interview will be in English.

In the interview, the consular officer asks you questions to determine your reasons for traveling to the United States. He or she will ask many questions similar to the ones on the DS-160, when your main goal is to prove that you have no intentions that are more than the ones you state (if you are travelling as a tourist, you cannot plan to work there…)

The Officer may require that you provide more documents in order to make a decision about your qualifications for a visa. I, for once, was asked to provide a student ID (to prove that I am, in fact, a student), as well as a letter from my boss, proving that I am being occupied by a place of work that expects me back after my visit. Usually, when you are in your 20's (after you IDF service), have no job or you are not a University or a College student, and show no documents of a certain event in the States that you're invited to, your chances of getting a visa are pretty low. Why is that, you ask? Because at this stage of life, there are great chances that you will stay in the States and work illegally. Such chances, the Embassy is not willing to take…

After the interview, one of the three will happen:
1. The officer will announce that your visa was approved. You will skip back home and won't be able to take the smile off your face. I was lucky enough to experience this scenario.

2. The officer will tell you your visa application will be considered, or you will be requested to provide more information/documents.

3. Your visa will be denied, and you will not be able to try and apply for it again for at least six months and even that only in case there is a significant change in your    life (a job, higher education, marriage). This is one big bummer, especially if you already have your trip all planned out. This also means you won't be able to skip all your way back home, and you will probably crawl instead. This means you've wasted hundreds of Shekels and a lot of your precious time.

It took me a while to get there, but this is basically why legislation that would allow Israelis to visit the United States for 90 days without a visa is big, big news!

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February 4, 2013 | 12:01 pm

This week from Israel

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

Supporting Olim entrepreneurs

When wanting to succeed in business, "connections" is the key word. Building networks of customers, bankers, supporters, etc., can be especially difficult when you're new in town. The Hive was created for that purpose exactly. It is a unique tech accelerator that provides help for new immigrants to Israel with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Read more here and here.
 

Elections on Yom Kippur?

September 14, 2013, was announced to be the national Election Day in Australia. This date, however, turned to be Yom Kippur, which means that the country's population of 110,000 Jews might have to decide whether to vote or to find an alternative arrangement for submitting their ballots. Opposition in the Australian government has shown objection to this decision.

Read more here.

Israeli Hotel tycoon to purchase 22 hotels in Germany

Israeli businessman and hotel tycoon, David Fattal, is the owner of many hotels in Israel. If you've ever visited Israel, especially Eilat or the Dead Sea, there is a big chance you stayed in one of his hotels. Now, Fattal may expand his business to Germany.
According to reports, Fattal is holding negotiations for acquisition of Holiday Inn hotels in Munich, Cologne.The deal is estimated at some €300 million (about $400 million) and will be funded by Fattal and financial partners.

Read more here.

PETA vs Iran

You've all probably heard on the Iranian monkey's voyage to space last Monday. The monkey was launched successfully, while held inside a research pod. According to Iran, both the pod and the monkey were recovered safely after the landing, however, PETA, the animal rights group, was not pleased...

Read more here.

Israelis and Palestinians reaching "aGREENment"

While politicians on both sides are trying, unsuccessfully, to reach an agreement, Israel and the PA have been reaching a "green agreement"- "agreenment.". Both sides have been cooperating extensively to preserve the environment of the entire landmass west of the Jordan River. Together, both sides are working on keeping water clean, expanding agricultural opportunities for farmers, and ensuring safe disposal of waste and trash.

Read more here.
 

TLV at its glory

Besides clubs, beaches, coffee shops and entertainment, Tel Aviv has a great historic value and many cultural sites and places to visit and see. Here is a beautiful article about our "city that never sleeps."

Read more here.
 

Austrian Opera in commemoration of International Holocaust Memorial Day

Last Friday, just several days before the International Holocaust Memorial Day, a new opera, depicting how the Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children at a Vienna hospital during World War II, premiered in Austria's Parliament. The opera, "Spiegelgrund," tells that horrible story, of nearly 800 children which were killed at Vienna's Spiegelgrund psychiatric ward at the time. At the legislators were joined in the audience by diplomats, Holocaust survivors, and former Spiegelgrund patients.

Read more here.

20th birthday to Vertigo
20 years ago, Noa Wertheim and Adi Sha’al established the Vertigo Dance Company. In this time, Vertigo has become an international movement, promoting beautiful, innovative dance performances. Their 20th "birthday" celebrations will begin with a new performance, Vertigo 20, which will be presented in theaters around the country in the coming weeks.

Read more here.
 

An Israeli hero in the Big Apple

Guy Preissler, an Israeli currently living in NYC, became the hero of the day after taking over the wheel of a bus when the driver suddenly lost consciousness, managing to bring the runaway vehicle to a halt without serious injuries to any passengers or passersby.

Read more here.
 

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February 1, 2013 | 11:41 am

10 years to the Columbia Disaster

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

February 1st, 2003, 16:30 pm. My family and I were all sitting in the car, on our way to visit long distance family members. This was supposed to be a big day: Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli Astronaut and an old family friend, was supposed to land at Cape Canaveral, along with six fellow Astronauts. Ilan Ramon's voyage to space was the most talked about topic in the Israeli media. We all followed Ilan and his family from the moment of the takeoff, through his videos from space, and the romantic song his wife dedicated to him from millions of miles away. We all saw him as a symbol of Israeli achievement. He was the one we all believed in, the one we were all united in admiring.

We all waited for February 1st, when Ramon would step out of the space shuttle, wave to the cheering crowd, hug his wife and kids, and return home a hero. Even while on the road, we did not want to miss the historic moment, and my father turned on the radio, where the landing was recorded and broadcast. I will never forget that moment when we realized something went wrong. I remember my mother starting to cry, and my father catching his breath. I remember me asking what happened, and slowly gaining the understanding that Ilan Ramon will not step outside of the shuttle, and won't be reunited with his family. I don't remember Ilan very well. I grew up with his son, Tal, as both families lived in a family-residence next to an Air Force base. Both our dads were officers in the Air Force, and worked together. Tal and I were good friends in kindergarten, and our ways separated when my family and I moved back to the city when I was six. A few years later, I remember my dad asking me if I remember Tal's father, and saying that he might become an astronaut. Since space was my main interest at that time, my dad said that maybe someday I could meet with Ilan and he would tell me all about space. In the meantime, the Ramon’s moved to the States, and both families drifted apart. But even though I haven't spoken to Tal in years, when Columbia had left the atmosphere, I bragged to the entire school that it is the father of one of my closest childhood friends up there…

When Ilan Ramon boarded the Columbia, he had become an Israeli hero, a symbol of success beyond imagination, a realization of a dream. February 1st, 2003, was meant to become an historic day for the state of Israel. That day was meant to be written as the day when Israel stepped out of its borders and left a mark on the world's history. That day did become an historic day, but one we would rather we could erase. In that moment when the countdown ended, and the clock started counting back up, that day turned from a day of excitement into a day of grief.

It's been ten years now, and Ilan Ramon's smile is still in our hearts. Ramon, and the six other astronauts that assembled the Columbia team are all heroes. They will always be a symbol of achievement beyond any imagination, a symbol of national and worldwide pride, and an inspiration. May they all rest in peace.

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January 31, 2013 | 11:47 am

A response to NYT article about racist Israel

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

A group of supporters of Beitar Jerusalem hold a banner reading "Beitar will always remain pure" during a Premier League match in Jerusalem Jan 26. Photo by Stringer/REUTERS

Earlier today, I came across this article from the New York Times. It referred to last week's incident involving Beitar Yerushalaim soccer club fans, who raised a sign reading "Beitar will be pure forever", in protest of the decision to bring two Muslim players to the team.

This incident was frowned upon, and treated very seriously, by both the Israeli media and the public. Many articles included interviews with Beitar fans who said that the claim that all Beitar fans are extreme racists is wrong, and that this group represents a small number of the team’s  fans. Those extremist fans, in case you were wondering, were banned from future Beitar games.

In my opinion, the NYT article wasn't as balanced as I expect an article in such a respected newspaper to be. A certain paragraph in particular made me feel uneasy:

“People in Israel usually try to locate Beitar Jerusalem as some kind of the more extreme fringe; this is a way to overcome the embarrassment,” said Moshe Zimmermann, a historian at Hebrew University who specializes in sports. “The fact is that the Israeli society on the whole is getting more racist, or at least more ethnocentric, and this is an expression.”

In other words, the message this article was conveying to the NYT's large scale circle of readers was that Israelis, one and all, are racists: not that it was a small group of people, and that it is not a sad phenomenon which exists everywhere. None of the above.  Just an inference from a gathering of several terrible stories of race-based violence coming from the Israelis.

Racism is a terrible phenomenon worldwide, which keeps growing in spite of the process of globalization. As people of the world are growing closer, small groups of extremists are becoming even more extreme. I wish it wasn't so, but it is. Israel is no different than any other place in the world. Racism exists everywhere, and it is aimed to all ethnic groups and religions. Just a couple of days ago London's Sunday Times' published a rather anti-Semitic caricature. Last night, I encountered a Palestinian Facebook group, calling to kill all Jews. Racism should have vanished from the world long time ago, but it hasn't, and I'm afraid to say it probably never will. Extremists everywhere will continue to hate in vain, and spread that hate. But as I said, extremists are everywhere, and so is racism. It is not an Israeli phenomenon, and not a Jewish phenomenon. It is everywhere.

This NYT article was offensive to me. I felt attacked, without the ability to defend myself. That being said, I can only hope that the readers of that article would realize there is an imbalanced atmosphere there, and won't come to hate us for supposedly being such a hateful nation.

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