February 18, 2013 | 12:14 pm

This week from Israel

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

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Barbie and Ken tour Israel

Enrico Pescantini and Maria Giovanna Callea vacationed in Israel this past August. Like any other tourists, they visited Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem , the Dead Sea, and all the rest of Israel's best. However, the Italian couple did get some weird looks when they stopped for  a picture. Instead of capturing themselves, the couple took photos of Barbie and Ken dolls, traveling across Israel. Now, the "Barbie Loves Israel" exhibition is on display at Milan's Kitsch Bar, Corso Sempione 5, until February 20.

Read more here.

Soon- Mass Challange in Israel

Startup accelerator MassChallenge announced plans to launch next month a sister program in Israel — its first expansion outside the Hub — with the support of a four-year commitment from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The big news was announced during Mass Challenge's fourth session which took place in Boston.

Read more here.

Israeli-French team to cure genetic syndromes

An Israeli-French team of scientists has developed an innovative technique that they believe will cure numerous rare genetic syndromes in babies, such as defects in the fingernails, teeth, skull, facial bones and more.

Read more here.

One small step for an Israeli man, one giant leap for mankind?

According to Enon Landenberg, the head of commercial marketing at SpaceIL, an Israeli vessel will be placed on the moon by 2015. Last week he told The Times of Israel: “People did think it was a joke when we started two years ago, and even now we get that to some extent , but SpaceIL is not only not a joke, it will set the agenda for science education and research in Israel in the future, we believe.”

Read more here.

Rita in her biggest performance yet

On March 5, Rita, the Israeli mega star singer, will perform at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Rita will be joining an exclusive group who enjoyed this honor, such as Beyonce'. Rita, who was born in Iran, will perform songs in Persian from her latest album, "My Joys," which is a major success in Iran's black market. 

Read more here.

A deputy police commissioner resigned after Tweeting a quote by Hitler

Rachel Frosh, a deputy police and crime commissioner in Hertfordshire, England,  tweeted a message last week that seemed to be comparing political opponents to Nazis. As reported, the message sent from her Twitter account said: “Dear Socialists, embrace your inner Nazism,” and contained an attachment of a picture of the Nazi dictator. Although stating that she does not remember sending this message, Frosh resigned last Thursday due to the harsh consequences of the message.

Read more here.

Israeli show-jumpers on their way to Rio's Olympics

Danielle Goldstein, a world-class equestrian, wants to fulfill her Zionist dream: assemble the first Israeli Olympic show jumping team for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Read more here.

Two chefs published a cookbook and became symbols of peace

Two London- based chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli, and Sami Tamimi, a Palestinian,published a bestselling cookbook, "Jerusalem." It is based on their memories of their shared city and its delicious food. But other than becoming the authors of a bestseller, the two also became a symbol of peace due to their inspiring partnership. 

Read more here.

Elliott Gould makes us Jews proud!

The Washington Jewish Film Festival returns with 55 films from 15 different countries and with guest star Elliott Gould. The festival's primary cause is to promote and preserve Jewish culture and tradition, while still touching audiences from around the world, this year, with Gould's help.

Read more here.

Watch Gould at an interview about the festival

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.

​

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 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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January 28, 2013 | 11:50 am

This week from Israel

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

Never Again

Yesterday, January 27th, the world mentioned the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day reminds us all of the horrible, systematic death of 6 million, for no reason other than their beliefs. This day reminds us all to always remember and never forget.

Read more here.

Israeli-American Idol

Some say American Idol is an overcooked meat, but to many Israelis, season 12 of the hit singing contest is set to be the most interesting one so far. Shira Gavrielov, daughter of singer Miki Gavrielov, had a couple of hit songs in Israel, and was on her way to the local top when she decided to go to the Big Apple and make her music there. She applied for American Idol, and her audition was aired on the season's first episode a couple of weeks ago. Shira performed like a star, and got the golden ticket to Hollywood. Now, all of Israel is behind her, crossing fingers and hoping to see her becoming the next American Idol.

Read more here.

Watch Shira's audition

A cloud of birds

If you happened to be in the Negev area in Israel last week, you probably spotted a big black cloud in a non-stop motion. This cloud was assembled by a flock of starlings, who returned in its glory to Israel, after 20 years of absence.

Read more and see pictures of the flock-cloud here.

Playboy is coming to Israel

After it was banned for publication by the Ultra-Orthodox community for decades, Playboy magazine is about to be issued in a blue and white edition. The male-oriented publication, which was originally founded by Hugh Hefner in 1953, will be released here in print and online with both Israeli and international content.

Read more here.

Anne Frank's diary adjusting to 21st century

“The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank is the starting point for many teachers, inside Israel and abroad, when teaching about the Holocaust. Frank's diary,  which she wrote while hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, became a must-read influential masterpiece, and a best-seller. This book became an integral component of Holocaust teaching, as it describes the most unthinkable time in history through the eyes of a young girl. Now, a new iPad and Nook app presents a tablet version of the book which includes interactive links, videos, voice-overs and historical background along with never-before released material supplied by the Switzerland-based Anne Frank Foundation.

Read more here.

In memory of Columbia

It's been 10 years now since the Space Shuttle, Columbia, did not land. It's been 10 years since that countdown we've all seen on television, expecting the first Israeli Astronaut, Ilan Ramon to return home. That countdown, which suddenly ended, without Ramon and his cast smiling and waving. 10 years since we all suddenly started to cry. In memory of the Columbia Astronauts, 14 leaders of the world's most important space agencies will arrive in Israel this month to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster and the death of the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon.

Read more here.

Tu Bishvat's beauty

In honor of Tu Bishvat, photojournalist Yehoshua Halevi captured blossoming Israel, and posted the results in Jerusalem post.

Take a look at some of his most beautiful almond tree photos here.

​Intucell Ltd to be purchased by Cisco

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), the world’s largest maker of networking equipment, agreed to buy mobile network company Intucell Ltd. The very successful Israeli originated company is based in Raanana, Israel (my hometown). According to reports, Intucell will be purchased for about 475 million Dollars. 

Read more here.

UK football players visit Auschwitz

A Holocaust educational video showing members of England’s football team touring Auschwitz is set to be distributed to secondary schools and colleges as part of the UK-based Holocaust Education Trust’s legacy project.

Read more here.

Chuck Norris says: vote Netanyahu!

“Shalom, this is Chuck Norris. With the elections just days away, Israel has an important decision to make, so let me tell you what Chuck would do,” As many Israeli celebrities and artists of all kinds chose to not publicly support one party or another prior to the election, "Walker, Texas Ranger" decided to express his support for his favorite nominee for Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. The video of the announcement was funded and produced by JDPR, an Israeli public relations firm. Now I wonder if it was Norris's announcement that helped Netanyahu win last week's election…

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January 17, 2013 | 11:31 am

Election Countdown- Why is Jonathan Howard voting Ale’ Yarok?

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

On January 22nd, Israel will vote for its new Knesset, and choose the Prime Minister to lead it. Much unlike the American system, here, we have countless parties with countless ideologies to choose from. Behind the curtain, we will cast our ballot, and choose one party only. The person leading the party which will get the most votes, will become Israel's next Prime Minister. I asked some of my friends to tell me, and you, whom they are planning to vote for, and why. Some knew the answer right away, some are still struggling. Each day, I will post a different column with a different opinion. Take in count that this is merely a taste of all the parties competing for our votes. Today, Jonathan Howard will explain his choice of voting Ale' Yarok.

My vote goes to Ale' Yarok/ Jonathan Howard

The upcoming elections in Israel provide many interesting dilemmas for voters. Like the American Presidential debates, here too, parties confront issues of defense, the economy, religions’ rights, immigration, etc. I say this now, but up until a few years ago, both public discourse and party propaganda revolved very expressly around defense, and defense alone. This defined political “left” and “right” across the country, and was the main parameter by which people voted.

But in the summer of 2011, only a couple of months before “Occupy Wall Street” erupted in New York City, a similar protest ensued in Tel-Aviv, calling for economic relief for the middle-class and affordable housing. Over half a million people came to massive demonstrations, calling for change in the economy (Israel’s population is around 6.5 million). Since then, Facebook feeds, blogs, twitter accounts and the media have been filled with economic discussions, and parties have expressed their social and economic agendas much more vocally.

The Ale' Yarok (literally: Green Leaf) party is now running for the fifth time since its foundation in 1999, but to date it never received the necessary votes for it to enter parliament. Ale' Yarok was traditionally associated with the legalization of marijuana, and its members earned a reputation of “stoners” for it, but things have changed: Ale' Yarok joined up with The Liberal List, led by Yaron Lerman, and its agenda now includes legalizing drugs and prostitution (but fighting human trafficking); reducing the defense budget; shortening mandatory military service; opening up monopolized markets to competition; lowering taxation; separating religion and state; and in general – fighting for individual freedom of every Israeli citizen.

Almost mysteriously, there is very little to be said about defense: Ale' Yarok—The Liberal List supports a referendum in the case of peace agreements, but says little more. Surprising perhaps, but this reflects a change of view, looking at  the economy and social conditions before arguing in favor of this or that defense policy. This is the only real liberal party in Israel!

I am voting for Ale' Yarok—The Liberal List, because I believe in human rights, and in a thoughtful liberal economy, allowing for prosperity, without crushing anyone in the process. I believe that fixing the economy is the most pressing need in Israel, and that this time – with the party’s new format and agenda, it will finally make it into Parliament.

Jonathan is 23 years old, a computer technician from Jerusalem, recently released from the IDF.

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