Friday, September 14, 2012

and another

Israel is warning expatriates not to marry Jewish Americans amid claims its government thinks U.S. Jews are not religious enough.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sponsoring adverts that warn his people that they can 'lose their national identities' if they tie the knot with foreigners with the same faith. The campaign is ostensibly aimed at attracting Israelis back to their homeland by making them feel guilty about staying in the U.S.SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS Homeland: A new campaign by the Israeli prime minister's government suggests Israelis shouldn't marry American Jews No understanding: In one video, an American boyfriend doesn't understand his Israeli girlfriend is observing Israel's day of mourningBut it has also been claimed that the right-wing Likud party want to prevent liberal Americans moving to Israel and making the country's electorate more left-wing.On the blog Mideastposts.com, one writer says Prime Minister Netanyahu is 'anti-Liberal' and 'anti-Western,' and has been going to great lengths - including trying to weaken settlers' voting power - to keep his party in power.The adverts, including several billboards, are heavily concentrated in the cosmopolitan cities New York and Los Angeles. More...Al Qaeda 'holding hostage U.S. aid expert kidnapped three months ago in Pakistan' We don't want to carry out military strike on Iran to end nuclear programme… but might have to, says Israeli foreign ministerOne read: ‘Before Hanukkah turns into Christmas, it’s time to come back to Israel’ and ‘Before Abba turns into Daddy, it’s time to come back to Israel.’The Immigration and Absorption Ministry also released videos on its websites using scare tactics to show what may happen if they don't return to Israel.One shows a Jewish couple – the boyfriend is American and the girlfriend is from Israel. The bumbling boyfriend looks over her girlfriend’s shoulder and is oblivious to the fact she is observing Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s day of mourning. Modern family: Another video shows a Jewish-American family talking to their family in Israel during the holidays Awkward glances: The grandparents look horrified their granddaughter thought the menorah was for ChristmasA voice-over then says: ‘They will always remain Israelis. Their partners won’t always understand what this means.’In another, Israeli grandparents are speaking with their children and granddaughter on Skype. They ask their granddaughter what holiday is represented by the menorah behind them. ‘Christmas!’ the girl cries out. The grandparents look crestfallen.The campaign, which is reported to have cost nearly $1million, doesn’t target American Jews, but it offends them, the Daily Beast says.The Jewish Chanel, which broke the story, calls it a ‘semi-covert national campaign.’ Who's your daddy: A third video shows a son calling his father 'Daddy,' not Abba, Hebrew for 'father' Assimilated: The adverts seem to imply that Israeli identity is lost to American culture‘I don’t think I have ever seen a demonstration of Israeli contempt for American Jews as obvious as these ads,’ The Atlantic’s Jeffery Goldberg writes. He writes that he understands why Israel wants as many people as possible in the country - it’s good for their economy - but to guilt them into leaving America in such negative terms is ‘somewhat appalling.’The Absorption Ministry said the campaign was launched to target expatriate Israelis, not American Jews.It stressed that it ‘respects and appreciates the American Jewish community and recognises its strong connection to Israel.’

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