Walking for Israel
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Politics, Travel
Living in Israel, you sometimes develop a feeling of isolation – like you’re alone in the world with everyone else either against you or not understanding the situation.
That’s why every Israeli should spend a couple of days in Toronto. The 200,000 plus Jewish community is extremely cohesive and totally focused on Israel. According to figures presented by the Toronto Jewish Federation, around 75% of the Jews living there have visited Israel, a huge jump over most American Jewish communities.
Those sensibilities permeated the atmosphere at the Ricoh Coliseum on Sunday, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu launched the 42nd annual United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto’s Walk for Israel.
‘’The ties between Israel and Canada have never been stronger,” said Netanyahu to thunderous applause from the adoring crowd of around 7,000 people who arrived early in the morning due to security precautions, ahead of the seven kilometer walk which was raising money for Toronto UJA projects to help Ethiopian immigrants in Bat Yam.
There was a festive atmosphere in the auditorium with balloons, and an equal display of Israeli and Canadian flags being waved and worn. And that feeling spread to the walk in the beautifully sunny day in which an estimated 15,000 walkers were out in the joyous procession, replete with plenty strollers, flags and spirited singing.
A random sampling of walkers found unanimous praise for Netanyahu’s speech and for all things Israeli.
Mark Eltis, a 32-year-old native of Montreal who moved to Toronto for college, was participating in his first walk. He said that Netanyahu had “hit the nail on the head” with his speech.
‘It was incredible opportunity to bear witness to the prime minister’s amazing speech, and an opportunity to show him the support that Canada and Toronto have for Israel,” said Robin Kislavsky. “It’s an incredible, cohesive community.”
That cohesiveness was in evidence through its unadulturated love for Israel it displayed on Sunday. Just what the doctor ordered.
Israel’s size becomes an issue
Filed under: A New Reality, Blogging, General, Israeliness, Pop Culture, Travel
It may be that frigid winter up there freezes the brain into thinking about nothing but sex, but our Canadian friends of Israel seem to have gone off the deep end, with a new campaign on universities to promote Israel.
‘Size Doesn’t Matter’ is the name of the campaign and web site that is touting many of the same things we do here at ISRAEL21c and Israelity – Israel’s diversity, innovation and achievements and how the tiny country is contributing to make the world a better place.
The site includes a blog, a selection of photographs of Israeli personalities and places, and a listing of campus activities that Size Doesn’t Matter is hosting throughout the year.
However, their first oral, er… I mean viral effort at trying to attract the attention of Canadian university students relies more on ‘spring break’-like wink and nod innuendo than any particular factual information.
Which, I guess, may be a smart move in order to attract a crowd. But on what level do we have to stoop to portray Israel positively? Even YouTube has censored this one for an 18-year-old plus audience. Check it out here.
Meet Noam Dolgin from the Green Zionist Alliance
Jewish religious values can help green The Holy Land.
Noam Dolgin is a Jewish environmental educator and the executive director of the Green Zionist Alliance (GZA). Based in Vancouver, Canada, he travels regularly around North America teaching about Jewish environmental values and Israel’s environment.
Green Prophet blog sits down with Noam to learn a little more about the Green Zionist Alliance and what it does. Read more
TV’s The Office to open a Petach Tikva branch
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Movies, Pop Culture
Exciting Israeli pop culture news has reached us with the recent announcement that the local satellite TV provider, Yes, will soon be running its own version of the landmark satirical half-hour comedy series The Office. A full 15 episodes have already been contracted, set to air in about a year from now, with the Israeli firm July August, which was behind the recent success of The Band’s Visit, handling production.
Co-creator Ricky Gervais was quoted in The Guardian‘s piece announcing the project saying,
“I am thrilled and amazed that Israel are making The Office with local writers, directors and actors. I mean, who ever heard of Jewish entertainers?”
Ha’aretz reported shortly thereafter that screenwriting will be handled by B’tipul‘s Uzi Weill and the director will be Eitan Tzur, who also had a hand in that Israeli television export’s success.
When Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant developed The Office as what would become a two-season sitcom for the BBC, they had no idea what levels of universal appeal their odd sense of humor had the potential of reaching. Sure, Gervais’ portrayal of oblivious, over-the-top, tasteless paper company branch boss David Brent was arguably grounded primarily in esoteric British dry humor stylings and in specifically British office culture-inspired mishaps. But the show also managed to tap into the universal phenomenon of “cubicle angst,” and its mockumentary-inspired packaging, complete with uncomfortable silences, helped rocket it into global cult favorite status.
Soon the BBC was licensing local versions of the show to markets outside England, with France, Russia, Chile, Canada and the United States (pictured) creating their own takes. While the US version got off to a rocky start (its short first season was more or less a remake of the original British one, just with some local flavor and accents added), it hit its stride towards the beginning of season two and is now enjoying its fifth successful season on NBC.
It can be argued that one of the reasons that the American Office has been as much of a creative success as it has been is that the writers have allowed for the characters to take on lives of their own in ways that are distinctively American. The action all takes place against the backdrops of corporate booze cruises, office outings to Chili’s (where family members’ drinks might or might not be comped), ridicule of those who count Legally Blonde as an all-time favorite movie, peeking at one another’s high school yearbooks – you know, American office culture type stuff.
Having watched both the British and American versions of The Office for several years, I have wondered many times how an Israeli version might manifest itself. Israeli office culture has its own cultural mores and archetypes.
Also according to The Guardian:
….Giyora Yahalom, head of production at the Israeli satellite broadcaster Yes, added: “We are sure that the universal experience of contemporary office life will speak to Israeli viewers. There is no doubt that our viewers will enjoy the same jokes as their contemporaries in the UK.”
And the Ha’aretz piece makes a good argument that the creators are taking the proper approach, reporting that the show
…will take place at the dreary workplace of “Super Office,” a fictional office-supply firm in Petah Tikva.
….The cast will include a variety of Israeli types – an Arab warehouse manager, an ultra-Orthodox saleswoman and a bitter Russian accountant. The Israeli answer to David Brent, the obnoxious boss of the U.K. program, will be named Avi Meshulam, though an actor has yet to be pegged for the role.
Exciting stuff. Hopefully the creative team will have enough self-depreciating perspective to do it right.
Karpal and Lobel snag a Nevada Lulu
Filed under: Israeliness, Movies, Music, Pop Culture
Part Canadian, part Tel Avivian, pop singer-songwriter Emilly Karpal released her debut studio full-length album this past August. A collaboration with Tomer Adam Lenzinger, whom she met while working together on an Air remix, Nemashim (Freckles) has served Karpal’s career well, earning her considerable local airplay. One of the album’s key singles, the title track reached number 14 on the Reshet Gimmel radio station’s charts for Israeli music.
Now the cheeky, 80s-style bubblegum-electro retro-fest video clip for that single, below, has earned the performer some accolades from an unlikely source. Held in the low-key Nevada town of Pahrump, probably best known for being home to the Sheri’s Ranch brothel, the third annual High Desert Shorts International Film Festival has awarded $100 in cash prize money to Ofir Lobel for his work on the “Nemashim” video. The music video category’s competition was as stiff as can be expected from a community film festival, but Lobel’s slick work deserves kudos no matter what the scale of the context.
In addition to his music video work, Lobel, who has also spent lots of time in North America over the years, has served as a web-based news reporter and as a TV actor. He also has his own budding career as a musician.
In comments to the Israeli music video TV channel 24, Lobel has indicated that he hopes this award, nicknamed the Lulu, will open up career opportunities for him overseas. Karpal, on the other hand, said, “It’s fun that we’ve reached all the way to Nevada, since I’ve never even been there.”
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