Israeli government urges young U.S. Jews: Leave humdrum life, study in Israel - National Israel News

[King_David]

It’s a humorous campaign that might have been just a tiny bit more effective a few months ago- before Israeli beachgoers were splashed all over the international news, running through the sand to escape Hamas rockets.

But the new commercial, launched by the government in an attempt to lure Diaspora youth - specifically North Americans and Russians- is still highly entertaining. It offers Israel as an exciting alternative to the predictable future that a young curly-haired Jewish guy can expect to have in exile. The conventional future presented does seem a bit outdated: house in the suburbs, the wife, the kids, the pot belly - and “Shabbat dinner with the in-laws,” a continuation of a cookie-cutter high school and college career, a tableau that some Diaspora Jews may very well find offensive.

The Israeli alternative is presented as a chaotic and colorful Zohan-esque, Birthright-evocative exaggerated scenario on the beach. The young hero’s chest is suddenly covered with a carpet of dark hair, he is presented with a slew of exciting activities - success in hi-tech, stuffing his face with falafel, yelling at strangers in a movie theater.

The penultimate scene, in the video, which debuted Tuesday, with clear aspirations to go viral, shows our hero, perched on a camel on the beach, with a hot sabra girlfriend in front of him with tan shorts and khaki legs, playing the infamous Israeli beach paddle-ball variant game - matkot.


http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.614943

[King_David]

1. The Video

http://m.

[Jefferson23]

2. Do you approve? n/t

[King_David]

3. What's to approve or not approve?

Why not?

[Jefferson23]

4. What I wanted to know is, do you approve of the ad in the sense that you feel it meets

its purpose or not.

[King_David]

5. They were hoping for it to go viral

But only 120 000 hits so far

[Scootaloo]

10. I'm confused

is this supposed to encourage someone to go to Israel?

Uncle sam in an Israeli flag hat? Wow. Isn't that supposed to be offensive or something?

Ping pong? is ping pong a thing in israel?

The narrator was drowned out by the music in places, it seemed like "yell at your wife in a theater after getting your ear teased by a bikini chick" thing was going on.

it seems like Israel is trying to market itself as Vegas by the sea. or as Americans call it, "Atlantic City."

If this was supposed to go viral, I suspect they were relying on th "Old Spice Guy" effect - random nonsense being hailed as entertaining. Lots of people try this. it usually fails. I'm going to chalk this one up. Still, slightly less annoying than those old Quiznos commercials with the lemur-things.

[King_David]

12. Maybe it works for the target audience?

Not viral at 120000+ hits.

'Rubble Bucket Challenge' thingy was 374000 hits

American Jews against Zionism has 14709 likes on Facebook

[Scootaloo]

13. Well, you tell me. Does it?

I mean I'm obviously outside the target audience (for starters, I'm not remotely Jewish, nor do I pretend to be one on the internet.) But as someone used to examining composition and media, this whole thing is just... really strange. It comes off as a bunch of flashing images and semi-random gibberish, and I don't think it makes a good sell of "come study in Israel."

So what am I missing here? Anything? Or is it really just what it looks like, a vaguely surreal scroll of shiny pictures and noise?

[oberliner]

15. I'm not the target audience either

I think this is aimed at the early 20s crowd.

With that in mind, it does remind me of other ads aimed at that demographic. Doesn't seem all that strange to me.

I can see it being effective precisely for the elements of the composition you mention. It's quick, flashy, amusing - and presents an appealing contrast.

Obviously, it highlights some of the more shallow, positive components of life in Israel and leaves out the less appealing ones (Much as how a beer commercial shows people having fun at a party and not vomiting in the toilet).

Even if the ad itself is a bit stupid (as most ads are), I guess the idea would to plant the notion in one's head that spending a year studying abroad in Israel is something to at least think about.

The message: "Before you set off on your life as an American, spend a year doing something different by living abroad in a unique and pleasant environment."

[grossproffit]

14. This has me wanting to sign up.

LOL!

[NBachers]

6. The girl's middle finger; the watermelon slices. I liked the jumping dolphins in the last scene . .

[DonCoquixote]

7. Dulce et Decorum est

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html

"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest(13)
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori"

[King_David]

8. Trumpeldor would be more apt .

"It does not matter, it is good to die for our country."[1]


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Trumpeldor

[Scootaloo]

9. You mean the guy who started a fight and was hailed as a symbol of self-defense?

Well, that's certainly very Israeli of him, I suppose.

Personally I suppose living for one's country gets more results than dying for it does. I mean if you're going to give a shit about loyalty to transitory borders on a map, that is.

[DonCoquixote]

11. actually no

because here, people are glamorizing war to young people without showing the Horror. Considering Wilfred Own never made it home, that is fitting.

[bemildred]

16. The "slacker mystique".

Young and bored? Have we got a deal for you.

[Jefferson23]

17. lol

I think the timing of it is pretty piss poor too..we do shallow well in Israel after
we mowed the lawn in Gaza.

[bemildred]

18. Well, it's not the demographic I'd be looking for.

On the other hand it does seem to be the image they want to project, the 90s high-tech "the future is coming" stuff.