Yesterday I wrote at The Times of Israel about my recent trip to the US and Canada. Everywhere I go I talk to people. I like to mention I’m from Israel and see the reaction. I’m not pushy and I’m genuinely interested in listening to what real people think especially outside of settings where Israel or Jews are important.
Generally I encounter much more positivity than negativity. When we spend our time deep in the world of countering anti-Israel lies and fighting BDS campaigns its so important to remember these are still fringe activities.
We must avoid falling into a trap of believing anti-Israel BDS is more successful than it is! The other side is working so hard precisely because it has limited success and needs to keep repeating the same messages because on the whole they don’t stick.
Sure: university campuses are a problem, young kids are easily swayed. But they do grow up and often figure out they were lied to.
With that in mind, read, share and propagate this positive message:
The overwhelmingly positive feeling toward Israel extended to other spheres: I like to tell people I’m from Israel and see their reaction. I always encourage people to come and visit. On this trip, as is often the case, I encountered very few negative reactions. I know the negative is out there but I don’t seek it and it rarely finds me.
So as the Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron, arrives in Israel, also stressing high tech cooperation, we find the benefits of trade with Israel are too great for anyone sane to overlook. And even if we’re led to believe the EU foreign policy team wants to punish Israel (while embarrassing itself smiling with the Iranian terror overlords) individual EU countries, companies and people can’t bring themselves to turn down the benefits of working with Israel.
No matter how I look at it, the massive noise generated by global PR campaigns against Israel is not widely matched by negative feelings on the ground, especially in North America. So many people either have no firm views or are easily swayed by the positive that flows from Israel.
This is not the time to give up on our beliefs and sink into a funk: Israel is a gift to the world and I know the doomsayers are lying.
