Jews – and many others – awoke on the morning of Thursday 12 December 2019 – if not “dancing in the streets” – then at least relieved that a government under the leadership of an antisemitic party did not rule over them. And that feeling of relief was entirely justified. But, would anyone have predicted, before 2015, that one in three votes cast in a General Election would go to an institutionally antisemitic party? We might want to reassure ourselves that by noting that very few voted Labour because it was antisemitic, but is the fact that they chose to do so despite it being antisemitic really much of a comfort?
The battle against antisemitism isn’t over, it’s only just begun.
The last half decade has seen a normalization and mainstreaming of antisemitic tropes and rhetoric that would have been unimaginable just a short time ago. And of course, it all revolves around the Jewish state, which is today attacked in the same way as the individual Jew was 80 years ago.
Where do we go from here?
Can the antisemitic genie be forced back into the bottle? I don’t think it’s too late, and if you are reading this message, the chances are that you don’t either. My name is David Olesker, I’m originally from the UK and for more than thirty years I’ve been training advocates for Israel in the skills they need to be effective. In 2017, I ran a series of workshops in Britain for grass roots groups to help them hone their skills. I’m returning this spring and there are a few slots still open in my schedule if you would like to organize a workshop for your group. Among those who have already profited from my workshops are:
Israel’s diplomats and emissaries
the staff of major Jewish organizations
Jewish Federations and JCRCs in North America
secondary school and university students
community activists from around the world
Subjects covered include:
Why is it so hard to get people to accept our messages? How can we make them compelling? Learn about CENTRAL versus PERIPHERAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION, and ANALYTICS versus HEURISTICS.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMING: How to go off the defensive and seize the initiative.
CAMPAIGNING: How to move from events to sustained campaigns.
Details
I will be in the UK from May 11 to 19 and, thanks to some generous donations, I will be charging a nominal fee of £100 per session. Please be in touch with me directly if you are interested in having me run a training session for your group while I am in Britain.
David Olesker Director J·C·C·A·T Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades 14/3 Agassi St. · Jerusalem 9387714 · Israel Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · WhatsApp +972-58-748-0451· Fax +972-77-470-2844 e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website: https://jccat.org · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
Israel advocacy expert will show you how to prepare for both
What will be the response to the “deal of the century”?
We can’t know how EU states will respond, much less Iran and the Arab states. What we do know is that, regardless of any new diplomatic initiatives, anti-Israel advocates will continue to peddle a view of the Middle East that is mendacious, myopic (see this cartoon from almost 30 years ago!) and sometimes even classically antisemitic.
If our response is limited to running around and putting out the fires caused by such lies, then we will discover that it is the arsonist who is calling all the shots. What’s needed is an overall strategy to regain control of the discourse and put the pyromaniac on the defensive.
Expert training
I have more than three decades of experience teaching Israel advocacy skills to a wide range of student and community groups from Israel and all over the English-speaking world.
This spring I will be in North America, running Israel advocacy skills training workshops for campus and community groups who want to upgrade their abilities to advocate for Israel.
Among those who have already profited from my workshops are:
Among those who have already profited from my workshops are:
Israel’s diplomats and emissaries
the staff of major Jewish organizations
Jewish Federations and JCRCs
high school and university students
community activists from around the world
Subjects covered include:
Why is it so hard to get people to accept our messages? How can we make them compelling? Learn about CENTRAL versus PERIPHERAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION, and ANALYTICS versus HEURISTICS.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMING: How to go off the defensive and seize the initiative.
CAMPAIGNING: How to move from events to sustained campaigns.
These techniques will prepare advocates for Israel to deal with predictable calumnies as well as the surprises that are bound to confront us.
Dates and details
Dates of the spring tour of the US and Canada are April 19–30, 2020. if you would like me to visit your community, organization or school, please be in touch regarding fees, available dates and logistics.
David Olesker Director J·C·C·A·T Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades 14/3 Agassi St. · Jerusalem 9387714 · Israel Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · WhatsApp +972-58-748-0451· Fax +972-77-470-2844 e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website: https://jccat.org · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
Jeremy Corbyn:
Leader of the UK Labour Party and self-described friend of Hizbollah and Hamas
It’s shocking to realize that Jews in the UK are facing the most severe threat from antisemitism of any community in the Western world. This danger is not due to street violence, neo-Nazis or Islamist terror (although all of those things exist) but because a major political party has become infected with systemic antisemitism. The UK’s Labour Party, under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, has purged almost all of its pro-Israel legislators – particularly the Jewish ones – replacing them with many who are hostile to the Jewish state and the UK Jewish community. The party is leading a normalization of antisemitism so pervasive that Britain’s Chief Rabbi has said, “the very soul of our nation is at stake.”
But Jews and their supporters in the UK are fighting back. The recent recognition by the British government that the “political wing” of Hizbollah is just as much an illegal terror group as its “military wing” is a notable victory. For years Jew-haters have paraded through the streets of London waving the Hizbollah flag to incite and intimidate. The standard of the terrorists is now banned!
“Al Quds Day,” London, 2017
Do you wish you could do something to help? You can!
A key part of the fightback comes from local, grassroots “Friends of Israel” groups who operate on a shoestring and are staffed by volunteers. As you know, I train advocates for Israel, and in April 2018 I went to the UK to run a series of advocacy skills workshops for these groups. This only happened because of the support of people like you. These brave advocates want more! The people I trained in 2018 have invited me to return, and still more activists have asked for training. Please contribute to this campaign to help Jews on the cutting edge fight back.
Don’t worry if you can’t contribute much, literally every dollar counts in this campaign. Please click the link to go to our Jewcer page to learn more and to contribute.
— David Olesker
Director J·C·C·A·T
Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades
14/3 Agassi St. · Jerusalem 9387714 · Israel
Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · Fax +972-77-470-2844
e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website: https://jccat.org · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
Advanced workshops from an Israeli expert
April 2018
If you think everyone is against you, are you paranoid… or just realistic?
Jews, of all people, could be forgiven for feeling that they have no friends. It may be understandable, but it’s not true. Despite the rise of neo-Nazi groups like National Action (that is more of a security threat than a political danger) and the ongoing concerns about antisemitism on the Left, most Britons do not harbor antisemitic attitudes to Jews or the Jewish State.
We are not widely hated
Despite justifiable feelings of being threatened, the statistics show no widespread support for antisemitism among the British public. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there is widespread indifference to antisemitism, especially among younger people. The UK’s Labour party is clearly experiencing a problem with antisemitism, one that was extensively publicized before the last election. Despite that publicity many young voters still chose to support it. If you had asked them if they hated Jews or Israel, the vast majority would have said, sincerely, that they didn’t. But is that enough when extremist hatred is coming closer to the center?
And if you thought that all the problems lay on the left of the political spectrum, then remember that the current government (regarded by many as being friendly to Israel) voted in the UN to condemn US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
We don’t need to be victims
I’ve spent decades training advocates for Israel around the world in a systematic method to produce effective and persuasive pro-Israel messaging. In April I’ll be coming the UK and will be available to visit your community, campus or organization in order to help you hone your Israel advocacy skills. I’ll show you:
How to frame a message to give yourself the greatest chance of success.
How to build coalitions at the grass roots to multiply the number of active supporters of Israel.
How to go from the defensive to taking the initiative.
How everyone can be an advocate in mass media, social media and one-on-one interactions.
When and where?
I will be in the UK from April 22 through May 2, giving training workshops in London, Manchester and Aberdeen, and I am open to visiting other locations. For details of available dates and applicable fees, please be in touch as soon as possible.
(NEW WORKSHOP! For the first time ever on an overseas trip I’m going to be offering hands-on training in public speaking. Details are here.)
David Olesker
Director J·C·C·A·T
Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades
14/3 Agassi St. · Jerusalem 9387714 · Israel
Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · Fax +972-77-470-2844
e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
David’s workshop brings a new and thoughtful perspective to advocacy. His presentation on having the information to advocate, techniques to convey the information, and a forum to advocate in, equips communities with the tools they need to become effective Israel advocates.
Carol Brick-Turin, Director Jewish Community Relations Council, Greater Miami Jewish Federation
In my 25 years of work with media, communications, education and training within the Jewish community, I have met no one who does what David does even half as well.
Of the plethora of Jewish- and Israel-oriented educational programming I have implemented in forty states and a dozen other countries, David Olesker’s programs were the ones students most told me they found to have fundamentally changed and enhanced their understanding.
Advanced workshops from an Israeli expert
November 2017
Eyeless about Gaza?
The whole world recognizes the reality of the dangerous dictatorship that is North Korea. This tyrannical regime oppresses its own citizens and threatens its neighbors. Almost every state in the world agrees that it must be dealt with; the only disagreement is over the best method.
Yet Hamas’s rule over Gaza is just as oppressive to those who live there, and just as threatening to Israel. But it is perceived very differently.
The fact that few see that a double standard is being applied is one more example of how the West has succumbed to anti-Israel rhetoric.
We don’t need to be victims
The fact that the enemies of Israel have exerted influence over public discourse doesn’t mean that they are right or that they are destined to win. On the contrary, the US and Canada have witnessed victories by major pro-Israel organizations and grassroots activists alike. US state legislatures and the Canadian Federal Parliament have condemned BDS. Anti-Israel student groups have been disciplined at the University of California and BDS defeated in a labor union on a Canadian campus. But anti-Israel groups are not, unfortunately, giving in and continued success against them demands information and skills.
I have more than three decades of experience teaching Israel advocacy skills to groups ranging from the staff of major Jewish organizations to campus volunteers.
I will be in North America in November 2017, running Israel advocacy skills training workshops for campus and community groups who want to upgrade their abilities to advocate for Israel. Among those who have already profited from my workshops are:
Israel’s diplomats and emissaries,
the staff of major Jewish organizations,
Jewish Federations and JCRCs, as well as
student and community activists around the world.
Subjects covered include:
Why is it so hard to get people to accept our messages? How can we make them compelling? Learn about CENTRAL versus PERIPHERAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION and ANALYTICS versus HEURISTICS.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMING: How to go off the defensive and seize the initiative.
CAMPAIGNING: How to move from events to sustained campaigns.
Dates and details
I’ll be in North America from November 12 through 22, 2017. If you would like me to visit your community, organization or school, please be in touch regarding fees, available dates and logistics.
(PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP! I’m also going to be offering hands-on training in public speaking. Details are here.)
David Olesker
Director J·C·C·A·T
Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades
POB 2534 · Jerusalem 91024 · Israel
Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · Fax +972-77-470-2844
e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
David’s workshop brings a new and thoughtful perspective to advocacy. His presentation on having the information to advocate, techniques to convey the information, and a forum to advocate in, equips communities with the tools they need to become effective Israel advocates.
Carol Brick-Turin, Director Jewish Community Relations Council, Greater Miami Jewish Federation
In my 25 years of work with media, communications, education and training within the Jewish community, I have met no one who does what David does even half as well.
Of the plethora of Jewish- and Israel-oriented educational programming I have implemented in forty states and a dozen other countries, David Olesker’s programs were the ones students most told me they found to have fundamentally changed and enhanced their understanding.
While reviewing some of the recent resounding failures of the movement to Boycott, Divest from and Sanction Israel I pondered why this vile movement has gained so little traction. Beyond the obvious point that most of the Western world understands that it’s wrong to boycott Jews, the answer is that many of the products and services that Israel provides are ones that few would be willing to forgo.
Individuals are unwilling to give up the advantages of Israeli high tech. Governments don’t want to lose Israeli expertise in fighting terror. Patients don’t want to pay inflated prices when they can buy top quality Israeli medicines. If the BDS warriors think they can seriously damage Israel’s economy they are dead wrong.
But there’s one group of Israeli business that are more susceptible to this evil scheme.
Small Businesses
Small businesses producing non-essential products can be damaged by attempts to boycott Israel. “Israeli businesses in the Jordan Valley who sell dates are losing contracts and are looking to expand markets to regions not interested in the politics, the BDS can appear in Seattle and block a shipment of Israeli goods from coming in, they put pressure on musicians coming to Israel, as well as label tomatoes in the market and pressure them off the market,” reports Gedaliah Blum, who runs an organization devoted to helping vulnerable small businesses fight back.
My contribution
This blog is dedicated to helping advocates for Israel to be more effective. I’m going to suggest a practical step every supporter of Israel take; select an Israeli small business to promote. I’m kicking off with my longtime friends Shmuel and Chana Veffer who run a thriving business producing one of the products the Bible praises the land of Israel for, high quality olive oil.
It’s a great product and they are great people. Give them a try and give your personal answer to the BDSers.
Do you have your own favorite Israeli small business you would like to promote? Please link to it in the comments below this post.
Advanced workshops from an Israeli expert
Book now for November 2017
BDS is on the Run
The campaign to demonize Israel to the point that people will boycott, divest from, and sanction the Jewish state has been running for nearly two decades. At least in the US and Canada it is now being beaten again and again. Legislatures around the United States have passed anti-BDS laws and resolutions, as has the Canadian Province of Ontario. Many campus BDS resolutions have been defeated (even in the UC system where they usually succeed). Even the hip young Canadian Prime Minister has condemned the antisemitic movement.
Victories don’t just happen
BDS has been pushed back by the hard work of a number of national organizations in the US and Canada along with front line campaigning by grass roots activists. Anti-Israel groups are not, unfortunately, giving up, and continued success against them demands dedication, information and skills. I have more than three decades of experience teaching Israel advocacy skills to groups ranging from the staff of major Jewish organizations to campus volunteers.
I will be in North America in November, running Israel advocacy skills training workshops for campus and community groups who want to upgrade their abilities to advocate for Israel. Among those who have profited from my workshops are
I will be in North America from at the beginning of February, running
Israel advocacy skills training workshops for campus and community
groups who want to upgrade their abilities to advocate for Israel. Among those who have profited from my workshops are
Israel’s diplomats and emissaries,
the staff of major Jewish organizations,
Jewish Federations and JCRCs, as well as
student and community activists around the world.
Subjects covered include:
Why is it so hard to get people to accept our messages? How can we make them compelling? Learn about CENTRAL versus PERIPHERAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION and ANALYTICS versus HEURISTICS.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMING: How to go off the defensive and seize the initiative.
CAMPAIGNING: How to move from events to sustained campaigns.
Dates and details
I know that some organizations plan their events well in advance, so I’m sending you this “heads up” to let you know that I’ll be in North America from November 12 through 22, 2017. If you would like me to visit your community, organization or school, please be in touch regarding fees, available dates and logistics.
David Olesker
Director J·C·C·A·T
Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades
POB 2534 · Jerusalem 91024 · Israel
Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · Fax +972-77-470-2844
e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
David’s workshop brings a new and thoughtful perspective to advocacy. His presentation on having the information to advocate, techniques to convey the information, and a forum to advocate in, equips communities with the tools they need to become effective Israel advocates.
Carol Brick-Turin, Director Jewish Community Relations Council, Greater Miami Jewish Federation
In my 25 years of work with media, communications, education and training within the Jewish community, I have met no one who does what David does even half as well.
Of the plethora of Jewish- and Israel-oriented educational programming I have implemented in forty states and a dozen other countries, David Olesker’s programs were the ones students most told me they found to have fundamentally changed and enhanced their understanding.
Israeli expert will train you in Israel advocacy skills
March 2017
Lies that have legs
So, the rest of the world is waking up to the perils of unsubstantiated accusations. Whether it’s weird conspiracy theories about a pizza store or major news outlets publicizing an uncorroborated “dossier,” many are starting to realize what we Jews have known for a long time: an allegation doesn’t need to be proven in order to be dangerous. From Josephus having to explode Greek libels, through The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, down to allegations that Israelis plant knives on dead Palestinian Arabs to justify their murder, Jews have paid with their lives when the gullible accept the lies of the malicious.
Refuting these lies needs not only information, but the skills to use it effectively. That’s where I can help you.
The skills you need to succeed
When Israel’s supporters work skillfully and consistently, they have proven that they can effectively refute the lies and roll back the tide of BDS and other manifestations of Jew hatred.
With more than three decades of experience teaching Israel advocacy skills to supporters of Israel around the world, I can be an important resource to your community.
I will be in North America from at the beginning of February, running
Israel advocacy skills training workshops for campus and community
groups who want to upgrade their abilities to advocate for Israel. Among those who have profited from my workshops are
Israel’s diplomats and emissaries,
the staff of major Jewish organizations,
Jewish Federations and JCRCs, as well as
student and community activists around the world.
Subjects covered include:
Why is it so hard to get people to accept our messages? How can we make them compelling? Learn about CENTRAL versus PERIPHERAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION and ANALYTICS versus HEURISTICS.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMING: How to go off the defensive and seize the initiative.
CAMPAIGNING: How to move from events to sustained campaigns.
Dates and details
This will be my final trip of 2016-17 to North America and I’ll be there from March 19 through 29, 2017. If you would like me to visit your community, organization or school, please be in touch regarding fees, available dates and logistics.
(PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP! I’m going to be offering hands-on training in public speaking. Details are here.)
David Olesker
Director J·C·C·A·T
Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades
POB 2534 · Jerusalem 91024 · Israel
Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · Fax +972-77-470-2844
e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
David’s workshop brings a new and thoughtful perspective to advocacy. His presentation on having the information to advocate, techniques to convey the information, and a forum to advocate in, equips communities with the tools they need to become effective Israel advocates.
Carol Brick-Turin, Director Jewish Community Relations Council, Greater Miami Jewish Federation
In my 25 years of work with media, communications, education and training within the Jewish community, I have met no one who does what David does even half as well.
Of the plethora of Jewish- and Israel-oriented educational programming I have implemented in forty states and a dozen other countries, David Olesker’s programs were the ones students most told me they found to have fundamentally changed and enhanced their understanding.
On December 24, 2016, the UN Security Council voted on one of its routine resolutions (this one numbered 2334) condemning Israel. What made this one unusual was that, for the first time in eight years, the Obama administration reneged on its oft stated commitment that it “has Israel’s back,” and it abstained on the vote. As a permanent member of the Security Council, the US has the power of veto and its abstention therefore allowed the resolution to pass.
In the days following the resolution, passions were aroused and a lot of things were written and said that were soon revealed to be either inaccurate or incomplete. Let’s take a look at some of them and see what we can learn from the episode.
How bad is the resolution?
You can read the full text of the resolution here and it’s certainly bad.
It perpetuates the assumption that it’s only Israel that is required to do anything. It specifically names Israel as the villain of the story and insists that continued building over the “Green Line” is not only responsible for the lack of progress in peace negotiations but is also illegal.
It makes no specific critique of the actions of the Palestinian Arabs, contenting itself with a reminder to “the Palestinian Authority Security Forces to maintain effective operations [against] terror.” It also condemns “all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction” without specifying that it is the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian groups that are responsible for such murderous acts.
While paying lip service to the need for solutions to proceed from direct negotiations between the parties, the resolution is, in and of itself, an attempt to impose a solution by an outside party.
So it’s bad, but not as bad as some early reactions claimed. Specifically, some critics asserted that it made the acts of individual Israelis (residents of the Territories, military and government personnel) “criminal” and subject to prosecution. The resolution does nothing of the sort.
Chapters matter
The UN Charter (the world body’s constitution) consists of various chapters. Resolutions are adopted under specific chapters, usually Chapter VI, occasionally Chapter VII.
Chapter VI deals with the “Pacific Settlement of Disputes” and designates the UN as a facilitator of conflict resolution. Chapter VII deals with “Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression” – an altogether more serious matter. Resolutions made under Chapter VII are enforceable as international law; those made under Chapter VI are essentially declarative and unenforceable. This resolution, number 2334, was made under Chapter VI, and is therefore unenforceable.
The law isn’t everything
Even if the legal implications of the resolution have been overstated, the political and diplomatic problems caused by it are real. But they are not new. For decades, the overwhelming majority of countries in the world have, at least formally, viewed Israel’s building over the “Green Line” as illegal under Article 49 of the Geneva conventions.[1] This is a view that is at odds with every Israeli government, regardless of its political color, since 1967. The significance of this vote is that the US, Israel’s closest ally, allowed the world body to make another statement of its well-known position when it could have stopped it.
How bad is Obama?
Without minimizing the degree of betrayal by the administration in forsaking its oft repeated commitment to “having Israel’s back,” we should bear in mind that it stood by that commitment for almost eight years and that even presidents widely accepted as “pro-Israel” – such as Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush – both permitted and sometimes voted for anti-Israel motions at the UN. It’s also true that Obama championed the new strategy of relaxed sanctions on Iran, opposed by most Israelis as a potential existential danger to the Jewish state. As I write this post it is still to be seen whether withholding the US veto is a parting shot or a harbinger of further hostile policies. With only three weeks to go of the current administration it cannot indicate a long-term shift in policy.
Who else is bad (and why don’t we care)?
Referring to the UN’s inbuilt anti-Israel majority, Abba Eban famously said, “If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.” All that has changed since his days at the UN are the reduction in numbers of abstentions.
The roll call of the fourteen states that voted on resolution 2334 runs like this:
For
Against
Abstention
Angola
United States*
China*
Egypt
France*
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Russian Federation*
Senegal
Spain
Ukraine
United Kingdom*
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
(* Permanent members of the Security Council with power of veto.)
What leaps out of the list is that countries with which Israel has excellent relations (like the UK, China and Russia) not only failed to veto the resolution but voted for it. Yet all the initial outrage and feelings of betrayal were focused on the US. Why? Quite simply because we have come to expect almost all countries, even our close allies, to adopt a common front with the Arab and Muslim states, as long as the resolution is merely declamatory. I find this tolerance for hypocrisy distressingly similar to the “racism of low expectations” in which most of the world doesn’t expect Arab and Muslim states to respect the human rights of their own citizens. Why do we expect so little of some of the most developed democracies in the world?
The realpolitik that motivates such votes is obvious. Countries like the China, France, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the UK enjoy broad security cooperation as well as trade relations with Israel. Countries like Senegal enjoy trade and economic aid. Supporting Chapter VI resolutions – which are not enforceable and do no significant harm to the Jewish State – may go down well with Arab and Muslim countries, so there’s no downside in supporting them. Apart, that is, from the perpetuation of a delusional narrative of the conflict.
How different is it to be an Israeli?
The Resolution, as is the norm, refers to “Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.” As is routine, the international community makes no distinction between the Western Wall and Jerusalem neighborhoods like Ramat Eshkol on the one hand, and isolated Jewish communities in the Territories on the other. That distinction does exist in Israeli political discourse, and there is an almost complete consensus of right and left in Israel that the Old City, the new suburbs around Jerusalem and most of the large settlement blocs must remain part of the Jewish State even if territorial concessions might be made elsewhere to make room for a Palestinian Arab state. Indeed, the consensus is so widespread and deeply rooted in Israel that it literally goes without saying. But ignoring the gap between the way the international community talks about what concessions they think Israel needs to make, and the way Israeli proponents of concession talk about the same issue, is to ignore a crucial issue.
A “flagrant violation of international law”?
The international community continually speaks in terms of legality. The resolution states that everything that Israel has built across the Green Line – in Jerusalem or outside it – is all illegal. This resolution speaks of settlement activity as being a “violation of international humanitarian law.” It “reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law.” That reference to “including East Jerusalem” sounds absurd to an Israeli, but on this point the UN is right, there is no meaningful legal basis to distinguish between rebuilding the Hurva Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem (destroyed by the Jordanians) and erecting a contentious settlement in the middle of Hevron. Either both are legal or neither is.
When Israelis accept our claim to the Kottel they are (implicitly) accepting our claim on the whole of Judea and Samaria. Yet political opposition to settlement activity outside Jerusalem makes some reluctant to assert the legal right to build. As I’ve written elsewhere, there is a reasonable argument to be had as to the wisdom of Israel’s settlement policy, but when we question its legality we are questioning Israel’s right to rule over what almost every Israeli regards as an inseparable part of our homeland.
Framed!
The principle of framing predicts that whoever controls the conceptual frame controls the outcome of the communication interaction. By refusing to consistently challenge the assertion that any Israeli activity over the “Green Line” is illegal, we have ceded the conceptual frame to those who want to portray Israel as an outlaw state, one who routinely breaks the law and should be held in contempt by rule of law nations. The assumption has become so widespread that even states that count themselves friends of the Jews will go along with declarations that say building in our own capital is illegal.
It’s incumbent on all supporters of Israel, regardless of how we stand on the wisdom of the settlement enterprise, to continuously assert Israel’s legal claims to all the Territories, or we will lose our right to any of them. [1] The Western democracies have, on the whole, not condemned the “occupation” as such as being illegal. This in contrast to the Arab and Muslim world who routinely use just this epithet.
An expert from Israel will help you perfect your Israel
advocacy skills in February
You may have been distracted…
…but Israel’s enemies have remained on message.
While the rest of the world focused on “trivial issues” like Brexit and the US elections, those who hate the Jewish people and their state have stayed focused on their message of hate. Wrapping themselves in the false flags of human rights, they have taken antisemitism out of the lunatic fringe of Western politics and are attempting to spread it to rational people.
It’s our job to keep antisemitism in the dark and distant corner where it belongs.
The skills you need to succeed
When Israel’s supporters work skillfully and consistently they have
proven that they can effectively stem the tide of BDS and other
manifestations of Jew hatred. But to be effective our advocates need to be well informed and, even more importantly, have the skills to use their knowledge successfully.
With more than three decades of experience teaching Israel advocacy skills to supporters of Israel around the world, I can be an important resource to your community.
I will be in the UK in February, running Israel advocacy skills training workshops for campus and community groups who want to upgrade their abilities to advocate for Israel. Among those who have profited from my workshops are:
Israel’s diplomats and emissaries,
the staff of major Jewish organizations,
Jewish Community organizations in North America, the UK and Europe, as well as
student and community activists around the world.
Subjects covered include:
Why is it so hard to get people to accept our messages? How can we make them compelling? Learn about CENTRAL versus PERIPHERAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION and ANALYTICS versus HEURISTICS.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMING: How to go off the defensive and seize the initiative.
CAMPAIGNING: How to move from events to sustained campaigns.
Dates and details
I’ll be in Britain in the first half of February 2017. If you would like me to visit your community, organization or school, please be in touch regarding fees, available dates and logistics.
(NEW WORKSHOP! For the first time ever on an overseas trip I’m going to be offering hands-on training in public speaking. Details are here.)
David Olesker
Director J·C·C·A·T
Jerusalem Center for Communication and Advocacy Training Training advocates for Israel and public speakers for over three decades
POB 2534 · Jerusalem 91024 · Israel
Tel. +972-2-651-2610 · Fax +972-77-470-2844
e-mail: jccat@iname.com · Website · About.me · LinkedIn · Facebook
David’s workshop brings a new and thoughtful perspective to advocacy. His presentation on having the information to advocate, techniques to convey the information, and a forum to advocate in, equips communities with the tools they need to become effective Israel advocates.
Carol Brick-Turin, Director Jewish Community Relations Council, Greater Miami Jewish Federation
In my 25 years of work with media, communications, education and training within the Jewish community, I have met no one who does what David does even half as well.
Of the plethora of Jewish- and Israel-oriented educational programming I have implemented in forty states and a dozen other countries, David Olesker’s programs were the ones students most told me they found to have fundamentally changed and enhanced their understanding.
Alan Oirich Director of Production at Shalom TV
Advocating For Israel
David Olesker has three decades of practical experience training advocates for Israel. He can help you develop the skills necessary to run a successful campaign, communicate effectively and take back control of the discourse about the Middle East.
