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How Israeli PR can Go on Offense!

An InterActive PDF

With a focus on: Films and Video Games.

By: Elisha Kramer

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Introduction Part I: The Importance of Art 1. Ideology Trumps Facts George Washington vs. David Ben-Gurion 2. Successful Zionist Films Exodus (1960) Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) (Watch Trailer here) Operation Thunderbolt (1977) World War Z (2013)

Part II: Captain America 3. The Propaganda Films Policy 4. ICT: fostering Patriotic videogames Part III: Keeping an eye on the competition Polat Alemdar Hezbollah Video Game

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Introduction
The BluePrint of our Future is found in our past. The Jewish people have always depended on the stories from their past. Generation to generation we passed on our tales of overcoming. Our tales of love; the Matriarchs and the Patriarchs. Our tales of bravery; David taking on Goliath. Jewish heroism has brought the nation to its current situation. Our heroes are all around us. Pioneers, thinkers, warriors. These are the heroes of today. In the modern world, Jews are known for their ability to tell stories. Jews control Hollywood, not because they have connections, but because great storytelling is in their genes. All you have to do is ask yourself: who gave the bible to the world? Once upon a time, the Jewish people, persecuted in Egypt, managed to rise up from their inferior status, head to a new land, and build the glorious kingdoms of King David and King Solomon. What a tale! So ask yourself: What about the past 70 years of the Jewish story? Emaciated prisoners from concentration camps, despite the pain, are able to move on, make a comeback to the holy land, and build the state of Israel as we know it today. All within 70 short years. It is an aweinspiring story which totally defies logic. A miracle, if you will. But what good is a miracle if nobody talks about it? It is the aim of this pamphlet to remind Jewish leaders that the mediums for storytelling have changed. Television, Music Videos and the Big Screen have totally revolutionized our ability to tell stories in the modern age. The MTV generation is not our greatest enemy. It is our greatest ally. This pamphlet is a guideline for utilizing new mediums and telling the tales of heroism of the modern-day Jewish state. Its soldiers and pioneers must serve as an inspiration across the globe as did Moses and King David in their respective times. How are we gonna do it, though? Good question.

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Part I: The Importance of Art

Ideology Trumps Facts There are psychological studies which prove that political stances people take are based more on Ideology than facts. For example, lets look at the issue of abortion. If you are a believing Christian, you will obviously oppose abortion. If you are a secular liberal, you will most likely be pro-choice. Ideology Trumps facts. Based on these psychological studies, people are inclined to come to academic articles and newspaper sites with assumptions about whos right and whos wrong. Based on these studies, Palestinian Civil Society has embarked on a campaign of Ideology-Dissemination. The BDS Movement (BoyCotts Against Israel) is attempting to incline the Western and European public to believe that the Israelis are inhumane occupiers of the West Bank, forcefully and maliciously oppressing its Palestinian inhabitants. The BDS has served the purpose of disseminating this belief system. It doesnt matter how many times Israel reiterates that before 1967, Jordan had launched two wars against Israel from the heights of the West Bank, or that the Jewish people have a right to a homeland as much as any other nation on earth. The BDS narrative continues. This Anti-Israel Campaign is not the first time the Jewish people have been libeled. And it probably wont be the last. The aim of this paper is to propose a new way to fight the BDS. Instead of constantly being reactionary and giving more exposure to poisonous voices, Israeli PR needs to go on the offensive. Israel is a small country, with many enemies. To succeed, it must think outside the box, and take tips from the best, American PR.

George Washington and Che Guevara Mythology-making is a crucial component of any PR Office. Have you ever asked yourself: how did Che Guevara become an icon? The man killed thousands in cold blood, and yet, across the globe, young people believe that having his face on your t-shirt is considered cool. Obviously, Cuban PR is doing something right. Another classic example of Mythology-Making is the glorification of George Washington. George Washington was a British soldier before he fought in the Revolution. He was

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responsible for much bloodshed in history. And yet, somewhere down the road an American PR Office decided to disseminate the cherry tree myth. This story portrays George as a man who could not tell a lie. Today, across the globe he is considered not as a war criminal, but a military hero. The power of Mythology has endeared him to millions.

Utilizing Television, Film, and Video Games Today I will attempt to prove that the battle for the hearts and minds of the international public is being waged not just through newspapers. In the past, this was true. Today, the battle is being waged through Films, Video Games, and Social Media platforms. It is the aim of this paper to inform the reader that this type of cultural warfare has been waged for many years already, and that even today, Israels enemies are using these mediums to win the hearts and minds of the neutral public. This paper will include suggestions on how to begin a Pro-Israel Campaign to run parallel the enemies campaign. It should be stressed that this is a long-term plan to disseminate pro-Israel sentiment in the Western World.

Israel needs a message; it needs to stop playing defense all the time, and it needs to go on the offensive.

Cultural Warfare from WWII We have seen cultural offensives being launched via technological entertainment as early as WWII when film was first introduced. Just look at the American-German cultural Warfare. Hitler hired a famous German movie-maker, Leni Riefenstahl, to create the pro-Nazi film Triumph of the Will (1935). The Americans launched their own cultural offensive, hiring American director Frank Capra to create the Why We Fight documentary series. Often in these films, the Melodramatic Genre is utilized.

melodrama refers to a dramatic work that puts characters in a lot of danger in order to appeal to the emotions It is based around having the same character in every scene, often a hero, damsel in distress, a villain -wikipedia.

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Valley Of The Wolves Palestine (2011)

Plot of Film: Polat Alemdar goes to the West Bank in order to start a rebellion against the IDF. Its a fast-paced drama. Scene (25:00- 26:00) Polat is talking to boy in a wheelchair (who was, of course, shot by the IDF). The boy gives Polat his lucky necklace. Just listen to what Polat replies. Source: Click here to watch (Skip to Minute 25:00)

Why Films and Video Games are So Powerful In Literature, there is an idea that in order to enjoy any story the reader must activate a suspension of disbelief. In other words, the reader must be willing to believe that everything hes reading is true, and actually happening as hes reading it. This concept still holds true for films, and even more so, for video games. These mediums are immersive experiences which serve as a portal for the viewer. In video games, in particular, the experience is even more powerful because its interactive. As you pass through the levels objectives, you are rewarded with extra points, thereby reinforcing the behavior. It is true that the experience is only virtual, but often, a video game bought for $50 will take up more than the average 1-hour film. This means that the length of time which the player spends in the virtual world will have a significant impact on his subconscious world.

Hezbollah video-game:

Launched by Hizbullahs media division. This is part of Hizbullah's myth-building... designed to bring its message to a younger generation." MSNBC.
Click here to see the Cultural Warfare Tactics of Hezbollah!

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Part II: Captain America

Playstation 3 Video Game, entitled: Captain America: Super Soldier. In this game, you can take the role of an American special-forces soldier who fights Nazis in World War II.

Click here to see a sample of the Game!

Patriotic Films 1. Top Gun 2. Air Force One 3. Transformers The benefit of exporting a positive image of the U.S. Army to the international community.

Big Question: Are American artists naturally creating patriotic films, or are there any benefits from the U.S. Army to insert positive portrayal of the brand? Answer: The Liasion office. The U.S. Army has a special office (Ground Forces, and Air Force) which is dedicated to supporting film projects which portray the army positively. The office has been around since 1947. This office contains the secret to American PR Tactics. Below is an interview which gives you an insiders perspective. Link: Click here to start learning about the "Patriotic Films" Policy! Still dont believe me? You can also see a list of films which were supported by the Air Force below. Link: The U.S. Army's Movie Portfolio

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American Video Games The Armys support of the Video-Game industry is more subtle than its support of the Film Industry. The U.S. Department of Defense sponsors a center for special-effects research. All the major American Video-Game Companies are affiliated with this center. It is called the Institute for Creative Technologies.

"Established in 1999, ICT is a DoD-sponsored University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) working in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. UARCs are aligned with prestigious institutions conducting research at the forefront of science and innovation... ICT brings film and game industry artists together with computer and social scientists to study and develop immersive media for military training, health therapies, education and more." Source: ICT Website.

In addition, the U.S. Armys free downloadable video -game, Americas Army, is being hailed for its PR Brilliance.

Americas Army
"Far-sighted companies are using games to recruit, train, motivate, and make employees more productive 30% of all Americans age 16 to 24 had a more positive impression of the Army because of the game and, even more amazingly, the game had more impact on recruits than all other forms of Army advertising combined." (p. 141) Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America's_Army#Academic_references

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2. Successful Zionist Films

(See the Outline for top 4) Question: what do all these films have in common? a) Elements of the epic genre. b) Fast-paced action. c) Beautiful women. d) A Hero worthy of emulating.

Box-office of Exodus:

Budget

$4.5 million[1]

Box office

$8,700,000 (US/ Canada) $20 million (worldwide)

World War Z (highest-grossing film for Brad Pitt): Box-Office:

Budget

$190 million

Box office

$540,007,876

Proof that the IDF is a marketable concept, it just needs to be presented correctly (proper genre, proper story), and through the proper medium. =exporting a positive image of Israel.

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Why your artists can make you or break you The films coming out of Israel recently have been remarkably negative. For example, Waltz with Bashir (2008) ends with the Sabra and Shatilla massacre and the IDFs involvement in it. Meanwhile, Levanon (2009) deals with the moral question is it moral to kill if its in the context of war. Summary: Imagine the image of Israel being exported during international film festivals.

Israeli Video Games

Jane's IAF: Israeli Air Force

Unfortunately, Israeli PR has not fully utilized its creative technologies sector. Israeli Video-Game artists have made award-winning Facebook apps. And yet, unlike America, there is a scarcity of patriotic media coming out of Israel. The one Israeli video game out there is called Janes Israeli AirForce. It was made long ago (1998), but is a great example of how the international gamer can enter the front seat of an Israeli patriot.

Read the Gamers Review here.

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Summary
So how can Israeli PR improve? Answers: 1. Create Incentives for artists to portray the IDF positively. 2. Implement a policy in Tzahal that war equipment will be lent to filmmakers

3. 4. 5. 6.

that wish to portray the IDF positively. Get the word out to Israels Screenwriting Programs (Sam Spiegel, TAU), thereby setting up the American-Tested system of churning out patriotic films. Sponsor Tel Avivs video-game Industry. Create an IDF video game which appeals to the international public. A stronger focus on Mythology-Making. Stories have a power which can shatter even the harshest criticism. Stop giving the BDS Movement more exposure than it needs. Utilize the Melodramatic Genre in Israel Advocacy.

About the author Elisha Kramer has a B.A. in literature from Bar ilan University. He served two years in the IDFs Diplomacy Dept. at the Tank Museum, representing the IDF to tourists from abroad.

He is currently studying a Masters at Hebrew University in NonProfit Management. Please send feedback to: Email: Kramer1346@gmail.com or Phone: 052-745-7900.