...The advert that caused the most anger shows a young Israeli woman sitting near a candle she has lit for Israeli memorial day and watching the ceremonies via her computer. Her partner, assumed to be an American Jew, thinks the candle and music are for a romantic evening. The announcer says: “They will always remain Israelis. But their partners will not always understand what this means.”
The ads struck a nerve, given the American-Jewish annoyance over the common Israeli attitude that the most meaningful way of being Jewish is to live in Israel.
Jeffrey Goldberg, a prominent American-Jewish columnist for the Atlantic magazine, wrote: “I don’t think I have ever seen a demonstration of Israeli contempt for American Jews as obvious as these ads.”
“I understand the impulse behind them – Israel wants as many of its citizens as possible to live in Israel. But the way it is expressed, in wholly negative terms, is somewhat appalling.
“These government ads also suggest it is impossible for Jews to remain Jewish in America.”...
