By: Matthew Hiltzik and Ronn Torossian
We are two proud Jewish
New Yorkers (and fathers) of the same age. While we may differ in some of our
approaches and styles in business and politics – one of us aligns more with
conservative causes and one of us leans more liberal – we share a strong
interest in celebrating Israel. And we agree that this year’s 48th Annual Celebrate Israel
Parade is a unique chance for people with far more divergent philosophies than
ours, to come together to demonstrate to the world the common love and support
we all share for Israel.
Like many others in New
York’s Jewish community, we are very concerned about Israel’s image and pay
close attention to the never-ending public relations battles against the Jewish
State. We each make our living in the world of public relations with our own
communications firms - building brands and enhancing images – so we are also
uniquely positioned to see these battles from a different perspective, one that
can occasionally be unsettling.
We fear many American
Jews are losing sight of our sense of community, allowing differences of
opinion that are extensions of the larger left vs. right, “religious” vs.
“non-religious,” to polarize the Jewish community. It’s true that not everyone
who supports Israel has the same way of expressing their support. We can’t
agree on everything, but June 3rd is a day to put
differences aside and focus on what unites us: our appreciation for Israel and
our fellow Jews. This day is about Israel, what Israel means to us, and how we
send that message to the world. It’s a day to celebrate the strength from the
diversity of Am Yisrael.
As fathers of children
in Jewish day schools here in Manhattan, we wonder: what message are we sending
our children, on a day that is supposed to stand for unity? New generations
cannot offer us hope unless we plant the seeds ourselves, and it starts with
showing up.
The Jewish people’s
willingness to challenge one another is one of our greatest collective
strengths, but when we put aside those differences and come together we are
even stronger. Though challenging, this ability to elevate ourselves above
conflict is what sets us apart and has been displayed through our resilience,
as a people, for thousands of years. A recent example of this strength is when
Jews of different political backgrounds came together to defeat a local attempt
to boycott Israeli products.
Considering this
positive example, as well as the challenges facing Israel - like the Iranian
nuclear threat and the uncertainty around surrounding countries - this is a
time for us to stand together and show the world that we can put aside our
differences. So it is particularly inexplicable, disappointing and more than a
little ironic to see Jews who claim to oppose the boycott of Israel suggesting
the boycott of this day of solidarity. Above all, it undermines our common
goal: wanting to display to the world a strong, united front in support of
Israel.
June 3rd is a day, this year of
all years, to celebrate the beauty of Israel – the land and her people, our
children and families marching in the parade, and the diversity of the American
Jewish community.
With that in mind, the
theme of this year’s parade is “Israel Branches Out.” 40 new groups – including
15 new congregations – have signed up to march in the parade this year. With
over 30 thousand marchers, this is the largest celebration of Israel in
the world- and intended to be nonpartisan and apolitical. It is the
perfect opportunity to celebrate all of the wonderful things about Israel that
the general public does not have the opportunity to hear about in the news
every day. And from a public relations perspective, this is an annual golden
moment that is not to be wasted or misused. Let’s make the most of it,
together.
So let’s look forward to
June 3rd as an opportunity to celebrate what we have in common - our care
and love for Israel. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your family and enjoy all that we
have to celebrate as Jews today. We will both march in the parade and show up
for Israel – we hope you will too.
Matthew
Hiltzik is President and CEO of Hiltzik Strategies, and Ronn
Torossian
is
President and CEO of 5WPR. They are both proud, committed Jews.
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