By Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
This week we sat at Passover seders, hearing the story of how we were freed from slavery in Egypt and came to Israel. We tell this story every year so that we never forget it.
Sadly, however, while most Jews do celebrate this important marker in Jewish history, they do not speak up publicly in support of Israel. Indeed, polls show that they don’t talk about Israel to their friends, coworkers or family members.
One of the key reasons Jews don’t voice their support for Israel is that they don’t know how to make such a conversation comfortable and successful. So here are 10 tips for speaking out successfully about Israel.
• Let people know that Israel wants peace.
Americans need to be reminded that Israel has a long-term commitment to peace. Israel accepted the need for a two-state solution as early as 1947, again at Camp David (2000) and in the Road Map process.
When courageous Arab leaders such as Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat and Jordan’s King Hussein reached out to Israel, peace was achieved. Recently, Israel moved more than 9,000 citizens and gave up 100 percent of Gaza with hopes for peace. Israelis are committed to peace for both sides.
• Don’t pretend that Israel hasn’t made mistakes or is without fault. It’s not true and no one believes it.
Pretending Israel is free from errors does not pass the smell test. Doing so will make your listeners question the veracity of everything else you say.
Admitting that Israel has and continues to make mistakes does not undermine the overall justice of Israel’s goals: peace and security and a better quality of life for both sides. Be humble and use examples.
• Show empathy for the Palestinian people, especially the children.
Let the public know that you long for a time when Palestinian children will be raised to be doctors, farmers, teachers and business people — and not suicide bombers.
Be sure to tell people that Israelis didn’t want the security fence or checkpoints, but these are necessary evils because terrorism has not ended.
• Let the public know the good things about Israel.
Once you have established that you care about both Israelis and Palestinians and that Israel wants peace, you can begin the process of establishing a strong connection between Americans and Israel based on shared values and interests.
Israel, America’s ally, is a democracy in the Middle East. In Israel, Christians, Muslims, and Jews all have freedom of speech and religion, and the right to vote. Nearly one-and-a-half million Arabs are citizens of Israel, representing almost 20 percent of the population.
Furthermore, 11 Arabs and 21 women serve in Israel’s 120-member Parliament, and an Arab judge sits on the Israel’s Supreme Court.
Israel is the one place in the Middle East where a young girl can grow up to be anything she wants, from a doctor to prime minister.
• Draw direct parallels between Israel and America — including the need to defend against terrorism.
The more you focus on the similarities between Israel and America, the more likely you are to win the support of those who are neutral. Indeed, Israel is an important American ally in the war against terrorism, and faces many of the same challenges as America in protecting its citizens.
• Promote good Arab leaders before you de-legitimize those who stand in the way of peace.
Few Americans liked the late Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, but supporters of Israel undermined their own message and strategy every time they begin by assertively de-legitimizing him.
Arafat has now been replaced by Hamas, a terrorist organization devoted to the destruction of Israel. While you must point out the dangers of Hamas, it is critical that you don’t come off as racist. Thus, you must first praise positive Arab leaders and acts before criticizing negative ones.
• There is never, ever any justification for the deliberate slaughter of innocent women and children.
The primary Palestinian public relations goal is to demonstrate that the so-called “hopelessness of the oppressed Palestinians” is what causes them to go out and kill Israeli children. This must be challenged immediately, aggressively and directly.
• Explain your reasoning. Americans respond much better to facts, actions, and results when they know why, not just how.
For example, why is there a security fence? Explain that on more than 250 occasions, terrorists have come through that area killing innocent people. Israel is forced to defend its citizens from terrorism, and the fence is a critical part of this defense.
• Use rhetorical questions.
Avoid head-on attacks of your opponents. Use a soft tone. Show your regret that the Palestinians have had such poor leadership. Ask:
“How can you call it a ‘cycle of violence’ when in reality, if Israel stopped fighting terror, the violence would not end? If the Palestinians stopped terror, Israel would have no reason for curfews, fences, check-points and other defensive measures.”
• K.I.S.S. and tell. A key rule of successful communications is “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”
Successful communication is not about proving to the world how smart you are, or about being able to recite every fact from the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Do that and you’re almost guaranteed to lose your audience.
Instead, point out a few core principles of shared values-such as democracy and freedom-and repeat them over and over again.
The bottom line: At Passover and throughout the year, we need to ensure that the public knows the real Israel — a democracy that wants peace.
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is founder and president of The Israel Project.
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