Meet The Settlers
The YESHA Council hosts reporters from around
the world on a weekly basis and provides them with a perspective on the region
that they do not encounter elsewhere including on-site visits. However the team
of reporters that came from the London Telegraph to mark the 20th anniversary of the
Oslo Accords, was not only unique in terms of the YESHA Council's activities,
but also in the product it produced.
The YESHA Council spent weeks introducing the
reporters to exclusive stories that allowed the true nature of the residents to
be exposed. While the result was far
from perfect, it represents the most positive and comprehensive perspective of
the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria published in a mainstream media
outlet. The article itself is really a
multi-media presentation including 13,000 words, and dozens of photos and
videos broken in to seven chapters.
After spending more than 30 hours interviewing
residents, seeing day to life – prayers, schools, yeshivot, shopping,
employment, etc., they came away with a much more accurate appreciation for the
optimistic spirit that permeates the lives of the Jewish residents of YESHA – a
very different perspective than what they had before they arrived in Israel.
Many of their experiences did not make it into
the article, but certainly helped provide them the context for their
report. In particular their visit to the
alternative elementary school "Reishit" in Rosh Tzurim (Gush Etzyon),
their visit to the Biblical site of Shiloh – where the Tabernacle resided for
369 years, and where Hannah prayed for the birth of Samuel, - visiting with parents
as their children rode bicycles and played on swings in Eli, all helped to
establish the deep historical and contemporary roots that bind the Jewish
residents to this land, and helped establish that our presence here is a positive
development that is the only hope for a lasting peace.
Be sure to read the article, watch the videos,
view the photos and share Meet the Settlers with your friends.
I am pleasantly pleased. I have been hoping for something like this to share with my contacts. I was so pleased that I was asked to contribute to the former newsletter put out by the Liaison Office. Keep the good work. Baruch Hashem.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the best ways for good PR is to publish interesting and informative news about settlers and what they are doing.
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