Everyday we all get tons of emails advertising all sorts of products that we mindlessly erase. Yesterday, I received an email from Travelzoo that advertised “Dubai Deals: The Best Way to Visit the City of Gold” (picture above). I’m sure most Jewish people who received this probably thought nothing of it and erased it. I didn’t. I could not believe my eyes. Naomi Shemer’s song “Jerusalem of Gold” is now being ripped off and the grandeur of King David’s city is being attributed to Dubai.
One might ask, “What’s the big deal?”
Branding. That is the big deal.
We couldn’t say “Jerusalem: The Most Magical Place on Earth” because Disneyland would protest. We couldn’t say “Jerusalem: The Big Apple” because the City of New York would protest. These slogans have come to define their respective places. In a world where press releases must be 140 characters or less to accommodate Twitter, branding becomes stronger than truth.
As a matter of fact, copyright laws have been extended time and again here in America to continue to protect the image of Mickey Mouse for the Walt Disney Corporation. These laws prevent Mickey from falling into the public domain where it might be manipulated and misused by the public.
Ask any BDS Supporter why they support punishing the Jewish State and prepare to hear a list of talking point propaganda slogans that can be taught in a heartbeat. Apartheid, killing children, human rights… These are only some of the slogan lies taught by Israel’s enemies. They have to be short and easy to understand because they are intended for fools.
Where are our pro-Jewish slogans? Where are our pro-Israel slogans? Where is our Jewish Don Draper?
Unfortunately, the Jewish tradition is too complicated for Tweets. Our tradition is taught in scrolls and thousands of pages of Talmud, not in slogans. Rabbis are ill equipped to fight this battle. They are trained to deliver sermons, not sound bites. But this is the world we live in today – Tweets and sound bites.
So far the Arab people have stolen and confiscated every Zionist slogan to describe our narrative – underdog, people without a land, etc… They’ve even co-opted the word Palestinian. (Until 1948, Jews had the word “Palestinian” marked on their passports.)
I’m sorry but I won’t allow “City of Gold” to be handed over. I loved Naomi Shemer’s song as a child. I still sing it to my children. My wife and I moved our children to live in Jerusalem. We have a painting of the “City of Gold” hanging in our bedroom.
I don’t care if it’s a slogan or a truth. I want to protect “City of Gold” for Jerusalem.
If it’s important enough to protect the image of Mickey Mouse for the Walt Disney Corporation, then it’s certainly important enough to protect the image of Jerusalem for the Jewish People.
