Leadel LIVE Success Yesterday was truly an exciting day for the Leadel Team. Why? Because it was our first transmission of the site's newest initiative, Leadel LIVE.
Leadel LIVE Report: Israeli Minister Yuli Edelstein addresses Anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism and the Diaspora to Swedish Jews in Stockholm.
If you haven't been keeping up with our posts, yesterday's session hosted Israeli Minister Yuli Edelstein speaking from the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem and connected him to 55+ Jewish Community members in Stockholm via video conference.
In addition, we (Leadel) broadcasted the entire operation LIVE via Web site feed to an online chat forum located at www.leadel.net/live. Viewers tuned in from all over the world to watch the stream and voice their comments in real time.
Personally, I was one of the lucky members of our team to Host Minister Edelstein (see pic below!!).
Thus, while you are all invited to follow the links below to read up on what the press and various instituations had to say about the minister's remarks, ranging in topics from anti-Semetism to Anti-Israel to Diaspora Affairs and harsh media portrayals of Israel, etc -- I had the pleasure of sitting inside the conference room during the session and monitor the "backstage" discussions that were happening online.
Hence, of the interesting comments and points discussed online, the following was, in my opinion, the most relevant when all was said and done. In fact, I was so interested in getting this certain point addressed that I stayed afterwards and asked Minister Edelstein the following issue brought up by one of our online users:
POINT MADE during discussion:
"Critics in Israel against the government are used in Europe to justify anti-Israel stand, not only by media but also by the politicians themselves," stated user, LORD BYRON, of the European Jewish Press.
My QUESTION to the Minister:
How can the Diaspora community respond to these issues and stand for Israel during a time with most of the press is negative?
ANSWER:
"The more Jews in the Diaspora will have knowledge and know more about contemporary issues and the more Israelis living in the Diaspora, will be involved in these matters. Thus, the easier it will be for them to confront, deal and stand up for Israel," said Edelstein.
Granted, I am a believer that knowledge is power, but the next step in that equation is finding a practical solution to bringing the knowledge to the people. So perhaps it's not necessarily an issue of knowledge, but more of the how...
OK, ladies and gentleman, there you have it. Be sure to tune in to the next Leadel LIVE series with the communities from Budapest and Milan!
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If this post interested you and/or you're hungry for more Anti-Semitism, Human Rights, Durban II articles, do check out any or all of these:
- Follow-up Press Coverage by Haartez, "Israeli Minister to Swedish Jews: Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism"
- The UJC's article, "Jewish Activists Stunned by Hostility, anti-Semitism at Durban Conference"
- Judah Jacobs', "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on anti-Semitism"
- Durban II: Activism at its Best -- on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel aggression
