Fighting anti-Israel sentiment with big advertising campaigns

JULIE LEIBOWITZ

The businessman, who does not want to be named for fear of reprisal, is a media icon in South Africa. He told the SA Jewish Report that the billboard was placed on this particular stretch of the highway because it would attract the attention of government ministers and other powerful and influential people.

“Controversy attracts free publicity,” he says, “It should be in large format, or a multitude of adverts, depending on the campaign. [In this case], we used a true statement by a true icon – Nelson Mandela – which is hard to argue with.”

This man put forward the approximately R60 000 that it took to flight the billboard partly out of his own pocket. The rest came from the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), assisted by an overseas foundation that promotes pro-Israel messaging.

The businessman is a key figure in this and other Israel-education campaigns that take on the strong anti-Israel sentiment in South Africa. He insists that high-profile tactics are necessary to get the pro-Israel and pro-Jewish message across to the broader public and “fight fire with fire”. Four years ago, he instigated a similar campaign that graced Jo’burg’s busy Corlett Drive.

Pointing out the hostility towards Israel by the ANC, including talk of cutting all diplomatic ties and the recent recall of South Africa’s ambassador to Israel, he said, “The Israeli embassy requires us to fight our own battles. We are the ones who have to make a difference. If we don’t support Israel, we don’t have a Jewish community. People must understand that we need to be strong – people respect strength.

“It’s about informing people,” he says. “The argument is about whether Jews have the right to have a state of their own. The separation of Israel and Jews is a completely false message, and the militant liberal rhetoric of tearing down walls has had a negative effect on Israel.

“If the government no longer recognises the State of Israel, there will be numerous negative implications for the local community, not least of which will be increasing anti-Semitism. Jews and businesses are often scared to speak out. But, we need to be front and centre [about this].”

He believes a combination of outdoor advertising and social media is the best way to get the message across. That’s because there is “increasing scepticism about traditional media”, and young people use social media as a source for information. There is also the problem of insularity – we tend to speak to each other and not reach out to the wider community. “Jews only post to Jews,” he says. “We should use influencers more.”

It doesn’t require lots of money – R1 million translates into R80 000 a month for an ongoing campaign for more than a year – but it does require an agile committee which can act quickly, proactively and reactively when necessary, and maintain the momentum.

The SAZF says this team is already operational.

“Our marketing strategies have changed substantially over time to meet changing needs,” says Nicci Raz, the National Executive Director of the SAZF. “In the ‘golden days’, it may have been enough to have publicity around Yom Ha’atzmaut, or to send funds to Israel. Now, we are focused on getting a pro-Israel message out to the [wider] public.”

As well as outdoor campaigns, this includes educating the Christian community, journalists, activists and other high-profile figures about Israel, nurturing media personalities, using social media effectively (the South African Friends of Israel (Safi’s) Facebook page has 160 000 followers), getting involved in campaigns during Israel Apartheid Week on campuses, and taking out full-page adverts in publications like The Star.

“We are in a situation where we have to fight for Israel’s right to exist in South Africa. This has complexities and involves lobbying [government], as well as using a wider voice than just the Jewish community,” Raz says.

Referring to a mass march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in July by representatives of Safi, Christian groups, and political parties to petition the government to maintain relations with Israel, Raz says “If Christians can do it, we can do it! Our community isn’t going to be bullied. We will reach out and make friends.”