Israel will celebrate its 64th Independence Day (Yom Ha´atzmaut) on
April 26, as the world warily watches developments regarding Iran´s
nuclear buildup and the upheaval throughout the Arab world.
A new 55-minute documentary highlights the reasons for
celebration. “Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big
Difference” portrays the often unreported side of Israel to the world.
The film is narrated by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, a New York Times
Bestselling Author and former Harvard professor who examines the core
character strengths that have enabled Israelis to overcome challenges
and turn a desert into a flourishing nation.
Dr. Ben-Shahar is joined on-screen by Professor Alan Dershowitz and
Israeli leading Israeli entrepreneurs, businessmen and political
figures, including Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Better Place´s Shai
Agassi, and Former Bank of Israel Governor Jacob Frankel.
“Israel Inside” was screened in Jerusalem at a special briefing on
Tuesday, in which Tal Ben-Shahar and other interviewees in the film
briefed members of the international media on the main messages they
hope will emanate from the film as Israel enters its 65th year.
Rebecca Shore, head writer of “Inside Israel,” explained in a
conversation with Arutz Sheva that the film is “a first shot in what
we feel should be an all-out campaign to rebrand Israel in the eyes
of the world and to show Israel beyond the conflict.
“Anyone who lives here knows that Israel is an amazing place with
tremendous contributions, tremendous innovation and creativity and
that is not the story that is being told to the world,” she added.
Erel Margalit, founder and chair of Jerusalem Venture Partners,
pointed out that in the last 18 years, despite several wars which it
has had to fight, “Israel has built the second hub for innovation in
the world after the United States.
“I think it’s that spirit that now needs to be told,” Margalit
said. “After all, we’re not only the people who invented things,
we’re also the people who told stories to the world.”
During the film Dr. Ben-Shahar, who chose to return to Israel despite
the fact that he was very successful at Harvard, explores what
brought him back to the Jewish State as well as the character traits
that have allowed Israelis to enjoy such innovative success.
“Many people said to me, ‘You’re crazy. You’re leaving a dream job in
the best possible position you could ask for. Why are you coming
back?’” said Ben-Shahar. “This is my story, of why I came back and
not only why I came back but also what I found when I came back.”
Israel, he added, is “constantly changing, growing, developing. What
I find here is warmth, innovation, chutzpah in the best sense of the
word. What I found here is aliveness. The levels of energy here are
unparalleled anywhere else in the world. What I found here is people
taking ideas and actualizing them, making them a reality.”
As part of JerusalemOnlineU.com’s ‘64 FOR 64’ campaign to celebrate
Israel’s 64th birthday, 64 leading communities worldwide will
screen “Israel Inside” on or around Independence Day, with tens of
thousands viewing the film in public programs at theaters, Jewish
Community Centers and synagogues.
JerusalemOnlineU, as its founder and CEO Raphael Shore explained, is
a “21st century solution to a decades old problem.”
