April 14, 2005

Combat is the best, brother

You have to see this Israeli commercial (via Balagan), advertising Baraq's fast Internet access. It depicts an Israeli visiting Iran, walking though markets, mosques, etc. wearing a T-shirt that says, q'ravi ze hakhi, ahi (קרבי זה הכי אחי) - [serving in a] combat [unit] is the best, my brother. It's very beautifully filmed. It ends with: bahayim ze `adayin bilti efshari aval ba'internet q'sharim k'elu nosarim b'khol yom (בחיים זה עדיין בלתי אפשרי אבל באינטרנט קשרים כאלו נוצרים בכל יום) - in [real] life this is still impossible but on the Internet connections like these are formed every day.

To fully understand the impact of this commercial you have to understand how deeply Israelis long for normalcy, how oppressed Israelis feel by the situation. It's much more than dealing with conflict every day, it's a feeling of isolation. Israelis are painfully aware that there's a big, beautiful world out there where we're not wanted. In the commercial, this is expressed by the Israeli walking nonchalantly, without apparent concern, as the Iranians eye him suspiciously - as if to say, "Even though you are suspicious of me, I would love to tour your country." It is an expression of the asymmetry of the situation: an Iranian really could walk though the streets of Tel Aviv safely, if he wanted to, and if he could get out of Iran. For an Israeli it's the reverse.

UPDATE: The English translation of the T-shirt requires some explanation. The word "combat" in Hebrew is clearly an adjective, so the mind automatically fills in the word "unit" - most people who serve in the army don't serve in combat units, and the combat units really are considered "the best". In English, on the other hand, the word "combat" alone would be assumed to be a noun, so it would sound like the guy is expressing his love of making war.

UPDATE: If what I wrote doesn't make sense to you, it might be because I left out an important detail in my description of the commercial. If you watch it, you will know why.

Posted by David Boxenhorn at April 14, 2005 11:19 PM
Comments & Trackbacks

Our tv's rather limited to channel 1 http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2005/04/musings-111-theater-of-absurd.html and Jordan sports, so I haven't seen the commercial, but you caught something very important in the psyche of Israel as a nation.

I'm going to link this post to http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/

Posted by: muse at April 15, 2005 05:45 AM Permalink

Powerful stuff.

In a better world, perhaps...

Posted by: Elisson at April 15, 2005 06:06 AM Permalink

Thanks for sharing this commercial.

I can get Academic Channel and Kabbalah from Beeline TV. Is this commercial on either of these channels?

I'm visiting because you are currently three notches ahead of me in the Ecosystem.

Posted by: Douglas at April 16, 2005 10:11 AM Permalink

Douglas: Nice bumping into you, I hope you come back. I can't comment on your blog, though, for some reason.

Posted by: David Boxenhorn at April 16, 2005 09:58 PM Permalink

Wow! What a powerful commercial, this should be shown worldwide!

Posted by: Owen at April 18, 2005 03:26 AM Permalink

It is an expression of the asymmetry of the situation: an Iranian really could walk though the streets of Tel Aviv safely, if he wanted to, and if he could get out of Iran.

Well...yes and no. If an Iranian actually got into Israel, he might be able to walk through Tel Aviv freely. But does anyone really believe that Israeli security would let an Iranian national in the country? Don't think so.

Doesn't change the power of the commercial though, or how it captures the Israeli psyche.

Posted by: Tamouz at April 18, 2005 08:49 PM Permalink

Tamouz: Israeli security lets everyone through eventually. Though, he might be very well searched beforehand. In fact, I once knew an Iranian Moslem from a well-to-do family who somehow got to Israel, I think by way of the SLA, and asked for asylum. This was shortly after the revolution. I met him in 1982.

Posted by: David Boxenhorn at April 18, 2005 09:00 PM Permalink

Thanks a lot for that. It really is powerful, with a lot of implications for the world of blogs...

Posted by: Josh at April 20, 2005 04:59 AM Permalink

Wow. Not too realistic though, unfortunately...

Posted by: Maria at April 21, 2005 12:10 AM Permalink

I have comments turned off due to comment/trackback spam. I join you in praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

Posted by: Douglas at April 24, 2005 08:32 PM Permalink

"Israelis are painfully aware that there's a big, beautiful world out there where we're not wanted"

I really believe you.

If you feel opressed and isolated, think about the 500.000 dead children as a consequence of Irak War I ('91) and the subsequent blockade.

In another posting, very close to this one, you praise the war against the very same people you regret being "not wanted" by.

Well, if it is necessary to explain it: they don't like you because you want them dead, or in the best of cases, you don't give a **** if USA bombs them. Does it sounds so strange to you?

Now I see what Israeli's psyche is: contradictory. You cannot have peace and war at the same time. You cannot kill others and "being wanted".

And believe me: nobody wants war, except those who benefit from it. Ask yourself: are you one of them?

Posted by: Ernest at May 12, 2005 03:28 AM Permalink