In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Judith Levy ·
Apr 21, 2011 at 7:29am
Man, this made me smile.
This Israeli ad for a fast internet provider contains exactly the combination of humor, cheekiness, and sweet, persistent optimism that characterizes so many Israelis, even at the worst of times. A young, post-Army Israeli is strolling the streets of a Muslim city in what looks like Iran, and...well, watch the ad.
The tag-line at the end translates to "In life this is still impossible, but on the internet, connections like this are made every day."
(If you're wondering where the cheekiness comes in, it's on the guy's T-shirt. The message translates to "Combat units are awesome, dude.")
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Aug '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Wow. A perfect blend of humor, good will, and hope in the future. Beautiful.
Where would the world be without Jewish humor? Ever heard of a German or Egyptian comedian?
I'm reminded that the name Isaac means 'laughing'.
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Okay, I teared up. But I'm a softy for this kind of stuff. And I'm sure on individual levels this kind of stuff happens all the time.
Edited on Apr 21, 2011 at 7:58amFeb '11
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
We spent the first two days of the holiday in Ashkelon. On the way home we passed this: http://www.yoav-exp.co.il/159325/2-1
Anything like it in any other country?
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Israel P.: We spent the first two days of the holiday in Ashkelon. On the way home we passed this: http://www.yoav-exp.co.il/159325/2-1
Anything like it in any other country? · Apr 21 at 8:16am
Israel, I didn't know about this. Amazing. Thanks.
Dec '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Do you suppose the setting might have been Gaza?
Sep '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Judith, you got me all misty-eyed. Maybe there's hope?
Dec '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Here is the question: will any advertiser in a Muslim country run a similar campaign with a young adult wearing a Hezbollah logo shirt walking through Jerusalem into a Jewish cafe and meeting an Internet friend for a game of sheshbesh?
Sep '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Stuart Creque
Here is the question: will any advertiser in a Muslim country run a similar campaign with a young adult wearing a Hezbollah logo shirt walking through Jerusalem into a Jewish cafe and meeting an Internet friend for a game of sheshbesh? · Apr 21 at 9:20am
I think we all know the answer to this question. That fact speaks volumes about the region.
Jul '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
This post reminded Me of American communication ads.
Edited on Apr 21, 2011 at 1:21pmSep '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
That's a terrific commercial. Would make me think very hard about buying their service. Sentimental, but tough-minded too.
Feb '11
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
The problem is the terrible asymmetry that Stuart mentions. Sure, we have warmongers and xenophobes on our side (i.e. pro-Israel, pro-West), but most of us ache for peace. Most of us also realize that Israel got burned by the Oslo agreement and again by withdrawing from Gaza.
But those who ache for peace on the other side (if they exist at all) are a silent and powerless minority. On the other side the warmongers and xenophobes are in charge.
I really hope I'm wrong, but I don't think this conflict will dissolve one backgammon game at a time.
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
For all of Turkey's problems, none of which do I underestimate or take lightly, I am an American woman and a Jew, neither fact of which do I (or could I) conceal. I wander through scenes that look like that daily in Istanbul, and I am more often than not received with exactly that kind of warmth.
Mar '11
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
The reason that we look at the commercial and smile, however wistfully, rather than be offended and angry, is because we do hope that peace will eventually win the day, first and foremost, I am sure, the Israelis who live with war in their back yard. But hoping and working for peace does not blind us to the fact that the other side, as Mr. Fuchs notes, has been led by the warmongers. And, in the words of Ronald Reagan, "it takes two to tango".
Dec '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
I understand how you can't conceal being American or female, but do you wear a yellow star or hat? How do average Turkish men and women on the street peg you as a Jew?
Oct '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Innocent Muslim children are the hope and change. Notice the girl at 0:11 and the boy at 0:31 are the only ones smiling at him--aside from his friend.
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Oh, they don't (and don't necessarily know I'm American unless they hear me speak), but if I get to talking to people and they about my name or my family--common small-talk topics--I'll tell them my grandparents were refugees from Nazi Germany (which makes things pretty clear). Or I'll say whatever else I would say to any normal people anywhere about my background. It would never occur to me not to. The fact that usually leads to the most curiosity is my being a journalist, which usually prompts the question "What do you think of us?"--and thereafter not so much interest in me.
Turks are extraordinarily gracious to foreigners. It's a deep part of the culture.
Dec '10
Re: In the Spirit of Zenga Zenga
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Turks are extraordinarily gracious to foreigners. It's a deep part of the culture. · Apr 22 at 1:06am
My uncle took my sister to the Middle East and Central Asia in 1970, when she was 15. They took a train from Afghanistan across Iran (where someone offered my uncle two white camels for my sister -- an offer which we could never understand why he refused) to Turkey. And after installing her in a small hotel in Istanbul, he went off on a short business trip. My sister enjoyed her freedom there at the time.
Do you suppose part of the Kurdish conflict with the Turkish state has to do with the refusal of Kurdish separatists to accept the status of Turkish citizen graciously conferred on them by the Turkish nation? Nothing rankles so much as a gift valued highly by the giver being rejected as worthless by the intended recipient,