Like Marmalade on My Heart

I’m not gonna lie. Some days I feel overwhelmed by heaviness. Near-daily knife attacks and car-rammings by enemies, blinded by hate, who want to destroy my people. Corruption and injustice in the government that makes me want to scream. Infighting among Jews that makes me want to cry. Wars of personalities conducted on social media that make me want to cringe.

 

Ah, but last night felt like marmalade on my heart, an expression I stole borrowed from Ari Abramowitz, film maker, educator and co-host of Israel Inspired on the Land of Israel Network. Abramowitz was the MC at a remarkable awards ceremony held in the Tower of David: Museum of the History of Jerusalem in the Old City of Jerusalem.

 

Back in February, I noticed videos with heartwarming messages about Israel show up in my Facebook newsfeed. A few clicks later, I discovered that the Israel Video Network was running a contest. Before I had begun paying attention, Israel-lovers from all over the world had submitted 93 videos, each no longer than 4-minutes, based on the theme “Inspired by Israel”. By the time the contest was over, these videos had been seen over 500,000 times.

 

For two weeks, the international, Israel-loving community voted for their favorite of the 93 videos. A second phase of judging was conducted by Israel advocacy and digital media professionals. Last night was the awards ceremony, the culmination of many months of work.

 

It was a relatively intimate event with about 100 people in attendance and 3,000 more watching online. I love attending English-language events because, after almost six years in Israel, I’m certain to see people I know. In the wine and cheese reception before the ceremony, we enjoyed the mild evening weather and breathtaking Jerusalem scene, surrounded by neighbors, colleagues, students and friends.

 

Once the ceremony began, in a modest room with arched entryways and walls of ancient Jerusalem stone, my heart was once again filled with gratitude for the privilege of living in the Land of Israel.

MC Ari Abramowitz reminded the audience that we’re all fighting a spiritual war and that the eyes of the world are on Israel right now. Avi Abelow, co-founder and CEO of Israel Video Network, spoke about his dream to create a platform upon which Jews and friends of Israel from around the world could connect. Every day, the Israel Video Network spreads the truth about Israel in response to the lies and media manipulations that comprise much of the Israel messaging around the world.

 

The keynote speaker was Mark Halawa, born to a Palestinian refugee family in Kuwait City. In 2004, Halawa discovered that he was born halachically Jewish and he now lives as an observant Jew in Jerusalem. A fluent Arabic speaker, Halawa makes videos exposing the lies the Arab world tells about Israel.

 

In a profile on Times of Israel written by Amanda Borschel-Dan, Halawa said, “’I want to show the beautiful creativeness of Israel, the people of Israel, how they live, how they help each other,’ he says. In short, he wants to show the Arab world ‘his Israel.’”

 

Half-a-dozen of the top videos were screened at the event, each a nugget of pride about what Jews have accomplished since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, each a huge tub of marmalade on my heart.

 

The top winners included a video about Israel’s contributions to citizens of other countries in times of disaster or personal hardship and a video about two artists who cover the stalls in Jerusalem’s Machne Yehuda shuk with gorgeous portraits of famous Jews in history

 

My favorite video of the evening was one I hadn’t seen before. Made by Jerusalem U, the video connects stories of ancient and modern Jews to the Land of Israel. In a delightful departure, the video features the stories of women and girls. The final scene shows a young girl and boy running through the Old City of Jerusalem. In her pure, childlike voice, the girl says, “There are people who say we don’t belong here. But this street… these stones… this wall… says otherwise. We belong right here.”

 

As do I.