The Israel Project

Last updated
The Israel Project
Founded2002
FounderJennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Type 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-government organization
Focus Press
Location
Method Education
LeaderJosh Block
Website www.theisraelproject.org

The Israel Project (TIP) was a US-based non-profit, non-government organization. According to TIP, it was not affiliated with any government. However, according to its website, it had a team with decades of experience in media, government, policy institutes, research, academia and the military. [1]

Contents

TIP had offices in the United States and Israel, and regularly hosted press briefings featuring Israeli spokespeople and analysts. [2]

According to TIP, its extensive Arabic media program had 1.2 million Arabic-speaking subscribers on TIP Arabic's Facebook page, "Israel Uncensored". Despite the success, a new TIP management team in 2014 decided to drop the Arabic program which became independently known as Al-Masdar. Al-Masdar subsequently closed in April, 2019. [1]

History

The Israel Project was founded by Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Margo Volftsun, and Sheryl Schwartz in 2003. Mizrahi served as its president until 2012 when Josh Block took over as CEO and President. [3] [4] [5] Initially started to change US and European perceptions of Israel, it had worked in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese to reach a global audience. However, from the end of 2012, TIP decided to shut down its 'Global Affairs' unit to focus more on social media outreach and perceptions in both the U.S. and Israel. [6] As of late 2016, its board of advisors included 36 Democratic and Republican members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate. [7] TIP operated offices in Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem. [6]

TIP was the first Jewish or pro-Israel group to host Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad the United States. [8]

In July 2019, Haaretz reported that TIP could soon cease to exist due to a funding crisis. [9] A month later, its offices in both Jerusalem and Washington were closed, with Vice President Lion Weintraub citing polarization among Zionists as the reason. [10]

Activities

Press information

TIP conducted polling and public opinion research [11] with US focus groups and advised Israeli experts and political leaders on the most effective factual ways to present their views to US audiences: "We share [our] information with all the political leaders across the political spectrum because they're the ones being interviewed on television" [12] TIP also provided information to journalists by offering background material, press conferences, [2] and one-on-one interviews with these experts and political figures, such as Shimon Peres. [12] [13] TIP has supplied information for thousands of news stories around the world, as part of their "pro-Israel media advocacy" efforts. [14] TIP also bought commercial time to air pro-Israel advertising on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and other cable networks. [6]

According to the organization's website, "TIP informs, providing facts, access to experts and keen analysis. It offers real-time background information, images, maps, audio, video, graphics and direct access to newsmakers. TIP organizes press briefings and speaker tours, conference calls and educational trips, supports non-profit journalism, conducts public affairs research and adheres to the highest possible standards of accuracy and reliability." TIP also distributes a daily newsletter, the Daily TIP, which provides updates and insights on events in the region.

TIP's President and CEO, Josh Block, a former official in the Clinton Administration and spokesman for AIPAC, [15] published an op-ed in 2016 critical of the "increasingly isolationist wing of the Democratic party", which he called "neo-progs". [16]

The Tower

In 2013, TIP launched The Tower Magazine and TheTower.org. [17] The Tower Magazine is a long-form online magazine published monthly, while TheTower.org is a live-updated news site covering facts and analysis about events affecting Israel and the Middle East. David Hazony serves as editor-in-chief of the publications. [15]

The Tower Tomorrow Fellowship

Every year, The Israel Project offers the opportunity for college and graduate school students to participate in a media internship program. The fellows undergo intensive training, working with leading journalists and communications professionals to gain the out-of-classroom experience necessary to secure post-graduate career opportunities. Throughout the nine-week program, fellows participate in all aspects of The Israel Project, from writing articles for publication to conducting interviews and organizing press events.

Helicopter tours

The Israel Project's Intellicopter Intellicopter.jpg
The Israel Project's Intellicopter

Part of TIP's efforts in Jerusalem includes providing helicopter flights for foreign journalists and leaders visiting the country, called 'Intelli-copter' tours.Members of the media and leaders are given an opportunity to witness firsthand the strategic difficulties facing Israel as a result of its small size. The two-and–a-half hour tour is led by TIP's guides who offer an analysis of Israel's history and current security challenges. Journalists from over 300 media outlets have taken TIP's intelli-copter tour, and a large portion of news footage about the country is taken from this aerial view. [2]

2009 Global Language Dictionary

The Israel Project commissioned a study by Frank Luntz who ran polls and focus groups to determine the best language to use to promote Israeli settlements to the American public. [18] The study was marked, "Not for distribution or publication" and was leaked to Newsweek online. It recommends being positive, framing the issue as being about peace not settlements, noting that religious, ownership and "scapegoat" arguments failed to sway listeners and that Arab housing is being demolished in East Jerusalem because it fails to meet the building code. One of the boldest statements in the guide is "Israel is so rich and so strong that they fail to see why it is necessary for armored tanks to shoot at unarmed kids" para (3) page 90. The study states that "public opinion is hostile to the settlements—even among supporters of Israel" so instead of dwelling on settlements one should always talk positively and focus on past peace achievement. [18] [19]

Criticisms

Critics such as J Street describe the advice as "If you get a question about settlements, change the subject. If pressed, say stopping settlements is 'a kind of ethnic cleansing'." J Street sent a mailing to their organization asking their members to send letters to TIP asking them to "remove pro-settlement fear-mongering talking points from The Israel Project's materials". [20]

An op-ed by Matthew Duss, a National Security reporter of the ThinkProgress blog, in The Jewish Daily Forward said several groups, including the Israel Project, "seem to exist for no other reason than to spotlight the very worst aspects of Muslim societies." [21]

2007 Iran Focus Group

A participant in a 2007 focus group commissioned by TIP reported that she had been "called in for what seemed an unusual assignment: to help test-market language that could be used to sell military action against Iran to the American public". [22] The final question in the study was reportedly "How would you feel if George Bush, Hillary Clinton, or Israel bombed Iran"? [22] TIP founder, Mizrahi, said that her group had commissioned the focus group and had "shared information" produced by the focus group with Freedom's Watch. She claimed that the focus group was designed to help TIP promote "our belief in pushing sanctions" against Iran. [22] TIP repeatedly went on the record in support of sanctions which eventually were passed by the United Nations Security Council.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Israel</span>

The demographics of Israel, monitored by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, encompass various attributes that define the nation's populace. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has witnessed significant changes in its demographics. Formed as a homeland for the Jewish people, Israel has attracted Jewish immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israelis</span> Citizens and nationals of Israel

Israelis are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jews and Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percent and 20 percent of the national figure, followed by other ethnic and religious minorities, who account for 5 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shas</span> Israeli political party (1984-)

Shas is a Haredi religious political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 under the leadership of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until his death in October 2013, it primarily represents the interests of Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Jews.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), officially the Middle East Media and Research Institute, is an American non-profit press monitoring organization co-founded by Israeli ex-intelligence officer Yigal Carmon and Israeli-American political scientist Meyrav Wurmser in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mizrahi Jews</span> Jews of the Middle East and North Africa

Mizrahi Jews, also known as Mizrahim (מִזְרָחִים) or Mizrachi (מִזְרָחִי) and alternatively referred to as Oriental Jews or Edot HaMizrach, are terms used in Israeli discourse to refer to a grouping of Jewish communities that lived in the Muslim world. Mizrahi is a political sociological term that was coined with the creation of the State of Israel. It translates as "Easterner" in Hebrew.

Public diplomacy in Israel refers to Israel's efforts to communicate directly with citizens of other nations to inform and influence their perceptions, with the aim of garnering support or tolerance for the Israeli government's strategic objectives. Historically, these efforts have evolved from being called "propaganda" by early Zionists, with Theodor Herzl advocating such activities in 1899, to the more contemporary Hebrew term "hasbara" introduced by Nahum Sokolow, which translates roughly to "explaining". This communicative strategy seeks to justify actions and is considered reactive and event-driven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Voice for Peace</span> American anti-Zionist advocacy group

Jewish Voice for Peace is an American anti-Zionist left-wing Jewish advocacy organization that is critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) is an American non-profit pro-Israel media-monitoring, research and membership organization. According to its website, CAMERA is "devoted to promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East." The group says it was founded in 1982 "to respond to The Washington Post's coverage of Israel's Lebanon incursion", and to respond to what it considers the media's "general anti-Israel bias".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian Jews</span> Pre-1948 Jewish inhabitants of Palestine

Palestinian Jews or Jewish Palestinians were the Jewish inhabitants of the Palestine region prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

StandWithUs (SWU) is a nonprofit right-wing pro-Israel advocacy organization founded in Los Angeles in 2001 by Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamilla</span> Neighbourhood of Jerusalem, Israel

Mamilla is a neighbourhood of Jerusalem that was established in the late 19th century outside the Old City, west of the Jaffa Gate. Until 1948 it was a mixed Jewish–Arab business district. Between 1948 and 1967, it was located along the armistice line between the Israeli and Jordanian-held sector of the city, and many buildings were destroyed by Jordanian shelling. The Israeli government approved an urban renewal project for Mamilla, apportioning land for residential and commercial zones, including hotels and office space. The Mamilla Mall opened in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahane Yehuda Market</span> Marketplace in Jerusalem

Mahane Yehuda Market, often referred to as "The Shuk", is a marketplace in Jerusalem. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market's more than 250 vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; and housewares, textiles, and Judaica.

Israeli Jews or Jewish Israelis comprise Israel's largest ethnic and religious community. The core of their demographic consists of those with a Jewish identity and their descendants, including ethnic Jews and religious Jews alike. Approximately 99% of the global Israeli Jewish population resides in Israel; yerida is uncommon and is offset exponentially by aliyah, but those who do emigrate from the country typically relocate to the Western world. As such, the Israeli diaspora is closely tied to the broader Jewish diaspora.

Yehouda Shenhav is an Israeli sociologist and critical theorist. He is known for his contributions in the fields of bureaucracy, management and capitalism, as well as for his research on ethnicity in Israeli society and its relationship with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

J Street is a nonprofit liberal Zionist advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. J Street was incorporated on November 29, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silwan</span> Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem

Silwan or Siloam is a predominantly Palestinian district in East Jerusalem, on the southeastern outskirts of the current Old City of Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rawabi</span> Palestinian town in Ramallah and al-Bireh, West Bank

Rawabi is the first planned city built for and by Palestinians in the West Bank, and is hailed as a "flagship Palestinian enterprise." Rawabi is located near Birzeit and Ramallah. The master plan envisages a high tech city with 6,000 housing units, housing a population of between 25,000 and 40,000 people, spread across six neighborhoods.

<i>The Times of Israel</i> Israel-based online newspaper

The Times of Israel is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman. Based in Jerusalem, it "documents developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world." Along with its original English site, The Times of Israel publishes in Hebrew, Arabic, French, and Persian. In addition to publishing news reports and analysis, the website hosts a multi-author blog platform.

Od Yosef Chai, also known as Od Yosef Hai is a yeshiva situated in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar. Od Yosef Chai includes several related institutions; a yeshiva high school, a yeshiva gedola, a kollel and the publishing house that released "The King's Torah", and other materials.

Mizrahi Jews constitute one of the largest Jewish ethnic divisions among Israeli Jews. Mizrahi Jews are descended from Jews in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia and parts of the Caucasus, who had lived for many generations under Muslim rule during the Middle Ages. The vast majority of them left the Muslim-majority countries during the Arab–Israeli conflict, in what is known as the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries. According to a survey conducted in 2005, 61% of Jewish Israelis identified as either Mizrahi or Sephardic.

References

  1. 1 2 "What is TIP". Archived from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "About TIP - The Israel Project". Israel Project. 2009. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Ex-AIPAC Flack to Head The Israel Project". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  4. ↑ Pollak, Suzanne (August 22, 2012). "Block picked to head TIP". Washington Jewish Week . WJW Group, LLC. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi". Israel Project. 2009. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 Bitton-Jackson, Livia (March 18, 2009). "Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi: 'The Israel Project'". Jewish Press. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  7. ↑ "TIP's Board of Advisors | TIP". www.theisraelproject.org. Archived from the original on 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  8. ↑ "The Israel Project pitches peace as well as Israel". Jewish Standard. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  9. ↑ "Pro-Israel NGO The Israel Project Could Shut Down in Days as Fundraising Stalls". July 3, 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019– via Haaretz.
  10. ↑ "What the Collapse of This Leading pro-Israel Group Means for the Future of Hasbara in the U.S." August 1, 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019– via Haaretz.
  11. ↑ "Polls". Israel Project. 2009. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  12. 1 2 Frisberg, Manny (May 11, 2007). "Different routes to the same place". JTNews. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Expert Sources available for comment and contact". Israel Project. 2009. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  14. ↑ Nir, Ori (July 9, 2004). "Pro-Israel Activists Start Media Campaign". The Forward . Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  15. 1 2 "New Leader Josh Block Gives Makeover to The Israel Project". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  16. ↑ Picard, Joe (2016-02-18). "Rise of the neo-progs". The Hill . Archived from the original on 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  17. ↑ "About Us". The Tower. Archived from the original on 2016-11-27. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  18. 1 2 Luntz, Frank (April 2009). "2009 Global Language Dictionary" (PDF). The Israel Project. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-30.
  19. ↑ Ephron, Dan (2009-07-10). "Chosen Words". Newsweek . Archived from the original on 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  20. ↑ "Stopping settlements = "Ethnic Cleansing"?". J Street. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-07-14. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  21. ↑ Duss, Matthew (22 September 2010). "Some Zionist Groups Stoke Fear Of Islam for Political Profit". The Jewish Daily Forward . Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  22. 1 2 3 "Focus Grouping War with Iran". Mother Jones. November 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.