Toronto is ground zero for Israel's re-branding campaign.

[snagglepuss]

Globe and Mail has an interesting story about Israel choosing Toronto as ground zero to rebrand itself. If it works in Toronto the same PR can be used elsewhere.

Amir Gissin is Israel's consul-general for Toronto, 3 years ago he was director of public affairs at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He is the one who chose Toronto as the pilot project for rebranding Israel.

Globe and Mail

"Toronto was an ideal choice for other reasons: It's home to some of Israel's harshest critics – among them, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the United Church of Canada, both of which have championed the Palestinian-led Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and a noisy coterie of left-wingers in academia and the arts, many of whom, including Naomi Klein, are Jewish.

And the city boasts a growing Muslim population of 350,000, twice the number of Jews. “The Muslims on Toronto campuses are more politically active than was their parents' generation,” notes Ryerson University professor Judy Rebick, a frequent critic of Israeli policies. “There's lots of energy. Remember, they grew up here. They're Canadian. They feel a sense of entitlement as citizens. They're more savvy.”

snip

If the 46-year-old diplomat's choice needed any vindication, the last year has provided it. One day last winter, eight Jewish women (including Ms. Rebick) occupied his offices, protesting the war in Gaza. At York University, a political cauldron, Jewish students were forced to barricade themselves from angry members of Students Against Israeli Apartheid. Every month, it seemed, Torontonians were bumping into a new dimension of the conflict – at liquor stores (a picket to boycott Israeli wines), museums (an abortive attempt to block the Dead Sea scrolls exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum) and theatres (a brouhaha over a production of British playwright Caryl Churchill's provocative play, S even Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza ). In August, an anti-Israeli coalition mounted a protest to the Toronto International Film Festival's special program of films about Tel Aviv, capturing international headlines.




http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/torontos-middle-east-proxy-war/article1354645/




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[aquart]

1. A town with more Muslims than Jews favors the Palestinians.

Quelle surprise.

[snagglepuss]

2. YOur overlooking the fact that the 8 women who occupied his office to protest

the Gaza War are Jewish. Alot of opposition in Toronto to Israeli practices come from Jews on the Left. I think its that group of people he really wants to influence.