Last night (4.11.06), Israel's Channel Two screened a fun-type documentary entitled - let's see you instead of me. This apparently light hearted programme takes an Israeli with a specific profession and gets him to change places with a counterpart from abroad.
In last night's showing, an Italian fashion from Milan photographer exchanged places with a news photographer from Tel Aviv. The Israeli photographer went off to the glamorous world of fashion photography in Milan. He was given the envious task of photographing an exquisite young model in the arms of a less exquisite aging ex-basketball star. The photographer was given instructions by an uppity Italian magazine editor who poured scorn on the Israeli's lack of ability (in his opinion) to carry out his given task. After suffering several insults (delivered in a passive-agressive manner) the Israeli photographer decided, in despair, to show the Italian editor some of his work from back home in Israel. He proceeded to show lab top pictures of death Israeli style - grisly photographs from suicide attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Israel. This ever so cultured magazine editor was suddenly confronted with another reality far removed from his beautiful insulated Milanese existence. As the Israeli photographer showed him a picture of a blood drenched corpse of a little Israeli baby , the editor clammed up and decided to break up the meeting - this despite the Israeli's tongue in cheek protest that this was only the beginning of what he had to show!.
The Italian photographer who came to Tel Aviv was a far more sympathetic character than the Editor back in Milan. He too could not come to terms with Israeli reality particularly when he went to photograph the bereaved family and friends of a fallen Israeli soldier. Brought to tears he could not bring himself to photograph the mourners. Unlike the snotty magazine editor who could not even bring himself to say something about what he saw, the Italian photographer was refreshingly honest in his admission of how hard the Israeli reality was to confront.
Last week there was debate in Israel about marketing Israel's image abroad. The term in vogue these days is "nation branding". One view has it that Israeli should focus on an Israel not related to religion or to the conflict with the Palestinians. Others feel that Israel should show the world some hard truths about the reality of life in this country - just as the Israeli photographer did in Milan and just as the Italian photographer experienced in Israel.
What was interesting about the television programme was the reaction of a European audience (albeit a specific audience of two) to a glimpse of Israeli reality. One reaction (the photographer's) was of sympathy, sadness and understanding the other was (the editor's) of distaste and revulsion. One could say that the editor was revolted because reality suddenly confronted him, knocking him down a much needed peg or two or perhaps his reaction was one of refusal to deal with the fact that Israelis (not only Palestinians) suffer and bleed. Did he clam up because his mould of stereo-type thinking regarding Israel suddenly cracked? Or perhaps simply pictures of death and suffering were just too much to deal with for a person involved with the narrow world of photographing fashion nymphs? We will never know what the editor was really feeling on being exposed to Israeli reality - what is important that the pictures caused a reaction - and causing a reaction is a start if Israel is going to put forward its position to the world in a more telling manner.
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