FRANCE – Activists Vandalized Ad for ‘Open a Door to Israel’ Paris exhibit

THE JERUSALEM POST

Anti-Israel activists who belong to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) vandalized signs promoting an official Israeli exhibit in Paris on Sunday.

The incident took place just as the Carousel du Louvre was hosting a display staged by the Foreign Ministry titled “Open a Door to Israel.”

Gilad Erdan, the government minister who has been put in charge of coordinating the state’s response to BDS, released a statement reacting to the incident, saying: “BDS activists have once again shown their true colors. They are not human rights activists, but a group of extremist law-breakers whose goal is to silence anyone who supports Israel.”

“I will act to ensure that the truth about Israel is heard worldwide,” the minister said.

Diplomats, French officials, actors, artists and leaders of the Jewish community gathered at the Carousel du Louvre over the weekend for the launching of the unusual exhibit, which is composed of nine doors, each in a different color and design, all opening into huge interactive screens.

“This exhibit is the fruit of two and a half years of work and an investment of NIS 3.5 million, as a joint venture of our ministry and the Ministry for Strategic Affairs,” Joel Lion, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Public and Academic Affairs Department, explained to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

“The idea was to bring Israel, to bring Israelis to the world, for people to view the Israeli experience. When the idea first came up, we defined nine values; nine characteristics of Israeli society, and each of these elements became a door to be opened.”

Lion, the proud father of the exhibit, opens a blue door – the Israeli family door.

Inside, punching a button will shift screens among different Israeli families. The Zarum family, for instance, was filmed on a Friday evening, with all its members gathering around the table for a traditional Sabbath diner. Another short video shows a typical Israeli fridge, full with local groceries such as humus, olives and cottage cheese.

Lion opens a red door for me. Here, I can play DJ with a real, small-size audio board connected to shifting screens, which are adapted to different sorts of Israeli music.

One video clip was shot at the most recent Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade. Another is taken from a traditional Jewish wedding, with the music and songs to match.

The most amusing door is probably the beach door. Visitors are offered an interactive paddle ball racket to play against a changing Israeli adversary on the beach screen. “Kids love it, and so do adults,” grins Lion.

Leora Hadar, the commercial attaché of the Israeli Embassy, encourages me to open the Israeli hi-tech door, where different Israeli companies feature global achievements.

With a touch of the hand we learn about telecommunication gadgets, computerized watering systems, satellites and more.