Sderot Media Center in Action!

June 10, 2010

624

Dear Friends of the Sderot Media Center

As we saw in the latest events surrounding the Gaza Flotilla, Israel’s soverignty is not only being challenged militarily but in the media and international public. As SMC is the only international source on the ground next to the Gaza Strip, SMC needs your help in continuing to counterbalance this growing Gaza narrative.

We are pleased to inform you of SMC’s increasing activities in media outreach and Israel advocacy since the start of January 2010. Consequently, a major foundation has recognized our invaluable contribution to the field of Israel advocacy and has promised matching grants for the coming year for Sderot Media Center new Visitor’s Center.

SMC is planning to expand its office facilities and renovate the existing structure. To cover the project’s expenses, SMC requires $68, 250. We have worked out an agreement with the foundation that has promised $34,000 in matching funds, once SMC is able to raise the other $34,000. The deadline is December 2010.

Now is the opportunity to help SMC reach its financial goal to provide a well equipped office for foreign press, diplomats, political delegations and students visiting the region. Sderot Media Center aims to upgrade its media service and advocacy activities on behalf of Sderot and Israel through a state-of-art visitor’s center that will accomodate large groups and make information on the rocket reality easily accessible.

In addition, we have enclosed an update on our recent media activities, including the the theaterical performance of the Sderot Community Treatment Theater in the Knesset in May.

Thank you for your continued support and looking forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Noam Bedein and the SMC team

*Donations to Sderot Media Center can be made to Sderot Media Center, PO Box 472, Sderot, Israel 80100. Tax deductible accounts are avivlabe in the US, UK and in Canada.

SMC ACTIVITIES

Global Outreach

Netherlands: In April, SMC Director, Noam Bedein spent one week visiting the Netherlands, having been invited by the Christian communities. Doors were opened for the near future for presentations on Israel’s security reality along with fundraising opportunities for SMC.

South Africa: Noam visited Capetown and Johannesburg during Israel Apartheid Week, presenting the Sderot reality to university students, appearing on a major South African TV station, and speaking to Jewish communities.

Kenya and Zambia: Noam met with top security officials and government representatives, who had previously visited Sderot and toured the city with Sderot Media Center.

Norway: In June, SMC was invited for the fourth time to visit the Chrisitan communities of Norway. The Norwegian media organization MIFF invited SMC to participate in a media conference in Oslo, where Noam will be a featured speaker.

USA: SMC Assistant Director Jacob Shrybman, has been invited to conduct Sderot presentations in Washington State and Maryland.

Central and South America: In October, AISH will be holding fundraising events alongside an awareness campaign with SMC in the main Jewish communities in Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, and Argentina.

Sderot Media Center Community Treatment Theater Performs in Israeli Knesset

Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin invited Sderot Media Center’s Treatment Theater girls to perform in the Knesset before government ministers, members of Knesset and Boyar High School of Jerusalem on Tuesday May 11.

The following was media coverage generated by the recent Knesset performance:

Sderot Teens Share Rocket Life with Israeli Knesset by Anav Silverman
– Ynet News: http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3889174,00.html

– Front Page Magazine: http://frontpagemag.com/2010/05/18/coming-of-age-under-Qassam-rockets/

– Israel National News: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/news.aspx/137573

Israeli Government and International Organizations Recognize SMC

The Minister of Information and Diaspora Affairs: will send a formal recommendation letter for the SMC.

The Israel Government Press Office: The director Danny Seaman is willing to recommend by phone SMC Visitor Center along with the director of the IICC, Dr. Reuven Erlich.

Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Coordinating delegation visits in Sderot, including; two visits of Kenya’s Security Council and Cabinet, Indonesian delegation, Irish government officials and journalists, Romanian journalists.
Sponsorship of the flights to South Africa and coordinating a recent visit with the Israeli Embassies in places such as: Pretoria, Nairobi and The Hague and now Brussels.

Australian Jewish Lobby AIJAC- has brought through our center over 30 Australian parliament members, in the past few months.

CIDI (The Centre for Information and Documentation Israel): The President of CIDI visited Sderot on May 16 along with the first diplomatic delegation from The Hague, referred to by the Israeli Embassy in The Hague.

SMC Articles in Major News Publications

These are the major media accomplishments we have had recently, featuring our publications that were most carried by international media. We have also had many other publications on YNet, Frontpage Magazine, and many other sites and blogs.

Debunking the Gaza Siege Myth- The Huffington Post By Jacob Shrybman

This article attracted loads of attention with over 230 comments and being published in countless different newspapers, news sites, and blogs.This article was translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, German, and Arabic. All versions of this article, are on our website and were sent out by the Foreign Ministry. Click here to see the article in Arabic on the Foreign Ministry website.

A Spark of Zionism- YNet News By Noam Bedein

This article about Noam’s journey to get back to Israel on Yom Haatzmaut thanks to El Al while being stuck in several places in Europe due to the Volcano ash. This article was also published in the Jerusalem Post and several other languages.

As another social project of our center and campaign to cause international attention to the massive building of bomb shelter in Sderot, SMC has worked for a few months in coordinating and hosting the Artist 4 Israel group. This caused a massive amount of media and here is a list of some of the media coverage.

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3881947,00.html