“Hi my name is Ariela Carno, I am 23 years old, I’m female, Jewish, proudly South African and a medical student. I have a passion for Israel and student politics, and I have the privilege of functioning as National chairperson of the South African Union of Jewish Students. In addition I am also a drama teacher”. Consider this introduction the equivalent of an electronic handshake.
In essence what you probably gleaned from this is that I have varied interests (or you think I’m mildly schizophrenic); however this month I am going channel these interests by putting my time and energy into working for BOMAH in the capacity of Public relations and content management.
What exactly does this entail you may ask, and why am I doing it? I applaud you for asking these two admirable questions because the “what” and the “why” are the fundamental queries one must ask in order to understand any situation-particularly the multifaceted world of Israel’s media relations. Regarding the “what”-there is a common misconception that in order to “help” Israel one needs to either donate large amounts of money or vociferously advocate the case for Israel through sprouting a copious amount of tedious facts (that nobody will remember), with a degree in political science, middle eastern studies and conflict resolution to back you up.
Now don’t misunderstand me-it is incredible if you feel passionate enough about this field to obtain a degree in “Middle Eastern studies” or “conflict resolution” however there are other ways to tap into your passion for Israel. Spending a mere five minutes on the social media platform of your choice, putting your fingers to a keyboard and writing about your personal experience in Israel can help showcase what an incredible place Israel actually is. This is owing to the fact that while it is difficult to relate to data and statistics you are a living, breathing individual and it is your stories, emotions, likes and dislikes that people want to read about. So please don’t deprive us of your words. Send us your stories so that you can place your own personal brand on Israel.
In terms of “why”
I believe being proactive regarding Israel is so important-I truly, honestly believe that if you are capable of doing something you have the responsibility to do it.
I strongly believe that if something is important to you, you will find time in the day to do it (even if it is done in those snatched moments between meetings) .I also believe that as a member of the Jewish people Israel is an integral part of my identity-an essential part which I cannot (and do not wish to) deny.
All that being said “stories are some of the oldest and grandest of human pastimes” and I look forward to meeting you through yours.
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