Ilana's Stein First Blog Post

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner

Today I had the privilege of attending the first Jewish Media Summit. The three-day event brought together journalists and editors of leading Jewish media from all around the world to the holiest city, Jerusalem. Throughout the various sessions, there was heated debate and conversation about the problematic issues confronting Jewish media organizations. The summit enabled individuals from all over the world to address the current issues at hand that are an obstacle to the media’s image of Israel, the Jewish nation.

Out of the three sessions that I attended, Peter Lerner, the Israel Defense Forces Spokesman for International Media and Commander of the IDF Social Media activities, specifically amazed me. He began addressing the threats that are posed to the state of Israel today. These threats include regional instability, the borders between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, and rising Radical Islamist groups in the Middle East. Though the threats Lerner proposed were terrifying, though not unknown to the general public, he was optimistic about Israel’s future, specifically pertaining to the IDF’s success in the near future. For example, two weeks ago, three Israeli teenagers went missing in Gush Etzion in the West Bank. These three teens are currently kidnapped by Hamas and have not been located for two weeks. Lerner passionately stated that he is confident that the IDF will soon find the three teenagers, and find the terrorists behind this kidnapping. The optimism portrayed by Lerner today was extremely empowering. This empowerment is a key aspect in Israeli society. This hope has enabled society to become confident in the IDF, and has allowed all individuals to continue to live in Israel peacefully, and most importantly to be hopeful of Israel’s future.

Lerner concluded his speech by maintaining that Israel has two great advantages in the Israeli-Arab conflict. First, Israel has no choice. There is no alternative, nor are there any second chances. The soldiers are fighting in order to preserve the Jewish nation. The second advantage is the Israeli citizens themselves. The people are young, vibrant, and highly educated. The people are extremely talented. At this very moment, I was filled with pride. As I have an Israeli citizenship, I know that the State of Israel is constantly driven to protect itself and the population. Israel is filled with educated, intelligent and trained individuals. This strength is our hope, and our push to fight and strike against our enemies. Israel is strong, and capable of conquering the harshest blows from our enemies. As a result, I am truly honored that I was given the opportunity to attend the Summit. I have been filled with immense pride in my second home, and I hope to attend the Jewish Media Summit again next summer.