JTA: Netanyahu Pulls Ad Campaign For Israeli Expats!

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is cancelling an ad campaign aimed at luring Israeli expatriates home, that some American Jews have found offensive: The ads, produced by Israel's Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, attempted to convey the message that the children and families of Israeli "expats" will not have Israeli identities if they stay in the Diaspora. This week, the Jewish Federations of North America called the ads "insulting," and the head of the Anti-Defamation League said they were"demeaning." "The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption's campaign clearly did not take into account American Jewish sensibilities, and we regret any offense it caused," Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States, said in a statement. "The campaign, which aimed to encourage Israelis living abroad to come home, was a laudable one, and it was not meant to cause insult. The campaign was conducted without the knowledge or approval of the Prime Minister's Office, or of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Prime Minister Netanyahu, once made aware of the campaign, ordered the videos immediately removed from YouTube, and he ordered that the billboards be removed as well. The prime minister deeply values the American Jewish community and is committed to deepening ties between it and the State of Israel."