Prime Minister Netanyahu Uses YouTube To Wish The Jewish Community Happy Rosh Hashanah

As Jewish communities around the world continue to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, leaders of different nations step forward to give celebratory words of inspiration, unity and hope in various social media channels. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a heartfelt greeting in a 4:45-minute YouTube video, expressing hope that “the New Year will bring Jewish people everywhere security, prosperity and peace.” The inspiring video amassed 15,081 views, drove 40 subscriptions and 101 shares on YouTube. On Twitter, the video brought forth 562 tweets, with various news agencies and news influencers actively sharing the video within the social platform. The Prime Minister also published a tweet on his official Twitter channel, posting a link to the video with the message “Shana Tova! Happy New Year!” Netanyahu’s use of social media, along with other political leaders, is a continuing sign of how governments are using social media directly to reach people, instead of traditional media.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Greetings for Rosh Hashanah 5774. Shana Tova! Happy New Year! http://t.co/LEkSeuo0ZS …

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 4, 2013

Netanyahu begins his lengthy message with a summative reflection of Israel’s “remarkable achievements” as a nation in the past year. He started with the relaunch of the Amos 4 communication satellite, calling it a “testament to Israel’s technological prowess.” He also described Israeli technology and innovation as “sought after commodities around the globe,” resolutely stating, “Israel leads the developed countries in sustained growth.”

Netanyahu made sure to honor the young people of Israel, praising the achievement of these youngsters in global competitions. He made special mention of the gold, silver and borne medals won in Science and Computer Olympics, concluding that “Israeli youngsters lead the Western world in math and they are top tier in science.”

Perhaps most importantly, he called Israel “an oasis of democracy, an oasis of stability, of tolerance and liberty where the rights of all are protected, where all are equal under the law.” He emphasized that the nation has sought to promote peace with the Palestinians. He further asserted, “We want a real, genuine and enduring peace and this must be anchored in recognition of Israel as Jewish state and in our security.”

He proceeded to talk about the “great tragedy” in Syria, staunchly saying that Israel, while not involved in an internal conflict with Syria, will act to protect and defend their people if called for. “We will act with resolve to protect our people.” He asserted, “Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped”, adding, “We simply cannot allow the world’s most dangerous regime to obtain the world’s most dangerous weapon.” He then expressed trust that “Jewish communities around the world will continue to stand by Israel, just as Israel will continue to be there for the Jewish people everywhere.”

He closed with a strong message of inspiration and exhortation. “When we’ve acted together, we defied the laws of history, we’ve overcome such tremendous odds, and Israel is such a thriving, bustling, prosperous, modern, advanced country, and you can look at a very very far distance, to the west and to the east and to other directions and you see that Israel is a beacon of stability and modernity and progress and it’s because we’re united, because together I believe we can continue to achieve great things for the Jewish people and for the world.”

On a lighter note, the Prime Minister also posted a “gag greeting,” showing his lighter side in a mock video that showed him reading from an iPad as he delivered his Rosh Hashanah message. When the camera finally reveals Netanyahu playing the popular game Candy Crush Saga on the tablet, he says in Hebrew, “Life is not a game.”

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