You will recall that my friends at LATMA were forced to shut down because of budget issues. Now, they may get a new lease on life because Israel's publicly financed Leftist media has overstepped its boundaries.
LATMA seemed to be in perpetual negotiation with Channels 1 and 2 for a position on the air. Now Channel 1 may have no choice but to broadcast LATMA because it broadcast something that broke all the rules of media bias in public broadcasting.
A new ad for a parody program on Israel Channel One has rightwing
Israelis up in arms. The ad connects the Israeli right in general with
Yigal Amir, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted of
murdering Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin in 1995, and with Baruch
Goldstein, who killed 29 Arabs at the Machpelah Cave in 1994.
The ad shows men dressed up as Amir and Goldstein, and a third man
portrayed as Yona Avrushmi, who threw a hand grenade into a crowd during
1983 rally, killing 36-year old activist Emil Grunzweig. The three are
seen dancing and singing, with lyrics roughly translated as “sometimes I
am a hero and sometimes I am a murderer. Sometimes I am an assassin and
sometimes I am a slaughterer. But no matter what, I am always a right
wing murderer.”
Channel One is the television station of the state-run
Israel Broadcasting Authority. Each year, Israelis who own a television
set must by law pay a hefty fee to finance public broadcasts; the law
allows the IBA to seize property and freeze bank accounts in order to
force Israelis to pay their bill.
As a public broadcaster, the IBA must follow a very precise set of
rules and regulations to ensure that it provides an outlet for all
segments of the population, and to ensure that all points of view are
represented. Recently, for example, the IBA refused to air satirical
pieces produced by the Latma group, claiming that it would be unfair to
show one point of view in satire – that of the right-leaning Latma group
– without having a leftwing counterbalance.
In this case, however, there was no balance for the anti-right
message of the commercial, and no right-wing program or satire is
scheduled to air in the near future to balance the satirical left-wing
content the IBA is presenting.
Zelig Rabinovich, a senior aide to the Director-General of the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), told Arutz Sheva, Sunday, that the authority is considering broadcasting the right-wing satire Latma, which otherwise stands to disappear for lack of funds. Rabinovich said the authority would broadcast a satire called Hayehudim Ba'im (The Jews Are Coming), although a sketch portraying right-wing murderers would be pulled as was a promo for the sketch, following a report by Arutz Sheva.
In addition, following contact by Member of Knesset Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi-Jewish Home-New National Religious Party) to Communications Minister Gil'ad Erdan and the IBA, the authority is seeking clarifications about the video, in which three men sing and dance as Yigal Amir - convicted assassin of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Yona Avrushmi - convicted of killing Emil Grunzweig by throwing a grenade at a Peace Now rally, and Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Muslims in the Me'arat Hamachpelah Cave of the Patriarchs.
I searched in vain for that anti-Right sketch on YouTube and elsewhere. If anyone has it, please send it by email.
Flock Builder on how to conduct a National Referendum and simulation of the peace talks
Flock Builder explains how to conduct the National Referendum on
Israel's future and computer expert Geek Bizarre presents a computerized
simulation of the anticipated rounds of peace talks. Yes, it's the weekly LATMA update.
Flock Builder reports from the field and Johan Phlegmat on the EU boycott
Flock Builder with a special report from the hospital and EU representative Johann Phlegmat explains the new boycott.
Yes, it's the weekly LATMA update.
Let's go to the videotape.
I thought they might mention this in the credits, but they didn't. Caroline Glick, who is the director of LATMA (among her many activities), is sitting shiva for her father, Gerald z"l (of blessed memory), who passed away last Friday. You can send Caroline a condolence note here.
If you are able to, you might also want to consider making a donation to LATMA in his memory here (look at the end of the post). As I understand it, unless they raise enough money, next week will be the last LATMA show, and that would be a pity.
In an earlier post, I described the financial predicament of LATMA, the group that makes the brilliant satire videos that I post every Friday. Earlier today, someone forwarded an email to me that they received from Ruchie Avital, who does the English subtitles for the show every week. I was apparently one of several people who asked if Ruchie could get the email translated into English, and I am posting it below.
Following many requests, here is the English translation of my
recent status. Many thanks to the professional translator Ben Gross:
Okay, the moment has arrived.
Latma will be closing at the end of July,
and the bad guys are already celebrating. Gloating, joyful statuses have
already begun to appear here and there, alongside slanderous and angry statuses
about the (imaginary, for now) possibility that we might begin airing on
Channel 1.
We also read on the internet about our
contract with Channel 1. In reality, there is nothing. We are being turned away,
time and again, back and forth, for two years now, each time with a different
excuse, and it seems that there is no end in sight. What is in sight is the end
of July, when Latma’s budget runs out, and Latma will disappear.
The vultures on the Left can already
smell the end. After four years of producing brave Israeli and Zionist satire
that went against the stream, standing opposed to all the left wing incitement
that everyone had already accepted, because they somehow convinced everyone
that “that’s how satire works”. Four years where we pounded them, four years
when Yariv Oppenheimer and his friends’ ears turned red from rage, when they
discovered they were not immune to criticism and piercing satire.
The inciters, the boycotters and Israel’s
enemies also got their fair share, from the Flotilla video on YouTube, which
gathered millions of views, boosted the Israeli morale and changed the world’s
viewpoint, through the “Abba” clip that infuriated the Swedes following the
Aftonbladet blood libel, to our very own Tawil Fadicha, Palestinian Minister of
Uncontrollable Rage. A character that never would have been created on one of
the “regular” satire shows screwing up your heads on the television screen.
This is all going to end, because
there’s no money left. We don’t have the astronomically huge budgets “It’s A
Wonderful Land” has, we don’t have the unlimited support of organizations in Europe and elsewhere, who call themselves “Human Rights
Organizations”. We don’t even have the cultural institutions budget or the
haircuts that theaters like Habima get, the same theaters whose actors boycott
the settlements. Standing against this sea of hypocrisy and evil, thanks to the
amazing Caroline Glick, Latma subsisted until today with the help of proud
Zionist Jews, who were touched by her enthusiasm and belief. But even that
great force has a limit.
Today we look like a review of the sick
and wounded. Caroline cares for two little children and two sick parents in the
United States
and travels there often, and how much more can we ask of her? Noam has his arm
in a cast, but insists on coming to the filming, Ronit was lightly wounded from
a stone throwing attack while traveling with her family in Judea and Samaria, but
showed up for the filming two days later. I myself went through a health issue
that immobilized me for two months, and I’ve not entirely recovered from it, but
I’ve gotten up, come back, and continued working.
From our small studio in Petach Tikva, we
kept producing editions, week after week. Persistently, without season, without
taking breaks. With a lot of creative spirit, happiness and belief. But our
morale has sunk and hit rock bottom. There’s a feeling of defeat.
So the bad guys win? The crows n the
left are sitting on the branch and waiting. Already sharpening their beaks, already
celebrating.
But you know what, that motivates me. Our
answer to their evil and depravity will be more action. That’s how you always
win. We won’t go down, damn it! We’ll get back on our feet, Latma will not
disappear. We can’t let this amazing project fall. Latma must stay and must
continue being the voice of the public that is being deprived by the media and
the Left, the public that we were there for, like water to a fish, every week.
To do that, the public needs to help us.
We need money. It’s that simple. Latma’s operating costs for a full month are
approximately 220,000 shekels, a quarter of one episode – one! – of “It’s A
Wonderful Land”. In a year we need approximately 2.6 million shekels, for an
entire year. It’s not unreachable; it’s something that if we all get up and
give what we can – we can reach it. “It’s A Wonderful Land” will put out barely
three weekly episodes with that kind of budget, we put out 50 episodes. With
half of that we can do half a year, with double that we can do two years, either
way, it gives us the oxygen we need to get stronger and reorganize for the
future.
It’s not enough to just hit “Like” or
express sorrow and concern. This isn’t the time to cry, sit and whine about the
country, about the left that’s taken over our lives, this is the time to act! Reach
into your pocket and donate in the link below, by check, bank transfer, or
credit card. Whatever you can, 20, 50, 100 however much you can. Shekel by
shekel, we’ll make it.
Soon we’ll also make a fundraising film
for Headstart. We will succeed, we can do it! Share, share, share, as much as
you can! Send this to everyone, so it will be seen all over the country, for
all I care, it can reach the haters too, who in their stupidity will share it
as mockery, to defame and deride. Send it to the entirety of Judea and Samaria, to every single
email, to everyone who cares about this country, that this country is important
to them.
For the last four years, LATMA has provided a Zionist answer to the Leftist satire of Channel 2's Eretz Nehederet. Now, it may all be over. Unless LATMA finds funding, it's off the air at the end of the month (Hat Tip: NY Nana).
Latma's chief screenwriter, Tal Gilad, published a Facebook status Sunday in which he denied the rumors that Channel 1
television is about to sign a contract with the show. "The bad guys are
already celebrating," he wrote. The channel has been negotiating with
Latma for two years, he said, but the negotiations are not serious.
"The ravens on the left can
already smell the zero hour," Gilad added. "After four years in which we
provided Zionist, courageous, Israeli satire – against the current,
against all of the leftist incitement that had already become something
everyone sat back and accepted, because they convinced everyone that
'this is how satire is.' Four year in which we cut them down. Four years
in which the ears of [Peace Now's] Yariv Oppenheimer turned red with anger, when they discovered that they were not immune to criticism and biting satire."
"The inciters, the boycotters and the enemies of Israel also got their
drubbings – from the Mavi Marmara clip that received millions of views,
boosted morale in Israel and changed the outlook of many people in the
world; to the Abba clip that infuriated Swedes after the Aftonbladet
libel; to our beloved Tawil Fadiha, Palestinian Minister of
Uncontrollable Rage – a character that would never have been created in
the 'regular' satirical programs that keep hammering you over the head
from the TV screens."
For those of you who have forgotten... I will turn the sound off for myself, because I am still in mourning for my father HK"M (may I atone for his sins), and remind you of the all-time hit We Con the World (2,629,867 views on YouTube right now).
Let's go to the videotape.
Here's another one called Jews United Against Israel. George Soros plays a key role in this one.
Let's go to the videotape.
It would be a pity if they were taken off the air. Anyone know how to reach Irving Moskowitz or Sheldon Adelson? They could sure help out now.
The Tribal Update presents an interview with President Obama. We also
interview a senior executive at Channel 10 about the scandal involving
sexual harassment allegations against Emmanuel Rosen.
Satire: The Boston Marathon bombing -- The FBI investigates
For those of you who viewed the previous post, you have seen this already. This is the main skit of this week's LATMA tribal update and it looks at the FBI investigation into the Boston Marathon terror attack..
Let's go to the videotape.
The sad part is that this satire is not far away from the reality.
An interview with GOC Central Command Leitzan Balloon and the FBI fights terror
The Tribal Update brings you a revealing interview with the commanding
officer in Judea and Samaria and a glimpse into the FBI's investigation
into the Boston Marathon bomber.
Obama's advisor on his post-American foreign policy and suicide bomber go on strike
The Tribal Update brings you Obama's advisor discussing his great foreign policy successes, Jamil and Awad and the suicide bomber strike in Gaza, and MK Zehava Gal On marks the Nakba.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
