PRESS and an Open Letter to +972Mag and Mairav Zonszein

In response to whatever THIS IS

Is this a negative story? Does the writer (whoa, that is being generous. Lets just say "blogger") attempt to use the device of rhetorical questions to insinuate something nefarious about our program but fail miserably because there is nothing bad here to report on? +972 resulted from "a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs..." - does this really mean that they were failed blogs which, unable to survive on their own, banded together in the hope that pooling their resources would keep them afloat?" Is it raining? Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? When does the term "blogger" stop you from having any journalistic standards like, oh, I don't know, contacting the two main subjects of your story for information on the story? How many more rhetorical questions do I need to ask until it becomes obvious that I am making fun of the story's lack of story.

It seems that the only actual reporting the blogger did was to research and expose that Birthright also has niche trips catering to the "LGBT community, food enthusiasts and wheelchair-bound Jews". Still not quite sure the blogger's intention of mentioning this in the story (if only she had used a random facetious question here to help clarify) so, I will offer an interpretation of its relevance. Birthright is awesome! It is so awesome that it concerns itself with all types of people, regardless of their lifestyle, sexuality, hobbies, interests, physical conditions or differing capabilities. Could one imagine an LGBT trip to Hamas controlled Gaza?

Other blogger posed questions insinuate that there is a shortage of Birthright Israel trip participants (there is not), that there is no demand for skater trips (obviously, there is) and questions why these trips are being offered (um...for fun). This blogger asks that blogger: You know what fun is, right? It is that thing you are allowed to have in Israel even if you are LGBT, a foodie or wheel-chair bound.

When not asking questions, the blogger forgets a closing quotation mark and misrepresents our mission statement.

All the above would be forgivable if not for the following. Near the end of her blog post, the blogger offers her own much-needed insight: "If you ask me (we hadn't), there flyers are committing some cultural crime". The blogger's profile lists that she has volunteers for "Palestinian" communities. You would imagine that while volunteering for this group, she would have become aware of that community's penchant for launching rockets into Israel, using their own people as human shields, encouraging or blackmailing women and kids into blowing themselves up while attempting to kill innocent Israeli children, bad reporting, oppressing artists and homosexuals and needless blogging - way worse crimes than creating flyers about skateboarding.

Blogger - I hope this answered your questions. Now, pick up a board and join us.