BDS activists vandalize ad for 'Open a Door to Israel' Paris exhibit

The incident took place just as the Carousel du Louvre was hosting a display staged by the Foreign Ministry titled “Open a Door to Israel.”

By DANA SOMBERG
Updated: APRIL 3, 2016 22:42
Vandalized ad for 'Open a Door to Israel' in Paris (photo credit: Courtesy)
Vandalized ad for 'Open a Door to Israel' in Paris
(photo credit: Courtesy)
PARIS – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions activists vandalized signs on Sunday at Paris’s Carousel du Louvre promoting the temporary exhibit “Open a Door to Israel.”
Gilad Erdan, the minister of public security and strategic affairs in charge of coordinating the state’s response to BDS, said: “BDS activists have once again shown their true colors. They are not human rights activists, but a group of extremist law-breakers whose goal is to silence anyone who supports Israel. I will act to ensure that the truth about Israel is heard worldwide.”
Diplomats, French officials, actors, artists and leaders of the Jewish community gathered at the Carousel du Louvre over the weekend for the launching of the exhibit sponsored by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which is composed of nine doors, each in a different color and design, all opening into huge interactive screens.
“This exhibit is the fruit of two-and-a-half years of work, and an investment of NIS 3.5 million, as a joint venture of our ministry and the ministry for strategic affairs,” Joel Lion, director of the foreign ministry’s public and academic affairs department, explained to The Jerusalem Post.
“The idea was to bring Israel and Israelis to the world, for people to view the Israeli experience. When the idea first came up, we defined nine values; nine characteristics of Israeli society, and each of these elements became a door to be opened.”
Lion, the proud father of the exhibit, opens a blue portal – the Israeli family door.
Inside, punching a button shifts screens among different Israeli families. The Zarum family, for instance, is seen on a Friday evening gathered around the table for a traditional Sabbath diner. Another short video shows a typical Israeli fridge full with local groceries such as hummus, olives and cottage cheese.
Lion opens a red door. Here, one can play DJ with an audio board connected to shifting screens adapted to different types of Israeli music.
One video clip highlights the recent Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade. Another shows a traditional Jewish wedding, with the music and songs to match.
The most fun door opens onto a beach. Visitors equipped with an interactive paddle ball racket play against a changing array of Israeli adversaries. “Kids love it, and so do adults,” grins Lion.
Leora Hadar, the Israeli Embassy’s commercial attaché, encourages me to open the hi-tech door, where different Israeli companies showcase global achievements.
With a touch of the finger, one learns about telecommunication gadgets, computerized watering systems, satellites and more.
Rina Bassist contributed to this report.