Israeli Consul General Ido Aharoni makes some very good points about widening the discussion about Israel on college campuses (“Widen The Israel Discussion On Campus,” Opinion, Feb. 20).
I was among the 72 percent of Americans who didn’t much care about Israel, until I went for the first time four years ago. Finally, Israel became real to me. What I discovered is a caring people with 70 cultures — Jewish, Arab, Palestinian, Christian, Druze — saving and updating amazing food traditions, fantastic restaurants, remarkable wine and cheese, produce as good as any in the world.
When I returned home, my friends were skeptical. We see only bad news in the media focusing on politics and strife, not about the people, their accomplishments and day-to-day struggles. I decided to make a film about the Israeli people told through food called “The Search for Israeli Cuisine” (IsraeliCuisineFilm.com). It will be a two-hour PBS special. We filmed at over 100 locations all over Israel and will begin to edit this spring, completion in the fall.
