Mar 27/2014

Reflection on Freedom

Next week, Jews from all over the world will sit around the table for dinner and celebrate Passover, remembering the story of the exodus from Egypt and our becoming a free nation. In Israel Passover is also known as the holiday of spring as it brings with it revival and renewal- of the new season and nature blossoming. Our holiday of freedom also marks the renewal of our spirit; the Jewish people were liberated from slavery in Egypt and embarked on the journey to freedom and peoplehood, a journey that reached its peak with the establishment of the free Jewish State, the State of Israel in 1948.

We cherish these values that helped create us as a nation: values of freedom, liberty, the right to live your life freely, the right to pursue happiness and personal goals. These values are core values in our existence as a free nation and on the night of the Seder, when we commemorate the exodus it serves as a reminder for that. It’s a reminder that we shouldn’t take for granted those liberties that were given to us.

Therefore, while we celebrate our freedom, we shouldn’t forget the dark places in the world where freedom isn’t as widespread: in Gaza, the concept of religious freedom is not an existing one: Hamas is persecuting Christians in Gaza and violates the core principles of freedom we all cherish and believe in. Hamas continually targets innocent men and women, Israelis and Palestinians in illegal warfare. It’s no coincidence that Amnesty International accused Hamas of war crimes in its report this week. Hamas, supported by Iran, partnering with Hezbollah, stands in contrast to the values we all believe in, the values that keep us united: Americans and Israelis and the citizens of the world.

Next week when we celebrate Passover and our freedom, we will celebrate many other freedoms of different groups and we will remember as well the tyrants groups and countries such as Hamas and Iran that fight against these values. By standing strong, we will prevail. Freedom and the human spirit will prevail. That’s what the story of the exodus teaches us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Elad Strohmayer

Deputy Consul General Of Israel,

Mid-Atlantic Region

Mar 20/2015

Elections 2015

On March 17, Israeli citizens exercised their democratic right and voted for a new parliament and government. Final though unofficial results have been published and next week President Rivlin will assign the task of coalition building, kicking off a twenty-one day period for that to occur.

One hundred percent of the ballot boxes have already been counted and we can all see how many mandates each party received. But the one winner in these elections that emerges most clearly is Israel’s democracy.

Nearly 72% of eligible Israeli voters partook in this ultimate demonstration of civic engagement – young and old; secular, reform and orthodox; Ethiopians, Yemenites, people of Sephardic and of Ashkenazi origin; civilians, soldiers and yes, prison inmates; men and women; Jews, Christians and Arabs – all showed up at polling stations throughout the country to cast their ballot and take an active part in shaping their future and that of their country.

We can and should all be very proud of the fact that Israel is an Island of democracy with a rich and diverse culture and society, in a region that, basically, espouses neither democracy nor diversity.

If you think about it, Israel’s embrace of democracy in the first place is anything but trivial - during two thousand years of exile we were never able to govern ourselves fully as a people, nor had we the experience of living under a single form of governance. So for us to gather from the four corners of the earth and voluntarily coalesce under the most enlightened, yet one of the most complicated forms of governance, and refine and strengthen it, as we did, over the years – to me that is nothing short of miraculous.

Is it a perfect, fool-proof system? It is not. Did we get it 100% right? Not yet. Can we do better? Absolutely. After 67 years of existence, however, we are mature enough to acknowledge that we are not perfect and that we have made and continue making mistakes. We are open to constructive criticism, and embrace it as the only way to improve.

How strong is Israel’s democracy? The strength of any democracy should be measured, amongst other things, against the challenges that it faces, and it doesn’t get much more challenging than in the neighborhood that we live in. And so, I would argue that along with the United States of America – Israel is actually the strongest democracy on the face of this earth, and this week’s celebration of the democratic process in Israel underscored that very clearly.

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region

Mar 13/2015

Israel is the Only One Reconstructing Gaza

Last week top Israeli diplomats from the Foreign Ministry of Israel and top European diplomats from Germany, France, Britain, Spain and Italy met in Jerusalem. The Europeans went out of their way to praise Israel for their reconstruction efforts in Gaza. They praised Israel for both its robust cooperation with the UN Operated reconstruction mechanism and for its decision to more than double the water supplies to the Gaza Strip.

This exchange reveals a story fraught with a great deal of hypocrisy and one little known secret – to date, the only country in the entire world that is actively engaged, day in and day out, in the reconstruction of Gaza - is Israel.

None of the Arab states, who pledged generous sums of money towards Gaza’s reconstruction, have made an actual down payment. International donor countries have been hesitant to contribute into an area controlled by the Hamas terrorist organization. Furthermore Fatah views Hamas as a nemesis, and therefore has refrained from exercising its responsibilities, and Egypt has all but sealed its border crossing with Gaza and has destroyed the vast majority of smuggling tunnels that led from the Sinai into Gaza.

The only operating border crossing that delivers goods to Gaza 24/7, and given the above described reality -  in much larger volumes than ever before – is the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel.

The reason why Israel hasn’t followed suit with the rest of the world, and either closed its borders or its wallet is because, unlike Hamas, it cares about the welfare and wellbeing of the residents of Gaza. Unlike Hamas, Israel does not want the residents of Gaza to suffer.

Those who claim that Israel is the main obstacle to Gaza reconstruction are, therefore, either completely blind to the facts on the ground or are hypocritical. Despite valid concerns that construction material aimed at benefitting the Gaza population will be diverted for terrorist purposes, as it has been in the past, Israel is still committed to and supportive of reconstruction in Gaza, and is actively working towards that aim.

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region

Mar 06/2015

International Women’s day and Israel

This weekend, on March 8^th, we celebrate International Women’s Day. While there are many promising developments to share regarding women’s empowerment in Israel, I wish to devote this column to steps Israel has taken in promoting Women’s rights and gender equality around the world.

Israel has long viewed women's empowerment as a critical driver of economic development. A clear manifestation of this commitment can be seen in the work conducted by the Mount Carmel International Training Center, a central program of MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation.

Israel‘s fourth Prime Minister, Golda Meir, was the world's fourth woman to hold the highest office in her nation. In 1961, Prime Minister Meir established the Mount Carmel International Training Center in Haifa, the first training center of its kind, to assist in the training of women engaged in community work in the newly emerging states in Africa and Asia.

To this day, with a robust focus on capacity building, through training programs ranging from health to agriculture, from business entrepreneurship to community leadership, the center has empowered women from over 150 developing countries. Many of the center’s programs were created thanks to the cooperation of international and national organizations, such as UN Women.

Alongside training programs, the center holds the biannual International Conference for Women Leaders. Since 1955, women leaders from around the world, including members of parliaments and cabinets, UN officials, social activists and private sector figures convene in Israel to discuss gender related issues. This year’s conference focuses on the creation and implementation of a development agenda to achieve gender equality through economic empowerment.

As we look back with a degree of satisfaction at all that has been achieved, we must not lose sight of all that that still needs to be done to improve the status of women across the globe. Horrible violence against women is taking place in regions of crisis, especially in places where extremist groups such as ISIS and Boko-Haram are terrorizing people. In other societies, women are deprived of economic rights and therefore are significantly less financially secure than men.

The responsibility for alleviating these hardships lies on our shoulders. Israel firmly believes that capacity building is crucial for sustainable women empowerment in developing countries; that equipping women with the entrepreneurial tools to start their own businesses will spell freedom for them, and strengthen their country’s economy.

Empowering women to assume leadership roles in their respective communities and countries can assist in defeating extremism and promoting dialogue and peace. By assisting women, who have been discriminated against for generations, to recognize their power to lead the charge for change, should be a main objective of the international community.

Years before establishing The Mount Carmel Center, Golda Meir said: "Pessimism is a luxury that a Jew can never allow himself.” We cannot allow ourselves even one moment of pessimism. Together, all nations need to take responsibility and work for the advance women throughout the world.

Israel recognizes this heavy responsibility. 

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region

Feb 27/2015

My Friend Diego and Palestinian Terrorism

Diego Ladowski was a colleague of mine. An accomplished individual, 29 years of age, he had joined Israel's diplomatic service a mere ten years after immigrating to Israel from Argentina, where he had been born and raised.

Diego was one of the most amicable and caring people you could ever hope to meet. He was modest, charming, sensitive, and smart, and healways looked to extend a helping hand to anyone in need.

On July 31st, 2002, my friend Diego was on his way to Hebrew University in Jerusalem to submit his last papers for a Master’s Degree in Political Science. He lost his life on that fatal day, in a terror attack that claimed the lives of nine people like him who had stopped for coffee or a bite to eat at the university cafeteria.

This week, a Federal jury inNew York found the Palestinian Authority liable for supporting that hideous terrorist attack, along with five others that took place in Israel between the years 2001-2004.

I miss my friend Diego a great deal. The pain of his loss strengthens my desire for a peace that would prevent future losses. For peace to be possible though, the Palestinian Authority must demonstrate a true commitment to a negotiated agreement and it must distance itself from terrorism.

Unfortunately, what we are witnessing today is the exact opposite. Instead of negotiating peace with Israel, the PA is walking away from talks and endangering regional stability by taking hypocritical, dangerous measures such as appealing to the International Criminal Court. Instead of distancing itself from terrorism, it distances us all from peace by embracing terrorism, including its embrace of Hamas.

It is incumbent upon the international community to continue punishing those who support terrorism, as did the Federal court in New York, and support those states committed to fighting it. 

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region

Feb 20/2015

Challenges Facing New IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot

This week Major General Gadi Eizenkot officially assumed the role of Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, replacing Bennie Gantz in that capacity.

Major General Eizenkot will lead Israel's military in an exceptionally challenging period. One in which an unraveling Middle East, thrust into a prolonged dynamic period of instability and uncertainty, continues to produce new threats and challenges for Israel.

Not a year goes by when the Middle East hasn’t surprised us with a dramatic, unexpected turn of events, with clear and immediate military implications.

Who among us foresaw the Arab spring that occurred a mere four years ago, and the subsequent chain of dramatic events that followed it: the rise and almost immediate fall of the Muslim brotherhood as a political power, the rise and quick spread of global jihadist elements, in particular ISIS, and the fragmentation and in some cases implosion of Arab nation states like Syria and Yemen.

One therefore would be wise to exercise a degree of caution and even a greater degree of humility when attempting to predict what the future holds in that chaotic region, and one should be prepared to continue to be surprised by major, unforeseen developments.

In order for any military to cope with such a dynamic reality, it must be agile, flexible and adaptive to a rapidly changing theatre of threats.

The IDF meets all of those standards, due primarily to two critical assets: superb, professional commanders such as Major General Eizenkot and the dedicated soldiers of the IDF. Major General Eizenkot exemplifies our best leaders; commanders who lead by example, who inspire and motivate those who serve under their command. No less important are the IDF soldiers who carry out their service with a true sense of mission and view their service in the IDF not merely as an obligation but as a privilege. They demonstrate that the IDF is not merely another military which has people serving in it, but a military set on serving the people. A military which not only provides Israeli society with physical protection, but also reflects and shapes the contours of that society by providing an inclusive platform where every individual is invited to contribute, on an equal basis. 

I am certain that under the command of Chief of Staff Eizenkot, the IDF will continue successfully meeting the military challenges ahead, as well as strengthening and uniting Israel’s society. 

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region

Feb 13/2015

One Community, BeYachad (Together)

Last Sunday, I had the honor to participate in the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Super Sunday. I was overwhelmed by the number of volunteers that took part in this event, making phone calls to help build a stronger community to the benefit of us all.

It made me think about the sense of BeYachad, the Hebrew word for Together. We are together, one community, diverse, and geographically spread out. We think differently from one another and have numerous organizations that represent this diversity and pluralistic thought. With that being said, what still unites us as a community is this BeYachad feeling. We all work together for the same greater cause, to make our community better and to ensure the continuation and strength of the Jewish Community worldwide, and of course in Israel.

In these days it’s not easy. When we see the rise of anti-Semitism in the world, especially in Europe, we appreciate better what we have here. We come together as a community to show solidarity to those in needs, whether by feeding the poor in a small town in Pennsylvania, or by going on a solidarity mission to France with the JFNA or JAFI in support of the French Jews.

For me, as an Israeli, it’s always heartwarming to see how important Israel is to this community; as reflected in how much communal work that is done in and by this community is targeted towards Israel. We partner with many organizations throughout our region to strengthen the relations with Israel: either through Israel Advocacy workshops for college students held in Ohio and Pennsylvania or by promoting Israeli culture, economic development, VIP visits and speakers from Israel and so much more.

We are part of this community, throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and we are honored to keep partnering with you BeYachad, together. My Super Sunday experience helped open my eyes to how lucky we are to have friends like you in our region.

I’m travelling to Israel this weekend and will carry with me the solidarity and friendship you demonstrate to my country. I promise upon coming back to bring more friendship and solidarity from Israel to you. I’ll do it because this is why we have a consulate here: to keep engaging with this beautiful and diverse community as equals, Israeli and American Jews.

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region