More than two dozen business and community leaders got a crash course in Israeli politics during an intimate discussion with one of the US ally’s top diplomats in Brookville on Nov. 30.
Israel Consul General Dani Dayan discussed the state of the nation during a breakfast organized by the Global Institute at LIU Post. The meeting was organized by former U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), who founded the institute after retiring from Congress this year.
“The largest diplomatic mission of Israel in the world is to garner support for Israel, to convey to the American society, the American public, the real facts and the real situation of Israel,” Dayan said.
“In some senses, I see our embassy in Washington as the embassy to the American government…and our consul general in New York is the consul to the American people,” he continued. “And the way to do it is by outreaching to different sectors. Obviously, the academic sector is extremely important for us because it forges the next generation of American leaders.”
The meeting was off the record, but Dayan shared some insights from it afterward.
“It was a very enlightening discussion,” he said. “We covered many topics, starting with Israeli economy, Israeli strategic challenges, to the vibrancy of the Israeli democracy. I hope that the audience received an accurate and full picture of Israel.”
The Global Institute hosts ex-Gen. David Petraeus on Dec. 6 and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) on Dec. 11.
