Consul General rallies the Rhode Island crowd

Yehuda Yaakov makes a point during his speech Jan. 11. /Jewish VoicePROVIDENCE – Israel is a diverse country and that must be a focus for the country’s long-term success. That’s what Yehuda Yaakov, the Israeli Consul General to New England, reminded more than 200 people Jan. 11 at the Dwares JCC.

“Our civilians are Muslim, Christian, Jews, Druze and a whole host of others in our multicultural mosaic,” he said. Twenty percent of the Israeli population is not Jewish, according to Yaakov.

In fact, 20 percent of the students at Technion University are Israeli-Arab and 35 percent of students at Haifa University are Israeli-Arab, he said. Both are internationally recognized academic institutions.

This summer, the government acted with “moral clarity” to protect everyone, he said.

“All the Israeli government did this summer was to protect [its citizens]. And it didn’t matter that the rockets fired were indiscriminate, and it did not care that they were hitting Muslims, which they did, or that they were hitting Christian houses, which they did. We don’t make those distinctions, and that’s something we are very proud of.”

Terrorism does not differentiate when it is trying to achieve its goals, he told the audience.

“Terrorism is trying to bring the world to its knees,” he said. “We have to continue to stand together.”

His speech coincided with the unity march in Paris. Of the millions in the streets, he said, “What we saw today with a million people made clear that the free world is standing up. This has been an emotionally draining week. We just have to continue to stand. And when we stand, we win.”

This was Yaakov’s first speech to the Rhode Island community since his appointment as Consul General. The program was put together by the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

A member of Israel’s Foreign Service since 1989, Yaakov has served in New York and New Zealand, including a stint as Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the Consulate General in New York (from 1997 to 2001). He is an expert on the Iranian crisis and has focused his efforts on how to resolve it. He grew up in Queens, New York, has a degree from Syracuse University and made aliyah in 1983.

The opportunity to hear the Consul General for the first time, particularly following the terror events of the previous week in France, drew a wide range of community members. Members of the Rhode Island congressional delegation attended as did a number of state legislators and officials.

Yaakov’s speech touched on a wide range of topics. Terrorism and the situation in France figured prominently as did economic relations between New England and Israel.

He says he looks forward to working with the new governors of both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In Massachusetts, there already has been a great deal of business cooperation with Israel. Three percent of the state’s GNP results from these partnerships, Yaakov said.

And, he said he sees great potential for business between Rhode Island and Israel. He mentioned healthcare alliances already in place such as contributions to brain research at Brown University and two Bird Foundation grants recently awarded to Rhode Island recipients.

El Al airline’s nonstop service between Boston and Tel Aviv, starting in June, will encourage more cooperation, he said. Adding that service was on his strategic planning list when he started his job last year, he said, it came about much faster than expected. “It is important to use these flights,” he told the crowd, laughing. “I don’t want to be remembered as the Consul General who brought the flights and lost them in the same posting.”

All the same, he said, it’s important to remember that not everyone goes to Israel, so it’s a challenge to bring a little of Israel over here and elsewhere.

Israel has made a point of trying to lead and partner wherever it can in the world. “In our DNA is this very strong sense of tikkun olam. Israel is leading the world in per capita contributions fighting the spread of ebola.

“We don’t have to do what we do to make the world a better place but, yes, we do have to because that’s who we are.”

Members of the Rhode Island congressional delegation, including Rep. Jim Langevin, Rep. David Cicilline and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, took to the podium to reaffirm their support of Israel. Sen. Jack Reed sent a statement about the bond between Rhode Island and Israel.

A question-and-answer session, moderated by the honorable Richard Licht, followed Yaakov’s remarks.

Yaakov addressed a number of issues raised by the audience, including French Jewish immigration to Israel: “There are several immigration gatherings per week in France attended by hundreds of people. There is a sense that overwhelming majority of young French Jews are on their way out of France. This will present challenges. This is painful for France.” He pointed out that they will go not only to Israel but to Quebec, London and the U.S.

Yaakov worried at the end of the afternoon that his speech had been too negative because there are so many worries and conflicts and challenges around the world. But he stressed that there are many positives to focus on as well. He encouraged the crowd to work together to solidify ties to Israel and to personalize Israel and their individual relationship to Israel. “It’s so important that the younger generation – Jewish and non-Jewish – realize our shared values. It’s real; it’s concrete.”

FRAN OSTENDORF is editor the The Jewish Voice.