The Israeli Embassy Minister for Public Diplomacy, Ms. Tammy Ben-Haim, will be the featured speaker at the Men’s Club Brunch on Sunday, April 14. The program, co-sponsored with the Jewish Community Relations Council, will take place less than a week after the Israeli elections on April 9. This is an opportunity for congregants to hear feedback on what the outcome of the election means for Israel only days afterwards. Ms. Ben-Haim, is involved in a great variety of outreach programs in the US with the Jewish American community including supporting legislative efforts of organizations such as JCRC. She spoke earlier this year at Jewish Advocacy Days in Richmond, VA and Annapolis, MD, together with the JCRC.

Ms. Ben-Haim will help us understand the complexities and nuances of Israel Elections, as well as the Israeli political system. Consider the headlines appearing in Israeli newspapers as the election approaches:

• How well are women actually represented in Israel’s government?
• Netanyahu says Israel’s ready for any election cyber-meddling scenario. It isn’t.
• Early election timing likely more to do with graft-dodging than draft-dodging

Not always very positive, as in any democracy, including the US. 

Tammy Ben-Haim has been serving as Minister for Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Israel in DC since August 2018 and a diplomat with 15 years’ experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 20 years in the civil service.

Most recently Tammy served on the South Asia Desk at the Ministry in Jerusalem, where she oversaw and coordinated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic, first-ever visit of an Indian leader to Israel, and the reciprocal visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India. At the Ministry Tammy has also worked on the Central Asia desk.

Between 2011 and 2016 Tammy served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Athens, a period in which relations between the Israel and Greece flourished to an unprecedented level and saw the beginning of burgeoning ties between the two countries in the spheres of culture, tourism, energy, and military cooperation.  From 2005 until 2009, Tammy was stationed in New Delhi, where she served as Counselor for Internal Politics, liaising with the Indian parliament and lawmakers and fostering relationships with state leaders. She had additional responsibilities for Sri Lanka and agricultural cooperation.

Before joining the Foreign Ministry, Tammy worked in media relations at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Finance, and in the Finance Committee of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. She also worked as an adviser to several lawmakers in the Knesset. Tammy has a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Tammy is married and has two daughters, two dogs and a cat.

Please register by Monday, April 8. We expect a large audience. Enjoy our delicious brunch, led by our OTMC chef, Dennis Staten.

Co-sponsored by the JCRC