Israel’s Consul General to Interact in Town Hall Discussion at KI

By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer

On Nov. 13, a scenario all too familiar to Israelis unfolded as Jihadist suicide bombers and assassins with assault rifles disrupted daily life, making targets of innocent civilians at restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues.

Except this time, the city was not Tel Aviv, and the country was not Israel.

It was Paris, France, and, overnight, the French government responded via retaliation, pinpointing the enemy and bombing Islamic State training camps and strongholds in Syria.

Terrorism and how to combat it will be one of the topics discussed on Dec. 10 when Israel Consul General David Siegel appears at Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Synagogue to speak on the panel “Why Israel Matters to the United States.”

All members of the Pacific Palisades community are invited to join in the town hall-style discussion, which will include many other topics.

“Obviously there are many things challenging from Isis to Iran, but there is also Israel’s role as an epicenter to innovation: overcoming the drought, cyber-security. I want to open the doors to these kinds of conversations,” Siegel told the Palisadian-Post in an exclusive interview.

Not as widely discussed as Middle East politics is the fact that Israel boasts the highest number of scientists, engineers and technicians per capita in the world with 140 of them per 10,000 employees. (By comparison, it’s 85 per 10,000 in the United States and 83 per 10,000 in Japan.)

Since 2002, Israel has produced six Nobel Prize-winning scientists.Israeli scientists have advanced the areas of genetic engineering, advanced stem cell research and pancreatic cancer treatment.

Out of Israel has also emerged a variety of sophisticated medical equipment for diagnostic and treatment purposes, including tomography scanners, magnetic resonance imaging systems, ultrasound scanners, surgical lasers and nuclear medical cameras.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is the largest generic drug manufacturer in the world, creating such pharmaceuticals as Copaxone (for multiple sclerosis) and Laquinimod (for Parkinson’s disease).

Israel is also one of the world’s technological leaders in water technology; a $2 billion-a-year industry for the country.

“Israel is the one democracy in the Middle East. It’s the one pro-American ally in the Middle East that is stable,” Siegel said.

In 2011, Siegel became Israel’s Consul General for the southwestern region of the United States, covering communities in California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah and Hawaii.

Siegel was born in Burlington, Vermont; his wife Myra Clark-Siegel hails from El Paso, Texas.

Since arriving in Los Angeles in August 2011 with their three children, Siegel has enjoyed interacting with the local Jewish- and Israeli-American communities.

“This is a great place to be a resident and to be a diplomat. It’s the second largest [Jewish] community in the country,” Siegel said.

“It’s fascinating, enriching. Are their challenges? Sure there are. But in the good sense. It’s a very diverse community with different opinions, and representing Israel is a tremendous opportunity,” he added.

On the very morning the Post reached Siegel by phone, religious extremists had attacked a luxury hotel in Mali, slaughtering 19 people.

In the aftermath of such catastrophic attacks as 9/11 in America, the 2004 Madrid bombings, 2005’s London bombings and, more recently, the Oct. 31 downing of a Russian commercial jet carrying 224 passengers and now Africa, wanton violence unleashed by Middle Eastern groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS has become a global problem and Israel has worked closely with the U.S. and Europe, sharing its counterterrorism expertise.

While a wall surrounding Israel has greatly curtailed suicide bombings inside its borders, a low-tech terrorism campaign of random stabbings has raged there in recent weeks, which Siegel attributes to “this phenomenon of incitement and hate online.”

“It’s a global threat,” Siegel continued. “We should face it together. This is about values, not politics. When someone raises a weapon to achieve a political goal, that is something we should all reject. But you don’t kill civilians in order to solve a grievance. Israelis and Palestinians are no closer to peace through these acts of terrorism.”

Yet unlike with France, critics have been quick to condemn Israel’s retaliations against terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. “There’s always a different standard for Israel. We call it a ‘third standard,’” Siegel said.
Peace treaties between Israel and neighbors Jordan and Egypt prove that “we can work out these grievances,” he added.

A related hot button issue: the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement some pro-Palestinian circles have promoted.

“There are 200 territorial conflicts out there,” Siegel said. “To single out Israel for a boycott is very, very dangerous and makes little, little sense.”

Siegel characterizes BDS as misguided and “hostile,” saying, “They’re not a pro-peace movement, it’s about delegitimizing Israel and it’s a derivative of anti-Semitism.

“A boycott is a very blunt instrument. We have to create the incentives for two people living on a very small territory to figure out how to work a two-state solution.”

There have also been cultural boycotts. Former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters has urged musical acts not to perform in Israel.

Elvis Costello and Annie Lennox no longer tour there, and Waters claimed in a statement to have dissuaded Stevie Wonder from performing at an Israeli Defense Forces fundraiser.

“It’s a voice we don’t see as conducive and constructive,” Siegel said.

However, “we’ve seen more and more large-ticket artists. The exchanges continue.”

Conversely, Hollywood has been keen to work with Israeli talent.

Gal Gadot will portray cinema’s first live-action Wonder Woman in 2016 while Oren Moverman, the independent filmmaker behind the Woody Harrelson dramas “Rampart” and “The Messenger,” is a sought-after screenwriter (“Love and Mercy”).

Israel has also influenced entertainment in less obvious ways.

Hollywood has been adapting Israeli shows to American television (“In Treatment,” “Homeland”) while Israel’s 60-percent tax rebates have made the country economically attractive for filming.

American shows shot in Israel include USA’s “Dig” and FX’s “Tryant.”

Israel Matters Committee member Palisadian Rick Entin commended Siegel on the “terrific job” he is doing representing the State of Israel here in Los Angeles.

“He has been reaching out to the many diverse Jewish communities here and also to other faith-based communities,” Entin said. “At Kehillat Israel, we believe that the State of Israel is central to the Jewish people worldwide and we support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”

The Dec. 10 program with the Consul General supports Kehillat Israel’s commitment to fostering the community’s engagement with Israel through dialogue, education, action and celebration.

“We hope the Town Hall program will give participants an opportunity to engage with the Consul General directly in an intimate setting,” Entin said.

Kehillat Israel’s “Israel Matters Speaker Series” continues into 2016 on Feb. 11 and May 11.

“Why Israel Matters to the World” starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10 at Kehillat Israel, 16019 Sunset Blvd. -310-459-2328. Free admission. RSVP online, IDs at the door. For more information, visit ourKI.org