Israeli consul honors state treasurer
By DEAN M. SHAPIRO
Following an informative and, at times entertaining, speech by Israeli Consul General Ido Aharoni, Louisiana State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy was honored last week for arranging the state’s investment of millions of dollars in Israel Bonds during his tenure in office.
Louisiana State Treasurer John N. Kennedy, left, accepts a certificate from Israeli counsul Ido Aharoni. (Photo by Dean M. Shapiro)
The well-attended event took place on October 10 at Congregation Beth Israel in Metairie. Kennedy was presented with a plaque by officials from the Israel Bonds regional office in Atlanta for his role in the purchase of $36 million in bonds since taking office in 2000. Of that $36 million, $10 million was purchased by the state in the past year alone.
In his brief remarks after accepting the award, the state treasurer termed his support of Israel and its bonds as “very vocal.” He also pointed with pride to the fact that ten other states are now following Louisiana’s lead in investing in Israel Bonds.
“A partnership exists between our country and the state of Israel,” Kennedy said. “I think it’s accurate to say that the United States and Israel share interests, but it’s more than that.”
We also share values. We both believe in human dignity. And we both believe that freedom is a gift given to all God’s children,” he continued. “The security of Israel must be sacrosanct to all Americans. And I believe it is. It certainly is to me.”
In his speech, preceding the presentation to the state treasurer, Aharoni, Israel’s consul general in New York, delivered what could be termed a rousing pep talk about what Israel Bonds mean to the Jewish state. Aharoni concentrated on one of his areas of expertise, specifically advances in Israeli technology.
Aharoni is also considered one of the foremost experts on media, particularly as to the manner in which Israel is depicted by members of the Fourth Estate. In a recently published letter to the editor of the New York Post, Aharoni challenged remarks made by renowned African American author Alice Walker critical of Israel’s efforts to promote itself through an organization called Brand Israel. Aharoni is the founder of that group.
“Israel is the land of milk and honey but not of oil and money,” Aharoni told the gathering, generating a few laughs. However, he quickly followed up with a serious, positive report of recent discoveries of natural gas just offshore in the Mediterranean Sea. The ambassador said it is possible Israel may realize enough natural gas reserves to start exporting to other countries in next few years.
The Israeli Consul also lamented the lack of widespread recognition for some of the positive things his nation is doing. He cited the example of hospitals set up on the Golan Heights that have treated thousands of Syrian victims of their ongoing civil war. “That humanitarian effort has gotten little or no publicity in the world’s media,” he said
Louisiana State Treasurer John N. Kennedy, left, with Israel Bonds regional chair Bradley Young. (Photo by Dean M. Shapiro)
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During his roughly 20-minute talk, Aharoni enumerated the multitude of technological innovations that originated in Israel, especially those of more recent years. Among those innovations were the cell phone and Instant Messaging (IM). “Without Instant Messaging there is no Facebook. Young Israelis in their twenties developed that,” Aharoni said.
He also expounded on “the most recent innovation coming out of Israel,” Waze, a navigation software similar to MapQuest but more advanced. “You’ll never get lost with Waze,” he said, adding that it was recently purchased by Google for $1.2 billion with the promise that they will retain all Israeli employees.
Aharoni cited a number of other economic and technological markers of Israeli #1 world ranking, including leading all other nations in the number of patents per capita, the amount of money invested in research and development (4% of the GDP), and the number of scientific papers published per capita. He also noted the quality of Israel’s combined research in universities is the highest in the world.
“To hear these indicators is to understand you’re making an investment in a brand that is on the rise, in a country that is making a positive contribution to the world every day,” Aharoni said. “It is a society that is all about the promotion of goodness. It’s the secret to our perseverance over the years,” he beamed. “You look at the Bible and it’s teaching us to promote goodness. This is the DNA of who we are.”
Aharoni added that “rather than constantly perpetuate the conflict with our neighbors, our job as a collective is to begin a conversation that centers around Israel’s relative advantages.” He cited Israel’s number one advantage as the great Israeli spirit. “It’s the Israeli entrepreneurial zeal. It’s the unbelievable degree of innovation which is inspirational to the whole world,” Aharoni claimed.
Aharoni expressed his nation’s gratitude for the support Louisiana and the entire southeastern region have given to the purchase of Israel Bonds. He likened the support of Israel through this purchase of bonds as the ultimate form of caring, a form of unconditional love. “I say this because this is what we’re getting in the state of Israel,” he concluded. “We Israelis don’t get to say thank you too often, but I think I should say this tonight. Thank you to each and every one of you for your support, for your friendship, and most importantly, for your unconditional love.”
