September 2008 PEOPLE GEORGE ZODIATES, THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS’ AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL EVENTS NATIONAL DAY OF SLOVENIYA, CROATIA, USA AND ETHIOPIA LIFEIFE SSTYLE CULINARY REVOLUTION REACHEDREACHED SAVIUNIMSAVIUNIM MALLMALL EDITOR Dear Members, Like every year in the diplomatic community, summer is the time of changes. So we are happy to welcome all new diplomatic staff to Israel. And to whish our regular members a fruitful year starting straight after the summer break. As always, the Diplomatic Club is happy to help all his members with adjusting with life in Israel. 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Dennis Julia Verdel Patricia e Hemricourt, Israel General Manager Ira Moskowitz, Israel And the Editorial Team Bernard Marks, Israel Christopher Barder, UK Ilan Berman, USA Reporter Neil Sandler Ksenia Svetlov Advertising Tel: 972−3−562.20.61/2 julia@diplomacy−club.com Layout Egor Kutikov Tanya Leschinsky Accounting Roded Rinegold Legal Support Mati Simchovitz Law Office The Diplomati club Magazine Printed bi−monthly Tel: 972−3−562.20.61/2 Fax: 972−3−562.02.12 www.diplomacy−club.com julia@diplomacy−club.com THE DIPLOMATIC Club Magazine 3 www.diplomacy−club.com Politica WHO WILL BE THE NEXT MAYOR OF JERUSALEM? A little background. In the Ashkenazi Charedi golan passports and has travelled, in the past, reminded him of Benito Mussolini. He has world there are 2 parties, Aguda and Degel in the capacity of a representative of the also called for Israel to give up its nuclear Hatorah. Aguda is Chassidic and Degel repre- government of Angola. He was awarded the weapons. Porush lives in Jerusalem with his sents the Yeshivish community. Aguda and Order of the Legion of Honour by the French wife and twelve children Degel generally have rotation agreements for Republic. His son Alexandre Gaydamak is mayor. One term Aguda one term Degel. This also a businessman and owner of Portsmouth Aryeh Deri (born Feb- is what happened in Bnei Brak, Beitar and F.C. in England. In February 2007 he an- ruary 17, 1959 in Meknes, other places. This arrangement has come nounced the establishment of an Israeli social Morocco) is the former under fire recently as it forces highly successful movement, Social Justice,[1] which became a leader of Israel's Shas Party. mayors to abandon the job after 1 term for political party in July 2007 He was replaced by Eli possibly inferior people. Yishai after Deri was jailed Rabbi Meir Porush for corruption,[1] having In Jerusalem, before the last election Degel (born 11 June 1955) is an been found guilty of taking and Aguda signed an agreement and Lupolian- Israeli politician and $155,000 in bribes while sky from Degel was elected with the agree- member of the Knesset for serving as Interior Minis- ment that Aguda would put up the candidate the Haredi party Agudat ter, and sentenced to three years at the in this election. The Aguda candidate is Meir Israel, which together with Maasiyahu Prison. He was released after serv- Porush. However, Porush is not well liked by Degel HaTorah forms the ing twenty-two months due to good behavior. many groups in the Charedi world (especialy United Torah Judaism list. Degel) including many Chassidim (especially His father Rabbi Men- Nir Barkat was born in Ger). Therefore, Degel and parts of Aguda achem Porush held a sim- Israel in 1959, he was are not happy with his candidacy. Recently ilar position and was one of the longest serving raised in Jerusalem. He polls have show Nir Barkat, a chiloni candidate Knesset members. The Porush family is one completed his service in as trouncing Porush. of Jerusalem's most prominent, and is descend- the IDF with the rank of ed from a lineage that can trace itself back by Major. Nir received his Based on the above Deri is thinking of running. ten generations in Jerusalem. Bachelor's degree in he will certainly have the support of Shas and computer science (BSC), may get the support of Degel. If no one can- Born in Jerusalem, Meir Porush was educated and completed extensive didate gets 40% of the vote there will be a in a Talmudic college. Before entering the studies towards an MA in runoff. Deri believes that with 2 Haredi can- Knesset, he served as a member of Jerusal business administration at the Hebrew Uni- didates (and the Charedi population about emCity Council, and was at one stage deputy versity in Jerusalem. 40%) there is little chance of anyone getting mayor of Jerusalem. He was first elected to 40% and all he would need to do is beat the Knesset in the 1996 elections as an Agudat In 1988, Nir Barkat founded the BRM Group, Porush. Then in a runoff, he would get the Israel candidate on the United Torah Judaism one of the first entities worldwide to develop Charedi support by default to keep the chiloni list, and was appointed Deputy Minister of anti-virus software. BRM later became a out of office. Housing in Binyamin Netanyahu's govern- technological incubator, investing in compa- ment. He retained his seat in the 1999 elections nies such as BackWeb and Checkpoint Soft- Arcadi Aleksandrovich and chaired the Knesset inquiry into fianancial ware. Nir served as chairman of Checkpoint Gaydamak, (born 1952 in problems of local councils. After Ariel Sharon for its first four years. Moscow, USSR) is a Rus- won a special election for Prime Minister in sian-Israeli billionaire At the beginning of 2000, Nir was a founding 2001 he was appointed Deputy Minister of businessman. Gaydamak is partner of BRM Capital, a $150 million Ven- Housing and Construction. also a French citizen, hav- ture Capital Fund which focuses on software ing lived mainly in France He retained his seat in both the 2003 and and communication infrastructures, special- from 1973 until his return 2006 elections, but has not served in the izing in investments in Israeli related com- to Israel in 2000. He pos- cabinet since 2003. In 2005 he caused contro- panies and helping them become global lead- sesses Canadian and An- versy by saying that then PM Ariel Sharon ers in their field. Events AMBASSADOR JAMES B. CUNNINGHAM Ambassador James B. Cunningham arrived in Just after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August Israel on August 18, 2008. Before arriving in 1990, Ambassador Cunningham became Dep- Tel Aviv, Ambassador Cunningham was U.S. uty Political Counselor at the U.S. Mission Consul General in Hong Kong, responsible to the UN. From 1993 to 1995, he served as for the Hong Kong and Macau Special Admin- Director of the State Department's Office istrative Regions of China. Prior to Hong of European Security and Political Affairs, Kong, he was Ambassador and Deputy U.S. with responsibility for many aspects of U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Na- policy toward Europe. He served as Deputy tions (1999-2004) and Acting Permanent Rep- Chief of the U.S. Embassy in Rome from resentative from January to September 2001. 1996 to 1999. Ambassador Cunningham holds the rank of Ambassador Cunningham was born in Allen- Career Minister in the Foreign Service. town, Pennsylvania and graduated magna Ambassador Cunningham has spent much cum laude from Syracuse University, with of his career working on European and secu- degrees in political science and psychology. rity affairs, with broad experience in multi- He is married to Leslie Genier of Mineville, lateral diplomacy. After early tours in Stock- New York. They have two grown children. holm, Washington, Rome and the U.S. He speaks Italian, French and Spanish. Am- Mission to NATO, he served as Chief of bassador Cunningham is the recipient of the Staff to NATO Secretary General Manfred Department's Superior, Merit and Perfor- Woerner. He advised the Secretary General mance awards; the National Performance on all NATO issues in the context of the Review's Hammer Award for innovation in unification of Germany and the dissolution government management; and the President's of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, Meritorious Service Award. He is a member and on the management of the 1,200 member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Ambassador James B. Cunningham international staff.