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The Honorable Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the United States  (Photo credit: Jared Feldschreiber)Dr. Michael B. Oren, Israel Ambassador to the United States, delivered a passionate and warmly- received talk to Congregation Beth Elokim on Monday night, articulating the storied Jewish journey that began over 3000 years to the country’s pluralistic democracy the sovereign nation has enjoyed for nearly 65 years.

Ambassador Oren’s speech highlighted the uniqueness of Israel and its potent bond with the United States. “The American Jewish community has always stood with us, sharing in our accomplishments, assisting us in overcoming challenges, and enriching us with its diversity,” he said. “American Jews are integral to the historic alliance between the United States and Israel which is one of the world’s most multi-faceted, dynamic, and durable friendships.” The event, which also featured a Q & A Session with Senior Rabbi Andy Bachman, was co-sponsored by Jewish organizations and synagogues throughout Brooklyn, including the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and Congregation Mount Sinai, among others.

 Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren with JCRC’s Michael Miller and Andy Bachman, rabbi of Congregation Beth Elokim.  (Photo credit: Jared Feldschreiber)Ambassador Oren stressed the need for Israel to continue “taking responsibility” and justly providing for its citizens and the world. Oren, born in New York and father of three, spoke to the enormous social, political, and humanistic advances Israel has made in its short duration of its national sovereignty. “The responsibility is profound, and it is personal,” he said. “Just how personal I learned when I first moved to Israel more than three decades ago and joined [the IDF], responsibility in Israel is not merely personal, it is also national.

“We revived our national Hebrew language and transformed into a dynamo of commerce, scholarship, and culture,” he said. Israel’s advances in the sciences and the arts have been recognized throughout the world. Israeli films continue to receive Oscar nominations, and Hebrew books have won major prizes, even the Nobel Prize. Israeli Scientists, also prize winners constantly work on incredible advancements, including the Israeli Exoskeleton suit, which enables an ability to walk for paralyzed people.

“Taking responsibility” clearly speaks to the inherent rights for people living in Israel. “We provide universal and affordable health care,” Ambassador Oren said. “Israel was just now rated one of the healthiest societies in the world. We provide free education beginning at the age of three. Half of our universities are listed in the world’s top 100, and the total costs of a BA are—brace yourselves—less than $10,000.” He also discussed the controversies surrounding African migrants, and the difficulties for the government must deal with balancing sensitivity with security concerns.

Israel’s right to defend itself as a sovereign nation was also addressed in detail. “As the Middle East continues to roil around us, we must be ready to defend ourselves against tens of thousands of terrorist rockets aimed at our homes,” he said. “We must defend ourselves against the unconventional weapons—those that exist and those being developed—with which our enemies pledge to wipe us off the map. We must defend ourselves against those who would deny us the right to defend ourselves, even our right to exist as the Jewish state. That is a responsibility which we, as the sovereign Jewish state, can’t outsource to any other country,” he added.

Ambassador Oren has seen his children grow up in Israel, filling him with nachas, Jewish pride. For those in attendance at the event, one can be surely touched by his stalwart commitment to working each and every day to provide a nexus between Israel and the United States. Ambassador Oren neatly coalesced the Zionism founder’s Theodor Herzl’s adage, “if you build it, it is no dream,” alongside poet William Butler Yeats’s “in dreams begin responsibility,” to underscore his underlying theme of the evening. Israel continues to “take responsibility” even as it faces pressures both domestically and abroad.

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