(Forward) Abe Silberstein - After four years of service as Israel's consul general to New York, it is clear Ambassador Dani Dayan will be dearly missed by the mostly liberal Jewish leadership in the area. It was not supposed to be this way. Dayan is a former chairman of the Yesha Council that represents Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In August 2016, I wrote an op-ed in the English edition of Ha'aretz calling Dayan unfit for the position and denouncing his views. Today, I find myself among Dayan's progressive well-wishers. Shortly after my op-ed was published, I was invited to a private, off-the-record meeting with Dayan. Although we argued, I found him to be a genial and unassuming presence who was as eager to learn my perspective as he was sharing his. Through his friendly disposition and overtures to groups that felt alienated from the Israeli government, Dayan was well-liked and respected throughout the community.
2020-08-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive