(JNi.media) With the debate raging over what President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran will mean for Israel, many American Jews who voted for Obama may feel conflicted between backing their President’s diplomacy and supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes the deal. The estimated 800,000 Israelis living in the United States, rather than being regarded, in the words of Rabin as “nefolet nemashot” (lowly dropouts), could be seen as “ambassadors,” according to Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett.
With BDS raging in college campuses and the term “Zionist” often used by American youth in the pejorative sense, the Israeli presence abroad can be seen as a resource for the Jewish State in its challenge to maintain its friendly ties with the United States.
The IAC, or the Israeli-American Council, originally known as the ILC, or the Israeli Leadership Council, was founded in 2007 after a demonstration in Los Angeles in support of Israel’s army during the Lebanon War in 2006 drew only a small number of expatriate Israelis out of the total 200,000 who live in the area.
Realizing that Israelis living in America provided an untapped resource, and that they had unique needs that should be addressed, Israel’s Consul General Ehud Danoch met with Danny Alpert and Eli Marmour to to set up the ILC. Their aim was to create initiatives that would bring together the Israeli American community. The first effort was a “Live for Sderot” fundraising event that involved Hollywood celebrities and statements from 2008 Presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain in support of the Southern Israel city that was the target of frequent rocket attacks.
Israelis who leave their native country for America tend to get “lost” within American society, and many of their children do not relate to Jewish or Israeli culture. The IAC organizes events that connect Israelis living in America and enables Israeli-American parents to pass their culture to the next generation through Hebrew language summer camps and year-round activities.
The IAC has expanded since its founding in 2007, and is constructing a $10 million community center in Los Angeles.
While a recent IAC initiative displayed on the organizations website encourages visitors to get involved in a “Stop the Bomb” campaign opposing the nuclear deal with Iran, IAC chairman Shawn Evenheim insists that the IAC serves as a non-partisan resource for Israel and receives donations both from hawkish Republican Sheldon Adelson and Clinton supporter Haim Saban.
On October 17-19, IAC is sponsoring the second annual Israel-American Council conference which will bring together political, diplomatic and community leaders. Attendees will include Ambassador Ron Dermer, former Senator Joseph Lieberman, Mitt Romney, Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban. Panels will discuss supporting Israel, philanthropy, high-tech and Israeli culture.
According to a press release, the conference will explore “how to bring the Israeli secret sauce into American and Jewish life.”