In Defense of Israeli Ambassador to Poland Anna Azari
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
To the Editor:
It was quite astonishing to read Jacob Weitzner’s criticism of the work of Israeli Ambassador to Poland Anna Azari in “The Israeli Embassy in Poland Can do More to Win Friends for Israel” (July 26, 2017). His judgement of her performance is neither fair nor complete. Ambassador Azari not only participates in many Holocaust-related commemorations, but she is also out in the community every single day telling the Israeli story to the Polish public, including, importantly, students and the media, and engaging in sometimes difficult Polish-Jewish dialogue, all of which she does with sensitivity, grace, and expertise.
Polish-Israeli relations continue to be excellent on the governmental level. Each year, the number of Poles traveling to Israel and discovering what it has to offer is noticeably growing. Israeli investment in Poland is meaningful and cultural exchanges take place regularly. All of this happens in large part thanks to projects initiated by Ambassador Azari and her staff. Failure to attend two events, notably due to serious health reasons, is no measure of her performance or her Embassy’s meaningful work in Poland. As AJC’s office team in Warsaw, we work with Ambassador Azari very closely and can attest to her being an exceptionally devoted and effective diplomat.
Agnieszka Markiewicz is the Acting Director of AJC Central Europe.
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