Last week, The Jewish Link was pleased to sit down with Consul General Ofir Akunis, who on May 1 took up Israel’s top diplomatic post in New York, as consul general of its largest consulate in the world. Our meeting was recorded as a podcast, which will be available here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jewish-link-pitch-meeting/id1676993554.

While this is his first foray into international diplomacy, Akunis has enjoyed a distinguished career in government service. He is a 15-year member of the Knesset and served as a cabinet minister with PM Benjamin Nentanyahu’s Likud party, with whom he began his career in politics in 1996, during Netanyahu’s first term of office. He served as minister of science and technology in several administrations, as well as minister of labor, social affairs and social services; and also as minister of regional cooperation. As minister of science and technology, he proudly oversaw research agreements and technical advances between Israel and 31 other countries. 

A passionate defender of Israel—of its people, culture, political history and philosophies—Akunis demonstrated on our podcast his mastery and understanding of global media, and shared frank and unguarded opinions on how Jews must face Israel’s enemies, particularly in the face of the war facing Israel and the wider world following October 7. 

Akunis described the first meeting he had in his new role in New York on May 1, just two hours after landing in the country, with Columbia University students who were experiencing extreme Jew-hate and an inability to attend classes as agitators maintained their weeks-long antisemitic and anti-Israel encampment at Columbia. “I never imagined that Jew-hate like that seen in the Holocaust would happen again and in the United States. We need strong leadership to stand against it. If we reflect weakness they will destroy us,” he said.

He added that his grandmother, who experienced life in Poland under Nazi rule and emigrated to Israel in 1957, would have been shocked at these occurrences.   

Indicating his priority to work with and provide assistance to the Jewish and Israeli community in the tri-state area, Akunis said, “It’s the most challenging time for the Jewish community. It’s very important to be here these days. Millions of Jews, actually the highest numbers of Jews are living here outside of Israel.” 

Noting that he’s a big admirer of the United States, Akunis said that he considers it one of two big miracles of the modern era: “The establishment of Israel and the establishment of this country, big and strong: the United States of America.” In recent weeks, Akunis was disheartened to see the American flag being burned at Union Station, just steps from the Capitol on the day Netanyahu gave a speech to a joint session of Congress. “But nothing happened,” he said. “Where is America now? ‘Burning a flag is just a symbol?’ No, they want to burn you. They are actually saying it: ‘Death to America.’” 

“I am for freedom of speech. I think we share the same values between the U.S. and Israel. Democracy, freedom of speech, human rights. But you can’t use the freedom of speech to say, ‘I want to kill you.’ That is freedom of hate,” he said. 

“If our enemies are saying they want to kill us, you better believe them,” Akunis added. “We are praying all the time, but we should actually act and defend ourselves. I want the Jewish communities to stand for the truth, and not to be weak.”

Akunis also discussed how Israel’s residents are currently living under the Iranian threat, in which Iran is using its many proxies to try to destroy the state of Israel. He discussed the plight of the hostages and the hostage families. “I think the Western world must be tougher with the Iranian threat. They are very silent. Forty-eight hours ago the Iranians launched a missile and killed 12 kids. Governments around the world were silent. 

“The Iranians arm Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas and other organizations in Judea and Samaria. If someone thinks this is an Israeli matter, they are wrong. This is a threat to Europe, the United Kingdom, to Germany, even to the United States,” said Akunis. 

“Winston Churchill, as leader of the Western world, said, ‘We will continue to fight for our survival.’ Strong leadership is necessary around the world to combat this threat. Not just our people, our soldiers—the new Maccabee’im—but all around the world we need to fight for the survival of the Western world.” 

Akunis indicated his and his staff’s accessibility and invited the wider community to seek out @IsraelinNewYork on Instagram.