SAN DIEGO, California (Press Release)– Ishmael Khaldi, policy advisor to the Foreign Minister of Israel, will be speaking at Jewish Federation of San Diego County on Thursday, July 1.
Khaldi is Israel’s first Bedouin diplomat, having served as deputy consul in San Francisco, and the first Muslim to rise through the ranks of the nation’s Foreign Ministry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Haifa University and a master’s degree in international relations from Tel Aviv University. Khaldi is exceptionally positioned to provide unique insight into the current state of Israeli/Arab affairs, particularly issues related to being Arab in a Jewish democracy.
Approximately 1.5 million Arabs are citizens of Israel, of those, 160,000 are Bedouin. Until relatively recently, many continued to live a semi-nomadic lifestyle in the southern part of Israel. Khaldi himself lived in a Bedouin tent until the age of eight.
The invitation only event will be held at 12:00 p.m. in Federation’s “Foster Board Room” – 4950 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego. The briefing will be followed by a book signing. Khaldi’s book “A Shepherd’s Journey” will be available for purchase.
The event will be the first in a series held by Federation’s Israel & Overseas Center. The Center’s stated goal is to “connect Jews in San Diego to the worldwide Jewish community.” This is accomplished through education, advocacy, community collaboration and community building.
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Preceding provided by Jewish Federation of San Diego County