The University of Tampa will be welcoming Ofer Bavly, Israeli Consul General to Florida and Puerto Rico, to campus on Monday night.
Bavly will address UT students at 7:00 p.m. in Plant Hall’s Fletcher Lounge about the present state of relations between Israel and their Palestinian neighbors.
The talk will be open to all UT students at no cost and will be followed by a frank question and answer session.
By hosting the respected representative, Hillel (UTs Jewish organization) hopes to bring concerned students some illuminating information and fresh perspective on the subject.
“This complex issue is often misrepresented in the news, and we hope that by bringing the Consul General of Israel to UT to provide an accurate and honest update of the situation, as well as allowing those in attendance to ask questions, that we can make a positive contribution to people’s understanding of the situation,” explained Hillel Program Director and student advisor Len Steinberg.
Bavly will be speaking from a wealth of experience and two decades of service in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Born in Switzerland and educated in Jerusalem, he is a true man of the world, having worked in such diverse environments as Madrid and Rome as well as the States.
He is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, German and Hebrew.
Apart from holding the rank of Captain in the Israeli Defense Forces, he served as counselor in the North American Division of the Foreign Ministry before being appointed to his present position as Consul General in 2007.
He is known as being a dedicated proponent of social enrichment through art and film and of sustainability through energy and health initiatives.
“I think it’s great that students will have a chance to interact directly with the Consul Genera,” said UT junior and Hillel member Aaron Feld.
As a pluralistic, all-encompassing organization dedicated to providing a cornerstone for Jewish life on campus and promoting education through social programs, Hillel regularly sponsors free trips to Israel through Taglit-Birthright Israel and will be holding a number of events throughout the semester, including frequent Shabbat and holiday dinners and accompanying educational presentations.
Lee Guilder, UT sophomore and president of the local Hillel chapter, wants to remind interested students that the first of these dinners will be held on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the Rathskellar.
Jeffrey Palmer can be reached at jeffrey.palmer@spartans.ut.edu.
Monday January 24 @ 7pm
When is he coming? Date?