Israeli Consulate Celebrates 66th Independence Day with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal

GEORGIA RANKS EIGHTH IN THE NATION FOR TRADE WITH ISRAEL

SPECIAL FOR THE AJT

On Sun., May 18, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast and guest of honor, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, celebrated Israel’s 66th Independence Day with a

Deputy Consul General Ron Brummer, Consul General Opher Aviran, First Lady Sandra Deal, Governor Nathan Deal, Talyah Aviran, The Temple Senior Rabbi Peter Berg toast to Israel’s 66th Independence Day at a reception at The Temple on Sunday, May 18, 2014.
Photo credit: Robb D. Cohen

reception at The Temple in Atlanta. The event brought together members of the Atlanta area religious, political, academic, business, and cultural communities for an evening honoring the great relationship between the State of Georgia and the State of Israel on the occasion of Israel’s 66th birthday.

Attendees included Attorney General Sam Olens, Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, Commissioner Gary Black, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan, American-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC) President and CEO and Chairman of the Board, Shai Robkin and Joel Neuman, and Columbus State University President Tim Mescon.

Joined at the event by First Lady Sandra Deal, Governor Deal praised the relationship between the Georgia and Israeli business communities, referencing Georgia’s rank eighth in the nation for trade with Israel. In June, Governor Deal will make his first visit to Israel as governor to lead an economic mission of Georgia’s top business leaders.

On behalf of the government of Israel, Consul General Opher Aviran welcomed Governor Deal and the First Lady to Israel, saying, “During your visit to Israel, I hope that—apart from the visits to the holy sites of Jerusalem and the business meetings—you will interact with the Israeli people face-to-face, see their love for the United States, their thirst for peace and security and their passion for education, the key component to creating the next generation of global citizens.”

Consul General Opher Aviran, Deputy Consul General Ron Brummer, First Lady Sandra Deal, Governor Nathan Deal, The Temple Senior Rabbi Peter Berg, and Talyah Aviran at the celebration of Israel’s 66th Independence Day on Sunday, May 18, 2014 at The Temple.
Photo credit: Robb D. Cohen

While in Israel, in addition to business meetings in Tel Aviv and visits to the holy sites in Jerusalem, Governor Deal will travel to Yad Vashem, the World Center for Holocaust research, documentation, education, and commemoration, with Georgia Commission on the Holocaust Executive Director Sally Levine. The Governor is also expected to meet with members of the Atlanta Jewish community who will be in Israel as part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s 2014 Community Mission trip, as well as with members of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) who will be in Israel for the organization’s 23rd mission to Israel.

Editor’s note: For more, contact Dena Weiss, Director of Public Affairs, Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, (404) 487-6511; pr@atlanta.mfa.gov.il

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