שלום עידו ואלון,רצ״ב מייל שקיבלתי מסגן הקונסול הכללי בניו יורק ובו הצעה לקחת יום מהביקור בניו יורק לטובת פנסילבניה. לי ההצעה מאוד נראית. אם גם אתם חושבים ככה אז אני מניח שצריך יהיה לתקף את זה אצל אמיר לפני שהולכים הלאה.רפינושא: הצעה לביקור מב"ל
רפי שלום,
לאחר שיחה פנימית אצלנו, אני מעביר הצעה שריכזנו כאן.
לפני שנפתח את הרעיונות, רציתי לבדוק איתך התכנות של הרעיונות הללו.
התכנון המקורי של המב"ל היה ביקור בוושינגטון ובניו יורק. אנו מציעים להוסיף גם ביקור של יום בפנסילבניה (אנו אחראים גם על מדינה זו), בעיקר על מנת להחשף לאמריקה של הצווארון הכחול, שהביאה לשלטון את הנשיא טראמפ. את זה לא תוכלו לראות בוושינגטון ולא בניו יורק. בשנה שעברה, הביקור בשיקגו כלל את המרכיב החשוב הזה.
להלן ההצעה באנגלית, כפי שגובשה ע"י העובדים שלי. אם לדעתך יש התכנות לביקור נוסף בפנסילבניה (כאמור, באחריות הקונסוליה שלנו), נפתח את התוכנית מעבר לכך ואעביר משהו מסודר יותר.
תודה
ישראל
Pennsylvania Visit Overview
· During the visit to Pennsylvania, the Consulate’s goal is to expose the delegation to several core areas: the popular support seen in the key 2016 state for the Trump administration’s policies, the role of manufacturing in the Keystone state, the historical background of the African American community and the impact to today,
· The Consulate will prepare a visit to Pennsylvania that encompasses meetings on Wednesday night and the whole day Thursday
· Travel from DC to NY will be accessed using the bus provided for the MABAL to allow for seamless travel throughout Pennsylvania. We can likely make the overnight hotel stay for Philadelphia but that may require an earlier departure from DC.
York, Pennsylvania (Wednesday Evening )
1. Panel Discussion on the Populist Realignment in Pennsylvania that turned the 2016 Re-election
a. Terry Madonna is the Director for the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. He is also the Director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll, which is one of the most renowned in the nation. He is an expert in Pennsylvania Politics.
b. Salena Zito is a national political reporter, originally from Pittsburgh, she worked for the Pittsburgh Tribute-Review for 11 years and in her recent book The Great Revolt she argues that Trump didn’t just destroy conventional Republican politics; he also built something new, uniting a coalition of Americans who hate bigness and politically correct, arrogant elites.
c. Congressman Scott Perry is a graduate of the US Army War College and served in Iraq. He represents York, PA and is a leading contender to be the next chair of the conservative Freedom Caucus in the US House.
Spend night in York/Lancaster
York, PA/Philadelphia, PA (Thursday )
· Early Morning
o Briefing on US Manufacturing
§ MABAL will visit Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association Leadership and learn about the role the sector plays in the economy. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business will also be part of the discussion, their CEO Gene Barr was recently on a delegation to Israel.
Late Morning
Travel to Philly
· Afternoon
o Visit/Tour of the Constitution Center and Program
· Participants will learn about the important role of the Constitution and particularly the 1st Amendment. Free Speech Rights are an integral part if the fabric of American society and the dynamic between the Free Speech and Hate Speech will be discussed .
· ADL may be a good partner for this program
o Program on African American History and Contemporary Challenges
· Participants will learn about the history of the African American community, how it relates to current issues and the challenges for the community today. Potential Speakers could include State Senator Shariff Street and an Member of the Faculty of the Africana Studies program at the university of Pennsylvania.
· Rodney Muhammad, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, would not be an option for programming as he has close ties to the Nation of Islam
Late Evening
Travel to NYC
NY Visit Overview
· During the visit to NYC, the Consulate’s goal is to expose the delegation to several core areas: relations of the American Jewish community with Israel, progressive politics in America, diverse communities and their relations with Israel, global economic trends and New York’s role in the economy, the mechanics of the international media, and the situation of the Jewish community in the U.S.
· The Consulate will prepare a visit in NY that encompasses meetings on Friday and Monday including time for half a day of U.N. meetings.
· Since Sunday is not a working day in the U.S., participants will be offered tour or cultural opportunities on that day since meetings will not be possible.
· All meetings in NYC will be accessed using the bus provided for the MABAL and the Consulate’s conference hall will be made available for briefings or lectures.
NYC (Friday and Monday)
2. Briefing by Ali Velshi, MSNBC Anchor and Business Correspondent for NBC News
a. Ali Velshi is considered one of the most visible and important economists in the U.S. who usually briefs the MABAL. He will give an overview or the role of Wall Street and the influence it has each day on our lives
.
3. Economic briefing at a major investment bank
a. MABAL will visit a major global investment bank on Wall Street to focus on a specific sector of the global economy that is of interest such as oil / energy markets, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) on the economy (like high frequency trading), or the current status of America’s trade relations with the world.
4. Visit and meeting at a major international media organization
a. The MABAL should get a tour of a newsroom of a major international news outlet like CNN, ABC, NBC, or FOX to better understand how major American news outlets select and produce the news and view Israel. This visit would also involve a meeting with a major news executive to give a briefing on how the news selection process works.
5. Meeting with a Latino journalist from Univision or Telemundo
a. Spanish language media has more viewers than English media outlets in the U.S. A meeting with a major Spanish-language journalist would allow for an understanding of how the Latino community (about 20% of the U.S. population) consumes information and sees the world.
6. Visit to the Bronx
a. The Bronx is the heart of the Latino community in NYC and previous MABAL visits have taken participants there to better understand what it is like to live as a Latino in the U.S. and what political and social issues are affecting this community which continues to take on a leading role in the U.S.
7. Panel with Rabbis
a. During this panel, a prominent Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox rabbi will each speak about how the three main streams of Judaism relate to each other in the U.S. and what their relationship is like with Israel.
8. Briefing by David Harris, CEO, American Jewish Committee
a. During this discussion David Harris, considered one of the most important Jewish leaders in the world, will share his views on the current status of Jews around the world and their relations with Israel. Additionally David will give a background diplomatic engagement taking place around the world relating to the Jewish community and how world leaders are viewing Jews, Israel, and the U.S.
9. Briefing by a progressive political strategist
a. A leading political analyst or politician will be invited to give a lecture to the MABAL about current trends in liberal American politics and how those views are related to Israel.
10. Briefing by Stuart Appelbaum, President, Jewish Labor Coalition, on how progressive American Jews see Israel
a. Stuart is a leading Democratic activist nationally and is the CEO of the main U.S. labor union representing retail workers and is also a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Stuart (or someone similar) can lead a discussion on how the Jewish left sees Israel and engages with it today.
11. Discussion on counter terrorism in NYC
a. The MABAL can be offered the opportunity to hear from an official in charge of preparing for or responding to major emergencies or terrorist incidents in NYC and how the lessons of 9/11 continue to play an important role in protecting NY.
12. Broadway Show
a. If interested the MABAL can pay for tickets to see a Broadway play that will be showing in June as an evening activity
13. Shabbat
a. MABAL participants can be invited to a special Shabbat dinner at a leading Reform synagogue led by Rabbi Ami Hirsch or Rabbi Angela Buchdahl who has hosted the MABAL for many years in the past in order to experience an American Jewish service firsthand. The participants will be given a special program organized by Rabbi Hirsch.
NYC (Sunday)
1. Guided tour of 9-11 Memorial and Museum
a. During this visit, the MABAL will learn about the events September 11 and have an opportunity to visit the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum located at the World Trade Center
2. Visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
a. During this visit, MABAL participants can specifically view art pertaining to American history including during the Colonial period which provides an important perspective during the formative years of the U.S.
3. Visit to Ellis Island
a. Ellis Island is a federal site under the U.S. National Park Service that was the most historic and important port of entry for immigrants, including Jews, during the mass migration to the U.S. during the early 20th Century. MABAL participants can pay to take a ferry from Manhattan for a guided tour to learn about the history of immigration including the reality of Jews when they entered this country from Europe and the important role they played in American life at that period.
Israel Nitzan
Deputy Consul General
Consulate General of Israel New York
800 Second Avenue
New York City, N.Y. 10017
Office: 212-499-5454
Twitter: @IsraelNitzan