Aryeh Mekel

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Mekel in 2013

Arye Mekel (Hebrew: אריה מקל) was an Israeli diplomat and journalist who died on June 20, 2021 at the age of 75.

Biography[]

Arye Mekel was born to Holocaust survivors and raised in Israel.[1] He studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, receiving a bachelor's degrees in Political Science and English Language and Literature, and a master's degree in Mass Communication. He also studied at Columbia University in New York, where he received a master's degree in Sociology.

Mekel is married to Ruth, a journalist and public relations consultant. They have three children and 5 grandchildren.

Diplomatic career[]

Mekel served as Foreign Policy adviser[2] to Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir (1986-1989) Mekel joined Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984 as a Senior Researcher at the Center for Political Research. He was adviser to Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir (1985-1986),[3] Director of the Government’s Media Center, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Israel to South Korea (2001), Special Adviser to the Deputy Foreign Minister on combating antisemitism (2001-2002) and Special Government Spokesman for Foreign Media (2000-2002). His roles as a diplomat included Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States based in Atlanta, Georgia (1993-2000), Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations (2003-2004), and Consul General of Israel in New York (2004-2007).[4] He also served as director of the press department and spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Deputy Director General for Cultural and Scientific Affairs.[5] In 2010, he assumed his position as Ambassador of the State of Israel to Greece,[6] in which he served until summer of 2014. Currently he is a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat center for strategic studies at Bar Ilan University in Israel.

Journalism and academic career[]

His career in journalism began during military service in the Israel Defense Forces, where he served as a Military and Political Correspondent for Israel Army Radio. He then joined Israel Public Radio (Voice of Israel), as a Senior Editor and Political Correspondent, and later its U.S. Correspondent. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Cincinnati and a representative of the World Zionist Organization in Cincinnati, Ohio (1976-1979).nd Director General of the Israel Broadcasting Authority, responsible for all State television and radio (1989-1993).

References[]

  1. ^ "Arye Mekel". Jewish Virtual Library.
  2. ^ "Behind the scenes of a half-century of public service". Jpost.
  3. ^ "Israel Appoints Arye Mekel Acting Foreign Ministry Spokesman". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
  4. ^ Arye Mekel picked to replace Pinkas, Haaretz, 4 August 2004
  5. ^ "Israel Grapples With Crisis of Isolation".
  6. ^ "Ambassador Mekel attends events in Athens for International Holocaust Remembrance Day". Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
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