´I believe Israel is more than just a country. I see it as a living testament to a smal people´s capacity to overcome impossible odds through the sheer force of their commitment to knowledge, freedom and compassion´.

With a major degree in zoology, a Canadian passport and a history of involvement in Jewish causes - like the Birthright trips bringing young Jews from North America to Israel, Aviva Klompas landed a job as speechwriter at the Israel´s UN mission in NYC. Learning to be ´less apologetic, more acerbic´, but also getting to know the very different Israel work and diplomatic culture, she had to learn on the job about diplomacy, how UN and its many committees and bizarre decisions operates, but first and foremost how to properly communicate with her non-conformist chief, ambassador Ron Prosor - also called the ´singing diplomat´ among others.

It is a lot of hard work and late hours, not paid at all, she is underpaid and often spending more than 20 hours the day, including during the weekends, connected to her work gadgets and colleagues. But Aviva Klompas is coping with the task in a very professional, diplomatic way: this is her assignment - or rather long list of assignments - and she will go through it, with decency and intelligence. Keeping her wits in the middle of the frequent diplomatic storms that Israel is always the target at the UN, worked in her professional advantage. Elegantly and using her cultural and intellectual connectins, she wrote speeches with battle lines where biblical history meets pop music. When there are so many different - frequently negative - opinions about you, one need to be prepared to answer a wide array of audiences, isn´t it?

Criticism is not an issue, obsession about what Israel is doing - and what not - belongs to a different category of political behavior and unfortunatelly, at the UN level, there are way too many manifestations in this respect - an example being the loud actions of the honorably UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. 72 years after the creation of the state of Israel - by the way, #HappyYomHaatzmaut - there are still political actors spending/wasting their time denying its right to exist. ´Criticizing Israel´s actions or policies is by no means anti-Semitic, but when the condemnation is grossly disproportionate, or Israel alone is repeatedly singled out, or the language of denunciation vile or tinged with libelous stereotype, then it´s hard to see how the action is not discriminatory and anti-Semitic´.

Speaking for Israel by Aviva Klompas can be read though also as part of a larger bibliography covering UN ways to operate and the everyday working of a speechwriter. Writing other people´s public statements, interacting with global and national policies as well as with unique personalities requires patience, humility and a lot of diplomacy. The author´s professional approach in all respects is following facts and figures, her own experiences which are introduced in a matter of fact way, avoiding the drama and black-and-white approaches typical for a political topic like Israel and the UN.

Klompas´ adventures in the world of UN and especialy Israeli diplomacy are funny - not the same hilarious level though as the one shared in the memoir of another Canadian that worked at the Israeli mission to the UN in 2004, Gregory Levey, before working for the then prime minister Ariel Sharon until 2006 as speechwriter for the English-speaking audiences - but with a humour that helps everyone survive the diplomatic real life. Such experiences are good to have in your professional life, even for just a short while.

Who would have thought a memoir about a speechwriter could be so fascinating – as this entertaining and amusing book certainly is. Aviva Klompas was Director of Speechwriting for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the UN, writing speeches and other papers for the Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor. This was a high-pressure position, involving tight deadlines and long hours. The book is as fast-paced as her real life was during these turbulent years as she faced the challenge of presenting Israel’s point of view to an often hostile audience. Klompas is 100% pro-Israel and makes no bones about it. She accuses the UN of being consistently unfair and biased towards the country and imbued with anti-Semitism. She really is “speaking for Israel” throughout the book, convinced as she is that Israel is always in the right, and the country’s actions and policies always justified. So don’t go looking here for a balanced or impartial view. The Palestinians are 100% the villains here and always to blame for Israel’s response. She saw her role as defending Israel on the world stage and did this to the best of her ability, through the speeches she wrote for Prosor. It’s a wonderful glimpse behind the scenes of the inner workings of the UN and a valuable insight into Israel’s thinking. You don’t have to be either pro or anti-Israel to enjoy this book. It is what it is –a deeply compelling account of diplomacy and politics written by an insider. Highly recommended.

This is an absolutely beautiful book about a speechwriter who choses to speak for Israel at the United Nations and why she chooses to do so. She presents a very compelling argument and shows us why Israel is important.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Engaging and well worth the read. Here is my full review:

https://journalingonpaper.com/2019/04/18/book-review-speaking-for-israel-by-aviva-klompas/

I requested Undiplomatic: The Inside Story Of Israel at the United Nations from #netgalley because Aviva Klompas' story, of a Canadian working for Israel at the United Nations in New York, really appealed to me. Aviva worked extremely hard, this is extremely clear, but she also got to meet so many great people, and got the satisfaction of sticking up for Israel, in the face of so much opposition. She has so many stories to tell, and I really enjoyed reading it all. When people ask her why she would have left a comfortable job working for the government in Canada to work like a "mishuganeh" for the Israeli government (the most hated country at the UN), she explains:
1) "Representing Israel means representing the Jewish people & giving voice to our history and dreams."
2)"The voice of this nation deserves to speak and be heard in the family of nations."
3)"Being part of a family means having one another's backs through good times and challenging times."
4) "Israel isn't just another state, its the world's one and only Jewish state."
5) "Israel is a bright spot of freedom and stability and opportunity."
"I look at Israel and see a country aspiring to elevate its citizens, its society and its global contributions...it's the embodiment of the values I stand for and am proud to give voice to.I could not be prouder to have represented Israel."

Thanks for sharing your story Aviva Klompas. 4.5 stars! #undiplomatic

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. The author laid out the information in a manner that allowed the reader to form their own opinion.