Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, a Druze woman who served as a member of Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, spoke with i24NEWS on her current role as the Jewish Agency's senior emissary to Washington DC.
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She was appointed to the position in June of last year – becoming the organization's first-ever Druze envoy.
"When I decided to take time out from politics… I had many job offers, and I asked myself – 'What is next?'" she told i24NEWS.
"I had many offers, but I realized … my country is important to me. I realized how much I want to still be connected," she said.
Kamal-Mreeh explained that she sees herself as a "bridge" between cultures and that her understanding of different communities allows her to effectively connect with a variety of groups.
"I speak three languages – I totally understand the nuances. I speak Arabic, Hebrew, and English," she added, emphasizing that a shift was needed for Israel's emissaries to not just focus on "absolute advocacy," but also take the perspectives of others into account.
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"It's important not just to bring the input from Israel, but to take back home the input – to listen and to be aware of the differences… to build the bridges and to create the trust," Kamal-Mreeh said.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
