Home

A career diplomat who grew up in America and already had several prestigious roles within the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Benjamin Krasna never fully understood the U.S.-Israel relationship until his time at the Consulate General of Israel in New York.

Krasna will return to Israel this August, when his five-year assignment as deputy consul general comes to a close. In New Jersey on June 8 to throw out the first pitch for Lakewood BlueClaws Jewish Heritage Night, Krasna sat down with The Jewish State to reflect on his time at Israel's largest mission before a briefing with community leaders from the Jewish Federation of Ocean County.

Initially joking that his greatest accomplishment at the consulate was "twice being able to throw out the first pitch at the Lakewood BlueClaws," Krasna went on to describe how despite two years in the Jordan Division of the foreign ministry in Jerusalem, three as deputy consul general in Istanbul, Turkey, two as spokesman of the Israeli Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, and three more in Jerusalem in the ministry's Western European Division, he felt like "a novice when it came to Jewish organizations" and their impact in the Jewish world before serving in New York.

Though he was born in New York, and graduated from Rutgers University in 1986, "I wasn't even aware of what the community was," how vast it is, and the nature of its relationship with Israel, Krasna said.

"To me, the greatest achievement [I had in New York] is understanding those dynamics, trying not to get in the way, and actually using my position to help us all do more, stay better informed, and promote the relationship," he said.

As deputy consul general, Krasna coordinates the political work of the consulate in the tri-state area, develops relations with national, state, and local officials, maintains regular contact with those following major foreign policy and strategic issues at think tanks and elite universities, and acts as liaison for the foreign ministry with the national and local leadership of the Jewish community. He also coordinates interfaith dialogue.

Krasna said the three primary issues he has focused on are bolstering the vitality of the relationship between the U.S. and Israel and making sure people are constantly investing in it, finding a way to promote peace and making Americans understand that Israel's main goal is to achieve peace, and the issue of a nuclear Iran, which he called "front and center in everything I've done for the last five years" in terms of helping people understand resolutions, encouraging politicians to support sanctions, and helping companies reach the decision to divest from the country.

"The fact of the matter is that Iran is still enriching uranium and is still working towards building a nuclear weapons program," Krasna said. "We don't know when they'll finally achieve that capability, but every day that we've lost and they are still able to have those centrifuges spinning is a day that we are challenged, a day that we really need to be concerned and be vigilant and doing more, because again we haven't been able to stop that program yet."

Specifically in New Jersey, Krasna said the consulate has done "remarkable work" in the area of homeland security and developed strong bonds with organizations like the New Jersey-Israel Commission and the State Association of Jewish Federations.

Krasna said one of his main challenges has been making the local Jewish community "understand that Israel isn't just another Jewish organization," and at the same time making Israeli leadership decision makers "understand that the Jewish community is not just another town in Israel."

"They each have two distinct identities that we have to make sure to maintain, because it's an asset," he said.

After five years, Krasna said he has realized that the U.S. and Israel "really do see the threats and the challenges [for the Jewish community] the same way," evidenced by bipartisan support for Israel in Congress and overwhelming votes for resolutions in Israel's favor.

"We are really on the same page when it comes to the need to address these things and how to address them," he said.

Going back to Israel means that Krasna's three sons will experience significant time at home in Israel for the first time; his oldest son, who is 13, has spent 10 years of his life outside of Israel because of Krasna's assignments.

"It's important for them to get their roots and important for us to reconnect with our roots, and I'm really looking forward to that," Krasna said.

Representing the state of Israel in the community where he grew up has been a gratifying experience for Krasna on many levels, he said.

"The amount of places I go where people come up to me and say 'Which Krasna are you?' or 'Are you Irwin's son or Alvin's son?" and all of these types of things ... Having people come and say 'I remember when I was at your bris' -- that's unique and wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world," Krasna said.