Ambassador Danny Danon and Ambassador Marie Chatardová

On Feb. 3, 2022, Yeshiva University hosted Danny Danon, Israel’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, current chairman of World Likud and Yeshiva University visiting professor, in virtual conversation with Marie Chatardová, the Czech ambassador to the United Kingdom and the former Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the Czech Republic. The discussion was the latest in the Global Leaders Dialogue Series at Yeshiva University, which is part of the Ambassador Danon’s greater efforts to build bridges in the world community and develop legal and diplomatic practices to combat the global and domestic surge of antisemitism. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Maria Zaitseva, clinical assistant professor in political science at Yeshiva University, who began the dialogue by inquiring about each speaker’s time at the United Nations. “At the UN, in order to be successful, you need to be creative,” Ambassador Danon said. Some of the strategies he instituted included bringing diplomats and officials to Israel to see the country for itself and to highlight Israel’s technological innovations. “People often think about Israel as a problem, but tech advancements present Israel as a solution and change the narrative,” he added. Ambassador Chatardová praised the UN for being the only institution that brings so many states together and for being the biggest intergovernmental organization in the world. But she also pointed out that since its foundation, the situation in the world has undergone radical changes and a reform of the organization should be the priority for a number of states. Dr. Zaitseva then shifted the conversation to the crisis on the Ukrainian border, where Russia has gathered thousands of troops, worrying the West about a potential invasion. Ambassador Chatardová noted that a potential conflict would have impacts beyond Eastern Europe and, along with Ambassador Danon, called for a diplomatic solution. Finally, the two speakers offered advice to students interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy. Ambassador Chatardová told the students that having good communication skills is key and that one has to be willing to move around a lot, as one can never know where the next posting will take them. Ambassador Danon noted that one must be passionate about defending their country, but they must balance that passion with flexibility. "It was a pleasure to hear from these two experienced and accomplished diplomats, both of whom have represented their country at the highest world stage,” said Alex Friedman ’22YC, one of the student organizers of the event. “As a student interested in international diplomacy, I cherished this opportunity and thank the ambassadors for sharing their expertise and time with us.” Following the conversation, the Zoom room was opened for a Q&A, where students asked questions about the Abraham Accords and how diplomacy has changed with COVID-19. Previous events in the Global Leaders Dialogue Series include a session with Ambassador Danon and students from the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program and the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought Straus Scholars Program, and a presentation with Ambassador Danon and Nazee Moinian, a former advisor to Secretary Hillary Clinton, for the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women.