Former Mossad chief talks Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent a “vitally important message” that Israel will always have to defend itself, by itself.
“THIS region will never become Switzerland and we have to take care of ourselves,” former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said during last week’s Summit UIA “Security” session.
Cohen spent nearly six years as director of the Jewish State’s intelligence agency and was the country’s key negotiator in the Abraham Accords.
The former spy chief said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent a “vitally important message” that Israel will always have to defend itself, by itself.
“We see nations that are waiting for others to save them,” Cohen said.
“When a superpower like Russia has decided to invade … Ukrainians were a little bit surprised or shocked, but begging for help from the international arena. Sanctions came, declarations came, but that in itself did not help the resistance of the Ukrainian people.
“We may have disagreements with some leaders around the world, but we don’t have a choice; Israel will have to defend itself not only physically, but philosophically.”
Cohen also touched on Israel’s position in the conflict, saying the Russian military have “done a great job” in the Middle East region by helping to get rid of the chemical weapons in Syria.
Wrapping up the summit was Israel advocate and author Daniel Gordis, who addressed the topic of global Jewry.
Gordis praised Jewish education in Australia, which he said is the key to sustaining a deep Jewish identity.
“Australia shines when it comes to education,” he said.
“The percentage of young people who are getting years and years and years of Jewish education in the two major communities of Sydney and Melbourne, but also far beyond in other cities as well, is simply completely unparalleled.”
In contrast, he said, the percentage of young Americans who go K through 12 in a Jewish day school is much smaller.
“You can’t sustain Jewish commitment and Jewish involvement in the absence of knowledge, because what you will eventually do is turn Judaism into a politics,” he said.
With the UIA Summit over, attention now turns to the organisation’s Women’s event on Sunday, March 20, featuring inspirational guest speaker Bari Weiss live from the US.
Weiss is an award-winning American journalist who was named by The Jerusalem Post as the seventh most influential Jew in the world. She made headlines when she quit the New York Times after accusing them of “caving to the whims of critics on Twitter”.
Weiss is the author of the award-winning book How to Fight Antisemitism.
Book for Bari Weiss: uiaaustralia.org.au/our-events/nsw. More info: (02) 9361 4273, uiawomensdiv@uiansw.org.au
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