CANDIDLY SPEAKING FROM JERUSALEM
by Isi Leibler
March 24, 2015

When Yehuda Avner passed away Tuesday, aged 86, Israel lost a noble citizen whose entire life was devoted to serving the Jewish state and the Jewish people. He was my dearest friend with whom I was in almost daily contact over the past few years. Yehuda served as advisor to five Israeli Prime Ministers and became senior advisor and speechwriter for Menahem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. Begin paid tribute to his superior translations and speeches by dubbing him “our Shakespeare”. He served in senior roles in the Foreign Ministry including the Israeli Embassy in Washington and was subsequently appointed ambassador to the Court of St. James and Australia. His record as a diplomat and statesman epitomizes the outstanding quality of Israeli diplomats of that era, the majority of whom were regarded among the most talented envoys in the world. READ MORE