Israeli Consul To Discuss

Middle East Situation At WestConn

DANBURY — David Saranga, consul for media and public affairs at the Israeli Consulate General in New York, will share “A Political Update on the Situation in the Middle East” at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 31, in Warner Hall at Western Connecticut State University.

The public is invited and admission is free.

Mr Saranga’s talk is sponsored by the WCSU School of Arts and Sciences, and The Jewish Federation serving northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield counties in Connecticut and Putnam County in New York.

Rosalind Kopfstein, an adjunct professor of social sciences at WestConn and social worker at The Jewish Family Service, a Jewish Federation agency, said the purpose of the talk is to create a forum for dialogue.

“David Saranga will be here to dispel some of the misinformation and to bring forth the Israeli perspective on the events taking place in the Middle East,” Ms Kopfstein said. “There have been a number of presentations providing the Palestinian point of view, so it’s important to offer the other perspective.”

Norman Greenstein, executive director of The Jewish Federation, agreed.

“Despite living in an atmosphere where every day their family, friends, and acquaintances are only spared suicidal or rocket attacks raining down on them by the vigilance of security forces, what Israel is doing and willing to sacrifice in their effort to achieve peace is extraordinary,” said Mr Greenstein. “Israeli Consul David Saranga will discuss the current situation in the Middle East and explore the complicated search for a peaceful solution.”

Prior to his role at the Consulate General, Mr Saranga was the deputy spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel, where he was the primary contact for foreign media. He also has served as second secretary at the Israeli Embassy in Romania, and as the first secretary for media and public affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Spain.

Warner Hall is on WCSU’s midtown campus, on Fifth Avenue.

For more information, call the WestConn Office of University Relations at 837-8486.