Former Minister Asaf Zamir officially began his term as Consul General of Israel in New York on Tuesday.
In his role, Ambassador Zamir represents the State of Israel in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Delaware.
"I look forward to starting work and tackling some of the enormous challenges facing the State of Israel today," said Zamir. "There is no doubt that the goal before me at the moment is to preserve a bipartisan Israel, to work with both sides and to do so not only among local politicians but also among the diverse communities in New York and the area."
Ambassador Zamir spent his formative years in Florida, returning to Israel as a teenager. He did his military service in Israel Air Force. Zamir holds a law degree (LLB) from Tel Aviv University and is a member of the Israel Bar Association.
In 2008, Ambassador Zamir was elected Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv at the age of 28 - the youngest to be appointed to this position in the history of Tel Aviv. He was then re-elected to the Tel Aviv City Council in 2013, where he retained his position as Deputy Mayor and was responsible for the Tel Aviv Education Portfolio.
Zamir began his career in Israeli politics before the Israeli elections in April 2019, as part of the Blue and White Party, led by the current Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz. In May 2020, Zamir was appointed Minister of Tourism as part of the unity government but later resigned.
With the formation of the new government headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in June 2021, Zamir was appointed Consul General of Israel in New York, replacing Dani Dayan, who served in the position from 2016 to 2020. From August 2020 until Zamir took office, Israel Nitzan served as Acting Consul.