Arutz Sheva spoke with the Consul General of Israel in New York, Dani Dayan, at a farewell ceremony for Nefesh B'Nefesh Olim this week at the JFK Airport.

“The fact that we have a staunchly pro-Israeli administration in Washington, a Republican administration, in some sense has made my work even harder, because I represent Israel in New York which is a Democratic and liberal city and state and American politics are so polarized,” he said.

“To keep Israel as virtually the only bipartisan issue in American politics is quite a challenging task, but I believe we do it quite successfully,” added Dayan.

Dayan added that he meets many politicians and celebrities as part of his work, “but for me there are no greater celebrities, no greater heroes than the Jews we just bid farewell to, who are making Aliyah. As a former Oleh Hadash myself, I know that it’s not easy but it’s extremely rewarding.”

“I told the Olim that they decided to be the protagonists and not just the spectators in the most exciting story of the Jewish people – the return of the Jewish people to its ancient homeland, the land of Israel.”