In 1993, I was a 23 year old volunteering/traveling in Israel and Jeff hooked me up with a wonderful family in the old city for a Shabbat dinner. It was an incredible and memorable experience.
Fast forward to 2017, and I came to Israel for my kids B’nai Mitzvah. I contacted Jeff, so my kids could experience a traditional Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem as I did and once again, he delivered. We had a fabulous time at our host family’s home and I am so grateful to Jeff for his commitment and passion to connect people for Shabbat dinners. It is such a special program that Jeff has created and I don’t know if he realizes what a huge impact he makes on countless people’s lives. Jeff makes the world a better place and I am so glad that I met him all those years ago. Please continue what you’re doing Jeff. You’re a rock star.
-Tami Brauner
George Deek is an Arab-Israeli diplomat. In 2018, Deek was appointed Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan. He is the first Israeli Arab Christian to become an ambassador. Deek grew up in an Eastern Orthodox Christian family in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, in a building where the other tenants included Muslims, Catholics, Jews and a Catholic priest of Jewish ancestry.[2][3] His father, who worked as a tax advisor,[3] was one of the leaders of the Christian community in Jaffa who served as chairman of the Orthodox Association, and was considered a well-known and popular figure in the city until in 2015 a square was inaugurated in his memory in Jaffa in the presence of Mayor Ron Huldai.[4] According to Deek, his grandparents fled to Lebanon for safety when the 1947–1949 Palestine war, having been told that the Jews would slaughter them if they remained in their homes, but expecting to return home once Arab armies defeated the Jews.[3] According to Deek, when the war ended, his grandparents felt that they had been “deceived”, and decided to return illegally to their home in Jaffa rather than remaining in Lebanon as refugees. Since reentering the country was illegal, Deek’s grandfather, an electrician, was arrested and jailed.
