Its been more then 6 years since I first met Jeff Seidel. Arriving in Jerusalem to study at the Hebrew University, I had a very narrow idea of what it was to be an Orthodox Jew in Israel. Growing up in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement I had always felt a disconnect from the Orthodox. That was until I met Jeff Seidel…Jeff and his family took me in as one of their own, and even though I had no plans of becoming Orthodox or adopting my liberal and progressive ideals, they treated me as a member of the family and provided countless good memories for me. We may have clashed on politics and religion, but we always did so with a good chuckle and a great one-liner or two from Jeff or his lovely wife Peninah. Jeff Seidel is an unconventional guy, and I guess that’s what drew us together. When it comes down to it, Jeff Seidel has big heart and if your lucky enough he will share it with you.
CJ & Ashley – Hebrew U 2011 – University of Toronto
17
Jun
Jun
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.
