Mayor Sara Kurovski On Her Trip To Israel
This Wednesday, Iowans Supporting Israel have a special event at the Botanical Garden in Des Moines from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM featuring several people who recently went on the Governor's Trade Mission trip to Israel. One of them, Mayor Sara Kurovski shared this article with us about her trip. For more information on the event, or to RSVP, please email rsvp@iowanssupportingisrael.com.
By Pleasant Hill Mayor Sara Kurovski:
Returning to Israel in September with the Iowa Trade Mission trip was incredible. My previous trip was with a seven-member delegation for American Council of Young Political leaders, where we covered international politics and cultural experiences. The Iowa Trade Mission trip was business focused; both for doing more trade with Israel and to encourage companies to consider their expansions to Iowa. While we had a strenuous schedule with start-ups, tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, universities, and WATEC (an international conference about water); politics and international impacts were often discussed.
About two hours after landing in Israel, our group had the incredible honor of a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I consider this a 'life moment.' As a young woman from Central Iowa, I felt incredibly honored and lucky to sit at a board room table and watch Governor Reynolds and Prime Minister Netanyahu discuss business, policy, trade, and our shared values. It is a conversation I will never forget.
Our meeting with the Prime Minister was focused on business, but the hot topic of the day was Syria. While our group from Iowa tried to sleep on the plane from Newark to Tel Aviv, a chemical plant was bombed in Syria. No one took official responsibility, but news coverage pointed to the IDF for carrying out that attack. Netanyahu never discussed the attack, but did discuss Iran directly and the connections between Syria and Iran. He made a very important statement, that often gets lost in the discussion with Iran, "Make no mistake, they (Iran) want to destroy us (Israel), but we are only the first in their path. They also want to destroy you (the United States)."
Every day and every meeting, Israel exceeded my expectations again and again. They are truly a start-up nation, it is in their blood, and they play to their strengths. Between a few cultural stops, and the many business meetings (as well as Dr. Hillel and his wife joining the group for supper one night), my head and my heart were stretched. I was trying to hold onto every moment and make it last.
One evening, in Tel Aviv, I was honored to be re-united with the friends I had met the first time I was in Israel. They are all from diverse backgrounds and different political parties, but came together so we could reconnect and catch-up. One even joked that it took an American to bring them all together again. They had not all been together since my trip there, two years before. Perhaps that was one of the greatest take-aways from the trip; our relationships matter. Whether they are business, political, or social - we are all intertwined and have the power to have a positive effect on each other's worlds. Even one as far away as Israel. The trade mission group was only there for a fleeting time, but the seeds of a long-lasting relationship were planted. I know that those we met with fell in love with the people of Iowa and what Iowa has to offer - just as I have fallen in love with Israel.
By Pleasant Hill Mayor Sara Kurovski:
Returning to Israel in September with the Iowa Trade Mission trip was incredible. My previous trip was with a seven-member delegation for American Council of Young Political leaders, where we covered international politics and cultural experiences. The Iowa Trade Mission trip was business focused; both for doing more trade with Israel and to encourage companies to consider their expansions to Iowa. While we had a strenuous schedule with start-ups, tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, universities, and WATEC (an international conference about water); politics and international impacts were often discussed.
About two hours after landing in Israel, our group had the incredible honor of a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I consider this a 'life moment.' As a young woman from Central Iowa, I felt incredibly honored and lucky to sit at a board room table and watch Governor Reynolds and Prime Minister Netanyahu discuss business, policy, trade, and our shared values. It is a conversation I will never forget.
Our meeting with the Prime Minister was focused on business, but the hot topic of the day was Syria. While our group from Iowa tried to sleep on the plane from Newark to Tel Aviv, a chemical plant was bombed in Syria. No one took official responsibility, but news coverage pointed to the IDF for carrying out that attack. Netanyahu never discussed the attack, but did discuss Iran directly and the connections between Syria and Iran. He made a very important statement, that often gets lost in the discussion with Iran, "Make no mistake, they (Iran) want to destroy us (Israel), but we are only the first in their path. They also want to destroy you (the United States)."
Every day and every meeting, Israel exceeded my expectations again and again. They are truly a start-up nation, it is in their blood, and they play to their strengths. Between a few cultural stops, and the many business meetings (as well as Dr. Hillel and his wife joining the group for supper one night), my head and my heart were stretched. I was trying to hold onto every moment and make it last.
One evening, in Tel Aviv, I was honored to be re-united with the friends I had met the first time I was in Israel. They are all from diverse backgrounds and different political parties, but came together so we could reconnect and catch-up. One even joked that it took an American to bring them all together again. They had not all been together since my trip there, two years before. Perhaps that was one of the greatest take-aways from the trip; our relationships matter. Whether they are business, political, or social - we are all intertwined and have the power to have a positive effect on each other's worlds. Even one as far away as Israel. The trade mission group was only there for a fleeting time, but the seeds of a long-lasting relationship were planted. I know that those we met with fell in love with the people of Iowa and what Iowa has to offer - just as I have fallen in love with Israel.
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