Tova Herzl

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May 1, 2025, 10:55 AM

At 77, Israel conducts itself like a petulant child

What do the still-burning forest fires and the recently deceased pope have in common? Within a week, both proved – if such proof were necessary – the infantilism with which Israel conducts itself. I use the world literally, meaning...

Mar 26, 2025, 10:06 AM

“How are you?” Simple Question, Complicated Answer

These days, it is so difficult to answer the simplest of questions: "How are you?" Do you know that split second, between tripping and hitting the ground, which feels like eternity and contains a myriad thoughts and questions? How hard...

Feb 23, 2025, 2:10 PM

The glaring gap between Israel’s diplomats and the politicians they represent

A photo of the Eiffel Tower, ablaze in blue and white lights, popped up on my computer screen. It headed a call to apply for the prestigious cadet course of Israel's Foreign Ministry. Each year, a demanding process selects...

Dec 24, 2024, 5:40 PM

My private protest against my government

Due to "the situation", my spending habits have undergone two major changes. I gave up a principle I was born into and adopted as an adult: no German products. Sometimes there was no choice, like prescription medication produced there. Or,...

Dec 12, 2024, 3:31 AM

It’s almost my birthday! What’s not to celebrate?

Unlike those born on a date which everyone remembers, like a relative who entered the world on Yom Kippur and a friend started life on January 1st, my birthday is ordinary. The date is however significant in my family's...

Dec 5, 2024, 2:49 AM

Israel’s rush towards apartheid will exact an unbearable price

Some of my formative years were spent in South Africa during apartheid. Decades later, after the world forced its dismantlement in 1994, I served there as Israel's ambassador. I am therefore doubly pained to write that since the formation...

Nov 20, 2024, 12:11 AM

Paradoxically, Trump’s pro-Israel appointees are good for the Palestinians

Even as many here in Israel applaud recent appointments announced by the American president-elect, those with sensitive ears will hear wise Palestinians rubbing their hands in glee - they understand that the policies of the new appointees will bring...

Oct 26, 2024, 10:32 PM

Calling the Minister of Transport (and Ceremonies)

What do France, Georgia, India, Mexico, Morocco, and Sri Lanka have in common? Unique cuisine? Yes. Beaches? Indeed. Also, our dear Minister of Transport (and unofficial Minister of Official Ceremonies) recently visited them. Cognizant of her untiring efforts to...

Sep 6, 2024, 7:44 AM

A Bullet To The Nape Of The Neck

In 1995, I was Israel's ambassador to the Baltic countries when Boris Dekainidze, a 32-year-old Jew who led the Vilnius Brigade, was found guilty of ordering the murder of an investigative journalist and was executed by a shot to...

Aug 25, 2024, 3:22 PM

The tragic comparison of Israel’s leaders in 1948 and now

Here in Jerusalem, protesters could be known as "Gazans," after the prime minister's residence on Gaza Street, or "Parisians," for the square where they often gather. But we and others around the country are described as "Kaplanists" -- Kaplan...

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About Me

Tova Herzl served twice as congressional liaison in Washington DC, was Israel's first ambassador to the newly independent Baltic states, and took early retirement after a tumultuous ambassadorship in South Africa. She is the author of the book, Madame Ambassador; Behind The Scenes With A Candid Israeli Diplomat.