Naomi Ben-Ami
Encyclopedia
Naomi Ben-Ami is an Israel
i government official and the head of the liaison bureau Lishkat Hakesher
, also known as Nativ. Ben-Ami is the first woman to head the organization.
, Ukraine
, USSR, but because of her parents' work, she lived mostly in Kazakhstan
. In September 1973 she and her family immigrated
to Israel, just weeks before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War
. After spending time at an ulpan
in Dimona
, her parents took jobs as physicians in Jerusalem. Ben-Ami attended high school at Gymnasia Rehavia
.
After graduating she entered the Israel Defense Forces
, where she served in the Central Command as a secretary. Ben-Ami then studied international relations and Russian studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
.
She has worked at the Israeli Foreign Ministry since 1983, including a posting at Israel's Moscow
embassy as a political advisor. From 2003-2006 she was the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine
.
Ben-Ami is a married mother of two.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government official and the head of the liaison bureau Lishkat Hakesher
Lishkat Hakesher
Nativ or officially Lishkat Hakesher or The Liaison Bureau, is an Israeli liaison organization that maintained contact with Jews living in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War and encouraged aliyah, or immigration to Israel....
, also known as Nativ. Ben-Ami is the first woman to head the organization.
Biography
Naomi Ben-Ami was born in ChernivtsiChernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, USSR, but because of her parents' work, she lived mostly in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. In September 1973 she and her family immigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Israel, just weeks before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
. After spending time at an ulpan
Ulpan
An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan is a Hebrew word meaning basically studio or teaching, instruction....
in Dimona
Dimona
Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
, her parents took jobs as physicians in Jerusalem. Ben-Ami attended high school at Gymnasia Rehavia
Gymnasia Rehavia
Gymnasia Rehavia is a high school in the Rehavia neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel.-History:Gymnasia Rehavia was the country’s second modern high school, after Gymnasia Herzliya in Tel Aviv. The school was first established in Jerusalem's Bukharan Quarter in 1909. The building on Keren Kayemet...
.
After graduating she entered the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, where she served in the Central Command as a secretary. Ben-Ami then studied international relations and Russian studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
.
She has worked at the Israeli Foreign Ministry since 1983, including a posting at Israel's Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
embassy as a political advisor. From 2003-2006 she was the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Ben-Ami is a married mother of two.