Daniel C. Kurtzer, Ambassador to Israel

 
Ambassador Dan Kurtzer (center, rear) joins in the first baseball game for Israeli Jewish and Arab youngsters. The Peres Center for Peace, the Israel Baseball Association, and local high schools cooperated in organizing the event. Joint sports programs for these two groups are helping build bridges between them. The U.S. Embassy cooperates in a range of programs aimed at better intercommunal relations. (Photo courtesy of Embassy Tel Aviv)

Ambassador Kurtzer: "Being Ambassador to Israel is challenging, serious, and important. Occasionally, this job can also be fun. I was delighted to accept an invitation to participate in the first baseball game for young people drawn from Israel’s Jewish and Arab communities. At a time when so much attention is given to the problems within Israel and the region which drive people apart, there are many individuals working for a better future -- like the organizers of this event. My embassy is actively involved in these important efforts. Joint sports activities help increase contacts and, ultimately, understanding between the country’s young Arab and Jewish citizens. I had a wonderful opportunity to watch these students practice a game new to all of them, to throw out the first pitch as they started to play, and to observe the team-building process at work among youth from very different backgrounds. This is a fine example of the intersection between the cultural dimensions of our work abroad and our foreign policy objectives."

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