Bennett bound for Oz
ISRAEL’S Minister of Economy, Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, and chairman of the Jewish Home (HaBayit Hayehudi) party, Naftali Bennett, is set to address Jewish audiences across Australia next month.
ISRAEL’S Minister of Economy, Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, and chairman of the Jewish Home (HaBayit Hayehudi) party, Naftali Bennett, is set to address Jewish audiences across Australia next month.
Bennett, the star of the Israeli right, will kick off in Melbourne, where he will be the keynote speaker at the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC) luncheon at the Palladium at Crown on December 6. He will also address audiences at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation that evening, and at Mizrachi the next day. The events at both synagogues are open to the public.
In Sydney, Bennett will deliver a public oration at Sydney’s Central Synagogue on the evening of December 8, in a free event organised by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, the Central Synagogue, the United Israel Appeal NSW and the Zionist Council of NSW.
He will also speak at an event co-hosted by the AICC and the Israel Trade Commission at the Four Seasons Hotel on Monday, December 9.
In March this year, Bennett joined forces with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and head of the Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party, Yair Lapid, to form a coalition government.
His foray into politics follows a successful career in the technology field.
Having served in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit of the IDF, in 1999, aged 26, Bennett co-founded Cyota, an anti-fraud software start-up, which was sold in 2005 for $145 million and currently employs more than 300 Israeli employees.
Bennett then served as the CEO of Soluto, an Israeli technology company that sold for $130 million.
In 2006, he turned to public service, working as chief of staff to then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
He was also appointed as CEO of the Yesha Council, the municipal body in charge of Judea and Samaria, in a bid to support the 350,000 settlers and bolster the settlement enterprise.
CEO of AICC’s New South Wales branch David Schlessinger said Bennett’s “track record speaks for itself”.
“He has a very impressive military background, he has been in one of the elite units in the army, he is a very successful entrepreneur, and has decided to come back and make a contribution to politics.
“I think a strong Israel is important for a strong Diaspora, and a strong Diaspora is important for a strong Israel. So strengthening bridges between [Israel and Australia] is critical.”
To attend the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce event on December 6 in Melbourne, contact the AICC on (03) 9820 3363.
To attend the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and the Israel Trade Commission event in Sydney on December 9, visit: www.AICC.org.au and click on events.
TIMNA JACKS
Chairman of the Jewish Home (HaBayit Hayehudi) party, Naftali Bennett.
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