By Raphael Kintzer and Josh Voss, Special to JTNews
On November 3, the honorable Akiva Tor, consul general of Israel for the Pacific Northwest, spoke to the students at Northwest Yeshiva High School. With the temporary relocation of the Israel consulate to Seattle for the week, Tor spent time meeting with many constituent groups in the Jewish and general community. For just under an hour Tor enraptured the students, speaking about his upbringing, Yitzchak Rabin (whose yahrzeit was the next day), current Israel affairs, and how teenagers can help Israel.
Tor’s relationship with Israel commenced when he was in 10th grade and his family visited Israel on a sabbatical from the U.S. After graduating from high school, Tor returned to Israel to study in yeshiva for two years. He described his time in Israel as one of his most formative life experiences and encouraged all of us to spend time in Israel before embarking on the next phase of our education. He returned from Israel to study at Columbia University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and then received a graduate degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Returning to Israel to make aliyah as a 24-year-old, Tor enlisted in the army, where he served four years as an officer. After the army, Tor applied for a job in the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He won the position and has since served abroad in countries such as Holland, Taiwan and now in the U.S.
We connected deeply with Tor. He talked about issues relevant to today and to our own life decisions moving forward after graduating. His experiences as an American student, studying in day schools, and choosing to make aliyah after earning a college degree resonated with us and our peers. He talked about the existential threats that face Israel today, including the attempts to delegitimize Israel as a state and the danger of Iran. He was also very personable — many of us took advantage of the opportunity to ask him questions one-on-one after the speech. NYHS student president and vice president Juliana Gamel and Sarah Varon took Tor on a tour around the school (pun intended).
When asked about the favorite part about his job, Tor responded: “Speaking with people like you.”
His enjoyment and enthusiasm for his work was easy to see as he spoke with the NYHS students.
Raphael Kintzer and Josh Voss are seniors at the Northwest Yeshiva High School.