Rafael Harpaz earned a B.A. in international relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and as a part as his diplomatic training he has studied under the auspices of the Rothschild Foundation at the Hebrew University.
He currently holds the position of director of public affairs at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. Harpaz is responsible for the relationships between the Embassy of Israel and the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland and the American Jewish community. He came to Virginia Tech after April 16 to represent Israel and to bring the remains of professor Liviu Librescu back to Israel. Sponsored by Tech's Hillel, he visited Tech again yesterday to pay his respects to the April 16 memorial on the Drillfield.
Q: While studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, what compelled you to choose your degree in international relations?
A: I was always interested in history and international politics, so that was the direction that was natural for me. I was born in Jerusalem; that is my hometown.
Q: Was there something within your experience growing up that compelled you to work so closely with Israel's government?
A: We're Israelis. It's natural for us to want to work with our government. It's like Virginia, the size of the population, it's a very small state, so definitely if you want to do international politics in Israel then being a diplomat would be the best choice. And I wanted to represent my country. It's my mission to represent Israel, that's what brings me out to Blacksburg.
Q: A friend of mine, who actually visited Jerusalem, said it's required for every citizen to serve two years in the military.
A: Three, I served three. It's mandatory; you go through elementary school, middle school, high school, the army and then the university. This is very normal for us, women serve for two years, men serve for three years. I was in the reserves in the military and I'm very proud of this. It's part of being Israeli.
Q: While studying under the auspices of the Rothschild Foundation at the Hebrew University, what were some of the most memorable parts of your education there?
A: Actually we were studying about American History. I didn't anticipate I would become a diplomat in the United States, but a diplomat needs to know well beyond his immediate area of interest.
Q: When you came to the Near East Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, was this your first visit to America?
A: No, I have been here many times in professional and private capacities. When I came here on April 17, it was my first visit to Virginia Tech. I came especially to represent Israel, and also I took care of bringing back to Israel the body of Professor Liviu Librescu. He was a brave man. To come in here and see the spirit of this university after this awful event happened, I was shivering. The involvement of the Jewish Students, the Hillel, who is hosting us here, was very important.
Q: Do you have any involvement with the war on terror?
A: Iraq is not an Israeli issue, but Iran wants to become a nuclear country; it's a very important issue. If Iran were to become nuclear, it can blackmail the other states with the oil, the energy. The effects can reach out to Europe, Israel, and eventually reach out to the U.S. It's an international threat. The Iranian nuclear clock is ticking very fast, much faster than the diplomatic one. Iran is the main social instability in the world because Iran is the main supporter of terrorism, international terrorism.