Israel’s position in the Middle East has been tested regularly since its formation in 1948. The populist
uprisings that have dominated the region in recent years have posed a more nuanced threat. In her first
visit to South Carolina as Consul General, Ambassador Varnai Shorer will address populist revolutions in
the region, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the recent nuclear deal, and Israel’s options in response, and how
each of these affect Israel’s relationship with the United States and its Jewish community.

Ambassador Judy Varnai Shorer is a nearly 40-year veteran of the Israeli diplomatic corps. She is a
former ambassador to both Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as a former minister of
congressional affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. Her most recent post was desk director
at the Center for Policy Research. She speaks Hebrew, French, English and Hungarian and was born in
Be’er Sheva, Israel.