Words from the Founder
Gideon Argov

Throughout his long and productive career as one of Israel’s leading diplomats, my father Shlomo Argov took exceptional pride in taking time and energy to cultivate new generations of Foreign Service officers. Long after assailants in London struck him down, many of those fortunate enough to have worked with and learned from my father assumed increasingly important roles in Israel’s Foreign Service as Ambassadors and Directors.

In a very real sense therefore, his legacy is alive and vibrant to this day.

It is in that spirit in which I decided, along with Professor Uriel Reichman to create the Argov Fellows Program at the IDC Herzliya. The purpose of the program is straightforward and highly ambitious – to create a cadre of uniquely capable and trained professionals steeped in knowledge of diplomacy, strategic communications, leadership and history. This cadre – which will work in both the public and private sector – will provide a wellspring of talent able to effectively present Israel’s case to the international community. Despite the fact that Israel celebrated its 70th birthday this past year, its legitimacy as an independent nation continues to be under attack. It is crucial that both friend and foe around the world understand the deep roots and historical context that brought Jews back to the Land of Israel, understand the robust moral underpinnings of the State of Israel and furthermore understand that despite the fractious nature of the Israeli democracy, it is no dream and is here to stay. Communicating that to the outside world is complex, difficult but very necessary – and that is a primary mission of the Argov Fellows Program. I fully expect that graduates of the program will assume positions of critical importance throughout Israel’s public and private sector in the decades to come.