The Hon. Colette Avital
Israel's highest-ranking woman diplomat, Colette Avital, Israel's Consul General Ambassador in New York, was born in Bucharest and emigrated to Israel at age 10. After her army service, she joined Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs while still completing her B.A. in political science and English literature at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ambassador Avital has held a variety of key Foreign Ministry posts, including Deputy Director of Information (1979-1981), Director of the Training Division (1984-1987), and Deputy Director General in charge of Information and Media Communications (1987). In 1986, she was appointed to lead the Ministry's efforts to upgrade the status of women in the diplomatic service. In addition to serving as Consul General in New York, Ambassador Avital's distinguished record of foreign postings includes Brussels, Parin, Montreal, Boston and her appointment, in 1988, as Israel's Ambassador to Portugal.
The ambassador has also used her time abroad to further her education, earning a masters degree in English literature from the University of Montreal and a masters in public administration from Harvard University during her tenure as Consul and Acting Consul General in Boston.
Ambassador Avital is an expert in media relations and cultural affairs, and is fluent in English, Hebrew, French, Portuguese, Italian, German and Rumanian.
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