December 16, 2008 / 19 Kislev 5769

Jewish Agency convenes 60 North American businessmen, officials, at Israel Business Conference in Tel Aviv.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty led a trade mission of 37 state officials and businessmen, part of a group of nearly 60 North American business leaders who came to Israel at the initiative of the Jewish Agency to participate in a business-to-business track at the prestigious Globes’ annual Israel Business Conference held Sunday and Monday (Dec. 14-15) in Tel Aviv.

Caption: Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty at the Jewish Agency’s business-to-business roundtable at the annual Globes’ Business Conference in Tel Aviv Sunday (Dec. 14): “This is an opportunity for Minnesota companies, especially high-tech firms, to connect with promising trade and research partners in Israel.”

The group of 60 Americans met with 60 Israeli businessmen and philanthropists to discuss ideas and models for business cooperation and social entrepreneurship. Discussions focused on how to promote Israel as world innovation center for alternative energy, sustainable development, water and genetic medicine; others focused on how to use the existing Jewish Agency’s Partnership 2000 communities as a conduit for developing business ties.

Among those participating on the Israeli side was Eitan Wertheimer, whose family’s company was bought in 2006 by Warren Buffet for $4 billion, Raya Strauss Bendror, co-owner of Strauss Investment Company and Partnership 2000 International Co-Chair, executives of leading companies and philanthropies; the American delegation, in addition to the group from Minnesota, included 11 businesspeople from Atlanta, who came through the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, and businesspeople from New Jersey, Cincinnati, Montreal and Mexico.

“This is the first time the Jewish Agency convened such a significant group of Israeli and North American business people with the aim of developing partnerships and initiatives that will strengthen and better position Israel,” said Andrea Arbel, director of the Jewish Agency’s Partnership Division responsible for Partnership 2000 and the Business-to-Business initiative. “The group demonstrated a great desire to develop concrete and meaningful joint initiatives and our role at the Jewish Agency is to further develop and facilitate these potential partnerships.”

“While we came to Israel to do business, there is more that we should be exploring as business leaders vis-à-vis Israel,” said B2B Chair Gary Heiman, President and CEO of Standard Textile. “We can create virtual bridges between our communities to create greater economic and social value together.”

This is the second year that the Jewish Agency is partnering with the Globes’ Israel Business Conference and convening the special B2B sub-track which serves to bring together Israeli and American business people.

“Israel has a healthy economy that, like Minnesota’s, emphasizes innovation, research and development,” said Governor Pawlenty, who addressed the group at the conference. “This is an opportunity for Minnesota companies, especially high-tech firms, to connect with promising trade and research partners in Israel.”