The Knesset’s First Tar Heel
Mazal tov to Alon Tal, the eighth US born member of Knesset (the Israeli parliament), and the first from North Carolina! Alon is a Raleigh native, a son of an NC State professor, and a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill (Class of 1980).
Alon has dedicated his life’s work to advancing clean environmental practices in Israel. He made aliyah after graduating from UNC, before earning his JD from Hebrew University Law School and his PhD from Harvard in Environmental Science and Public Policy. He later founded the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, an advanced academic program that brings together Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and international students, and most recently served as the chair of the Department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University.
In the Knesset, Alon currently serves on the Education, Culture, and Sports Committee and the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, where he seeks to close the divide between American Judaism and Israel’s more Orthodox leadership.
“The delegitimization of Conservative and Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, to me, runs against everything that I believe as a Zionist that this country needs to do, and I believe that this is the Knesset that can change that. I think the fact that a small or even a large minority of people believe they have a monopoly on what constitutes legitimate expression of Judaism is just wrong” (Spiro, 2021, Para. 31). Alon’s call for pluralism mirrors our own values of inclusion and hospitality that we work to instill in our students.
We are pleased that Alon is invested in NC Hillel’s mission, having visited and spoken with students multiple times over the years, and are eager to host him in his new role.
We look forward to watching this Tar Heel’s Knesset career with pride.
Sources/Further Reading
Hoffman, Gil. “New US-born MK aims to fix ties with 'alienated progressive Jewish world.'” The Jerusalem Post, 16 June 2021, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/new-us-born-mk-aims-to-fix-ties-with-alienated-progressive-jewish-world-671198.
Musleah, Rahel. “Profile: Alon Tal.” Hadassah Magazine, 1 February 2009, https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2009/02/01/profile-alon-tal/.
Spiro, Amy. “Meet the US-Born MK Aiming to Bring a Sustainability 'Revolution' to the Knesset.” The Times of Israel, 2 July 2021, www.timesofisrael.com/meet-the-us-born-mk-aiming-to-bring-a-sustainability-revolution-to-the-knesset/.