Photo by Anastasia Shub
For Immediate Release
January 10th, 2023 - Jerusalem
Israel’s national carrier, EL AL, in partnership with Israel educational nonprofit, StandWithUs has relaunched the successful EL AL Ambassadors program.
With the world readjusting post-pandemic and tourism to Israel soaring again, this program represents another way for people to get closer to Israel. The initiative sees pilots and top flight personnel utilizing their layover to visit and speak to audiences, in uniform, at university campuses, cultural and religious centers and at other public events.
The idea is for audiences far and wide to see Israel through the eyes of its people: the diverse faces of EL AL, who represent Israelis from all different backgrounds and walks of life. EL AL Ambassadors was first launched in 2011 and hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have already participated in these "people-to-people" programs and many more events are planned for 2023.
This is a chance for people to meet real Israelis with incredible life stories who represent the welcoming face of our open society. The Ambassadors participate in the program on a voluntary basis – they take pride in making a difference and representing their country.
Adam Rubin, a First Officer in EL AL for seven years, said: “I am proud to take part in this program because I want to share the story of our people and share the values and complexities that underpin our country. As someone who chose to make Aliyah to Israel from Canada, it is a way to pay forward the dream that I have realized.”
Another participant sharing his personal story is Dimitriy Stepanov, a senior flight attendant who was born in Ukraine, immigrated to Israel. He recently flew on ELAL flights sent to rescue Ukrainian refugees.
Limor Bozaglo, Vice President of Human Resources at EL AL: “EL AL is proud to bring back the Ambassadors project after years of successful activity. It is a unique project in the Israeli landscape with everything being done out of love for the country and with the voluntary efforts of everyone. Our volunteer ambassadors are doing no less sacred work, bringing hearts closer and changing the way Israel is viewed.
It is my privilege to thank and express my gratitude to Efrat Ralbrook, who manages the EL AL ambassador project since 2018, as well as Shani Yahav and Alik Harpaz, who manage the training program.
Michael Dickson, Executive Director, StandWithUs-Israel:
“I salute EL AL for putting their blue-and-white credentials front and center and investing in their personnel as faces of Israel. It is not a given for commercial companies to take on such a role and we applaud them for it. StandWithUs is proud to partner with EL AL Ambassadors to empower these wonderful, charismatic, talented, and diverse Israeli professional flight personnel to tell the story of Israel through their eyes, to global audiences.”
