Former Israeli Prime Minister Barak to speak at community event

Public lecture to be held on Feb. 8 in Sarasota

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will speak during a Sarasota community event in February titled An Evening With Ehud Barak, Howard Tevlowitz, executive director of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, has announced.

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8, at the Hyatt Regency, located at 1000 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota, a news release says. Tickets, which are $18, may be purchased by visiting www.jfedsrq.org or calling 371-4546, the release notes.

“Given world issues today, Mr. Barak’s insight into Israel; the Middle East and the rise of ISIS; Iran; relationships between Europe and the Middle East; and the relationship between the governments of United States and Israel, should be profound and timely,” says Tevlowitz in the release.

As Israel’s 10th prime minister (1999-2001), “Barak led the country out of prolonged recession and into an economic boom, record foreign investments, a halved deficit and significantly decreased external debt,” the release continues. Before being elected prime minister, Barak “completed an illustrious 36-year career in the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] as the most decorated soldier in its history,” the release adds. “He [also] was a key architect of the 1976 Entebbe Operation for the rescue of passengers on the Air France aircraft hijacked by terrorists and forced to land at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda,” it points out.

Further, Barak served as chief of the general staff of the IDF, where he was involved in the negotiation and implementation of the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan, the release notes.