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Israel’s National Security Minister Orders Termination of Police Cooperation with Wexner Foundation
Edited by: TJVNews.com
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has issued an order to Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to end the collaboration between the Israeli Police and the Wexner Foundation, as was recently reported in The Jewish Press .The move comes as Ben Gvir claims that the foundation, known for its Wexner Israel Fellowship Program, holds affiliations with the “extreme left” and cooperates with organizations such as “Breaking the Silence,” the Jewish Press report added.
The Wexner Israel Fellowship Program annually selects exceptional mid-career Israeli public officials to pursue a master’s degree at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The report indicated that the program aims to equip future Israeli leaders with advanced leadership and public management skills.
The Israel right-wing has long accused the Wexner Foundation of promoting a progressive agenda that influences the ideology of the civil servants participating in its programs. There have also been allegations of improper administration in its relationship with the Civil Service Commission, as noted in the Jewish Press report.
The Jewish Press report also said that as of 2019, 260 Israeli public officials participated in the Israel Fellowship program, including leaders who have gone on to become Directors General of government ministries, high-ranking IDF commanders, and top advisors to Israeli Prime Ministers.
In 2020, the office of then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended the participation of its employees in Wexner programs. The partnership was later renewed under the Lapid-Bennett government.
Critics point to the foundation’s graduates, many of whom have taken center-left to extreme-left positions while holding prominent positions in Israel, according to the Jewish Press report. The list includes figures such as:
Supreme Court Justice Uzi Fogelman
Former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi
Meretz MK Yair Golan
Generals Shai Avital, Noam Tivon, Amos Yadlin, Ami Ayalon and Uri Gordin
Rafael CEO Yedidia Yaari
State Attorney Moshe Lador
Kan 11 Program Director and CEO of the New Israel Fund Eliezer Ya’ari
CEO of the New Israel Fund and CEO of the Diaspora Museum Avinoam Armony
Former Justice Ministry Director General Moshe Shilo
CEO of the Association for Civil Rights Sharon Avraham-Weiss
Former Science Minister Orit Farkash-HaCohen
CEO of J STREET Israel, Nadav Tamir
Attorney Aviya Alf, who managed the State Attorney’s Economics Dept.
The foundation’s association with the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who was a trustee of the organization from 1992 to 2007 has also raised concerns. The Jewish Press report said that Epstein’s connection to the foundation and its founder, Leslie Wexner, has drawn attention from various quarters. The New York Times reported that Epstein held “an unusually strong hold on Mr. Wexner,” while holding “the title of President of the Wexner family financial office.”
Wexner is an n American billionaire businessman and the founder and chairman emeritus of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly Limited Brands). He established a business empire after starting The Limited, a clothing retailer with a restricted selection of profitable items, and later expanded his holdings to include Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, Express, Inc., and Bath & Body Works.
In October 2018, Journalist Erel Segal reported that the Wexner Foundation transferred $2.3 million to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak between 2004 and 2006 for work that has yet to be published, as was reported by The Jewish Press. On November 7, 2018, Attorney Michael Dvorin called for an investigation of an allegation that contrary to its initial claims, the Wexner funds were transferred to Barak while he was holding public office.
The termination of police cooperation with the Wexner Foundation adds another layer to the ongoing discussions about political influences and affiliations in various aspects of Israeli society. The move underscores the continuing debate surrounding the foundation’s activities, its graduates’ political leanings, and its relationship with public officials and institutions. (Additional reporting by: Fern Sidman)
