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By: Fern Sidman
In a quiet hotel lobby nestled in heart of midtown Manhattan sat the fprmer deputy mayor of Jerusalem. As I approached, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum flashed a warm smile and extended her hand in friendship. While erev Shabbos is a routinely filled with last minute tasks, Ms. Hassan-Nahoum was kind enough to take time out of her otherwise hectic schedule while in New York City to meet for this interview.
As an Israeli politician, media expert, foreign relations analyst, policy maker, and long time feminist, Hassan-Nahoum’s background is as vibrant and diverse as she is.
Her journey, from her early life in Gibraltar to her influential positions in Israel, reflects her dedication to fostering innovation, economic collaboration, and cultural exchange.
Born in London in 1973 and raised in Gibraltar, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum comes from a distinguished family with a deep history of public service. Her father, Sir Joshua Hassan, was a trailblazing figure in Gibraltarian politics, serving as the first Mayor and later the first Chief Minister of Gibraltar. His leadership and dedication to his community undoubtedly influenced Hassan-Nahoum’s own path in public service. Her mother, Lady Marcelle Bensimon, and her father’s heritage, rooted in Moroccan and Portuguese Jewish traditions, also played a crucial role in shaping her identity.
Media bias is everywhere we look and every day it gets worse. #MediaBias #bringthemhome #TruthMatters #israelunderattack @CUFI
ההטיה התקשורתית נמצאת בכל מקום שאליו אנו מסתכלים וכל יום זה מחמיר pic.twitter.com/LvzVdhWgCr
— פלר חסן נחום Fleur Hassan-Nahoum (@FleurHassanN) August 4, 2024
Hassan-Nahoum grew up bilingual, fluent in both Spanish and English, a skill that has proven invaluable in her diplomatic and political career. This multicultural upbringing, combined with the legacy of her father’s pioneering work in Gibraltar, instilled in her a deep sense of responsibility and a passion for public service.
At the age of 18, Hassan-Nahoum moved back to London to pursue a legal education at King’s College London. During her time there, she not only excelled academically but also took on leadership roles, serving as president of the King’s College Jewish Society. This early involvement in Jewish communal life set the stage for her later work in both legal and charitable sectors.
After qualifying as a barrister in 1997, Hassan-Nahoum practiced law in London, gaining experience that would later inform her approach to governance and policy-making. Her legal career was complemented by her role as campaign director for World Jewish Relief, a British Jewish charitable organization focused on aiding both Jewish and non-Jewish communities in need. This role further deepened her commitment to humanitarian work and global Jewish solidarity.
In 2001, at the height of the Second Intifada, Hassan-Nahoum made a life-changing decision to emigrate to Israel. This move was not merely a personal one but also a profound statement of her commitment to the Jewish state and its future. Upon her arrival, she quickly became involved in significant humanitarian work, serving as a senior associate with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an international organization dedicated to providing aid and support to Jewish communities worldwide.
Her leadership skills and passion for social justice were further demonstrated when she took on the role of CEO of Tikva Children’s Home in 2007. This organization focuses on supporting homeless, abandoned, and abused Jewish children in the former Soviet Union, providing them with shelter, education, and a sense of community. Hassan-Nahoum’s work with Tikva illustrated her dedication to improving the lives of the most vulnerable and her ability to lead complex, international humanitarian efforts.
In the November 2018 Jerusalem municipal elections, Hassan-Nahoum ran as number 2 to Minister Zeev Elkin of the Jerusalem Will Succeed Party, which was established by Jerusalem’s previous mayor Nir Barkat.
Mayor Moshe Lion named her Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem on November 13, 2018, in charge of tourism and foreign relations, including philanthropy, international economic development, business relations and Diaspora affairs.
As former deputy mayor, Hassan-Nahoum oversaw increasing participation in the workforce and improving education in the Arab sector as major challenges for the municipality. In this capacity, she had been a driving force behind the city’s foreign relations and international economic development. Her role involved not only promoting Jerusalem as a global city but also navigating the complex political landscape of the Middle East. Hassan-Nahoum has worked tirelessly to foster economic ties and cultural exchanges between Jerusalem and other cities around the world, positioning Jerusalem as a hub of innovation and tourism.
One of the reason for media bias is the dangerous woke cult virus that is shaping the agenda @CUFI pic.twitter.com/Th1Zsd3ZBT
— פלר חסן נחום Fleur Hassan-Nahoum (@FleurHassanN) August 4, 2024
In addition to her duties as former Deputy Mayor, Hassan-Nahoum co-founded the UAE-Israel Business Council, a groundbreaking initiative that emerged following the establishment of the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates.
She was joined in this endeavor alongside Justine Zwerling. In October 2020, Hassan led a delegation of Israeli officials, business people and entrepreneurs that visited the two Gulf states to pursue cooperation in various areas, as technology, business, and tourism. Hassan-Nahoum organized an inaugural meeting of the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum, a group of Emirati and Israeli women that serves as a division of the UAE-Israel Business Council.
Hassan-Nahoum’s work with the council highlights her commitment to building bridges between Israel and the broader Middle East, using economic diplomacy as a tool for peace and cooperation. Moreover, Hassan-Nahoum is also the CEO and founder of an international strategic communications firm, Message Experts.
In 2023, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen appointed Hassan-Nahoum as a special envoy for innovation, a role that aligns perfectly with her focus on fostering international economic development. As special envoy, she is tasked with promoting Israel’s innovation sector on the global stage, highlighting the country’s advancements in fields of technology, healthcare, and sustainable development. Her appointment is a testament to her expertise and the trust placed in her ability to represent Israel’s interests in these critical areas.
As a feminist, religious Jew and Zionist, Hassan-Nahoum speaks with determination in improving the lives of Jews in Israel and throughout the world.
On the subject of feminism, she tells this journalist that she thoroughly enjoyed the Broadway show “Suffs,” the two-time Tony Award-winning musical from Shaina Taub about the lives and legacies of unsung changemakers in the women’s suffrage movement of 1920. The producers of the show are producers Hillary Rodham Clinton and Malala Yousafzai.
Israel’s resolve is unbreakable. We are ready to defend our country and our people. We’ve done it before we will do it again.#StandWithIsrael #bringthemhome #middleeast #israelilivesmatter #knowthefacts pic.twitter.com/MpHZZI84Zi
— פלר חסן נחום Fleur Hassan-Nahoum (@FleurHassanN) August 6, 2024
She suggested I see the show and told me that she learned a great deal from it. She also offered a fact that most people are unaware of. “Did you know that in 1898 the World Zionist Congress gave women the right to vote? They were the very first organizational body to do so and they did this 22 years before anyone heard of the women’s suffrage movement in the US.”
After that ice breaker, Hassan-Nahoum offered her perspective on the riots taking place throughout the United Kingdom. “What you see happening across Britain is just a symptom of a larger and more dangerous pathology. Britain has been the fulcrum of the woke, progressive, identity politics, far-left ideology for quite some time. With the massive influx of Muslim immigration we have witnessed birth of the Red-Green alliance, with left wing anti-Semitic radicals at the helm such as former Labour part leader Jeremy Corbyn and those representing the increasingly influential Muslim community.”
During the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7th, she said that “woke” left-wing activists had formed a “toxic alliance” with Hamas to fuel anti-Semitism in the UK.
She agreed that far-right extremists were to blame for the bedlam that erupted in the streets of many British cities and condemned their overtly racist message, but also said that Britain had sunken to a level of authoritarianism by jailing people over social media posts that have drawn criticism.
In an interview on the Fox Business channel only days before we met, Hassan-Nahoum also addressed the issue of Israeli Olympic athletes receiving not only death threats while in Paris but to receiving invitations to their own funerals from a panoply of haters prior to their departure from Israel to France.
On the subject of the virulent anti-Semitism that has morphed into a global plague, Hassan-Nahoum reminded us that, “What starts with the Jews, never ends with the Jews.” She also took up the gauntlet on the issue of the most egregious manifestations of Jew hated that have reared its reprehensible head on college and university campuses around the world.
“As a student of history, it is not difficult to draw a stark parallel to things that we are witnessing on a daily basis in these contemporary times, “ Hassan-Nahoum said. : “We need to remember that during the Hitler era in Germany, the anti-Semitic tidal wave that was to engulf us began on university campuses. And let’s also not forget that such institutions as the University of Heidelberg in Germany was on equal footing with such Ivy Leagues institutions such as Harvard, Columbia and Yale where the most vile forms of anti-Israel animus are extolled currently on a regular basis.”
Focusing on Israel and the imminent threat of a massive attack by Iran in conjunction with its terrorist proxies in the Middle East, Hassan-Nahoum noted that in Jerusalem today there is a palpable tension permeating the air and people are stocking up on groceries with the fear that water and electricity may be cut off.
Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results. The two-state solution has failed time and again. It’s time to recognize the reality. @OpentoDebateOrg @CFR_org @AmbDennisRoss @elliotabrams #MiddleEastConflict #Israel #Palestine #TwoStateSolution… pic.twitter.com/MMyWiEMDXO
— פלר חסן נחום Fleur Hassan-Nahoum (@FleurHassanN) August 8, 2024
She also noted that while the attention now appears to be on the calamitous situation that could potentially arise if Hezbollah unleashes its massive rocket arsenal on Israel’s citizens in the northern part of the country, we should bear in mind that Hamas is not finished with its pernicious agenda as rockets have continued to be fired at towns in the Gaza envelope.
As to the Iranian regime itself, Hassan-Nahoum said she believes that Iran is nothing more than a paper tiger, so to speak, that lacks the wherewithal to launch a devastating assault on Israel.
As an active member of the Likud party leadership, Hassan-Nahoum is looking forward to engaging in the realm of national politics in Israel.
As she continues to serve in her various capacities, Hassan-Nahoum’s influence on Israeli politics and international diplomacy is likely to grow, further establishing her as a key figure in shaping the future of Israel and its place in the global community.
