Michael Brodsky (born August 19, 1972) is an Israeli
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
. He was nominated as the next Israeli Ambassador to
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
on November 26, 2020. From 2015 to 2018, Brodsky served as the Israeli
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to the
Republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekis ...
. He was succeeded by Liat Wexelman in September, 2018.
Early life
Michael Brodsky was born on August 19, 1972, in Leningrad. In 1990, he made
Aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
to Israel together with his family. Michael Brodsky received a bachelor's degree in political science, and a master's degree in diplomacy and national security from
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
.
Career
Brodsky joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2002. He served as press attaché at the Israeli Embassy in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
(2003-2008), political attaché at the Israeli Embassy in Moscow (2006-2008) and director of public affairs at the Israeli Embassy in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(2009-2013). From 2015 to 2018 he served as the Israeli Ambassador to Kazakhstan. In 2016 he coordinated the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Kazakhstan, the first such visit ever. In media interviews, Brodsky urged that the relations between the two countries would reach the level of strategic partnership.
In 2015 he was nominated by the news website 'newsru.co.il' for 'Hero of the Year' award, for being the first
civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
to reach the rank of ambassador from the
1990s Post-Soviet aliyah
The 1990s post-Soviet aliyah began en masse in the late 1980s when the government of Mikhail Gorbachev opened the borders of the USSR and allowed Jews to leave the country for Israel.
Between 1989 and 2006, about 1.6 million Soviet Jews and the ...
.
In 2021, following the annual march in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
in honor of Stepan Bandera's birthday, the leader of the Ukrainian nationalists, Brodsky stated that Bandera was a Nazi collaborator. The day after, the adviser to the commander-in-chief of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine
, imports =
, exports =
, history =
, ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine
, country=Ukraine
The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...
Right Sector
Right Sector ( uk, Пра́вий се́ктор, ''Pravyi sektor'') is a right-wing to far-right, Ukrainian nationalist organization. It originated in November 2013 as a right-wing, paramilitary confederation of several radical nationalist orga ...
, stated that "The Israeli ambassador is an agent of influence for the Kremlin. And it is necessary to drive such ”diplomats“ from Ukraine".
In April 2023, he prevented the renaming of in Kyiv, following a vote to rename the city after Nazi-collaborator
Volodymyr Kubijovyč
Volodymyr Kubijovyč, also spelled Kubiiovych or Kubiyovych ( uk, Володи́мир Миха́йлович Кубійо́вич, translit=Volodymyr Mykhailovych Kubiiovych; 23 September 1900, Nowy Sącz, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria – 2 ...
, by meeting Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klychko and expressing Israel's unhappiness with the proposed change of name.
In July 2023 interview to "
Dzerkalo Tyzhnia
''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'' ( ua, Дзеркало тижня), usually referred to in English as the ''Mirror Weekly'', was one of Ukraine's most influential analytical weekly-publisher newspapers, founded in 1994.Russian full-scale invasion by stating, "Israel has been relying solely on itself for the past 10 years". This quote, taken out of context, spread widely in the Ukrainian online community. It was linked to the substantial military aid Israel requested and received from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and other
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
countries in 2024. Social media users cited this quote as an example of Israel's hypocritical stance toward Ukraine. The substantial military aid received by Israel in 2024 is viewed by many Ukrainians as evidence of the
moral relativism
Moral relativism or ethical relativism (often reformulated as relativist ethics or relativist morality) is used to describe several philosophical positions concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different peoples and cultures. ...
of Western democracies.
Personal life
He speaks Russian,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, English and German. Michael Brodsky is married to Regina Shafir and has three children.
On March 4, 2022, Brodsky was injured in a car accident in Poland where he and his staff where leading efforts to assist Israelis to leave Ukraine. After being flown back to Israel, he was temporarily replaced by Simona Halperin, the Head of the Euro-Asia Bureau at the Foreign Ministry.
Publications
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brodsky published several articles on the effect the pandemic might have on international
diplomacy
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
, and on the topic of
medical diplomacy Medical diplomacy or public health diplomacy is a form of diplomacy. It is the provision of medical assistance, including vaccines, or aid for the purpose of furthering national goals. It is often considered to be a form of soft power but it has var ...