Nobody Knows My Name

Israel’s new Consul General in New York received cheers when she introduced herself to the Jews and African-Americans gathered in the consulate apartment to hear a gospel group sing spirituals and an Israeli actor read “I Had a Dream” in Hebrew at the consulate’s annual celebration of the birth of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. She opened her remarks by announcing “I am Ambassador Colette Avital. I am not the wife of the Consul General. I am the Consul General.

When asked after the ceremonies what had spurred her remark, Avital said, “I just realized that as people were walking in the door and I greeted them saying ‘Good evening, I am Colette Avital, your hostess’, they just nodded and walked on, looking around for where the Ambassador was. I had to say something.”