Benjamin Krasna is the Deputy
Head of Mission at the Embassy of Israel. Sometimes known as the Deputy Ambassador, Mr. Krasna has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for almost 25 years.
We sat down with him this week as part of our #MeetTeamIsrael program:
Mr. Krasna, What is your role here at the Embassy?I am what we call the Deputy Head of Mission, which
means that I have my hands in everything. I make sure that we are doing
what we are supposed to do, while doing everything I can to facilitate
everyone else’s work. In my “spare time,” I also deal with major
strategic and bilateral issues at senior levels.
How long have you been here?
Now just over a year.
What do you think it takes to be a good diplomat?
Honesty. Integrity. A high level of commitment. A good
dose of creativity. And you have to wake up in the morning believing what
you’re doing is important. Let’s also not forget humility, because it’s
not about us, it’s about the flag that we represent.
What motivates you to make a difference?
I guess to some people it sounds kitschy, but at the
end of the day we have a state that is a special state, and we need to do
the best we can to represent it abroad. We need qualified, capable people
to do it. It is too easy to just sit back and say, “Well, someone else
will do it,” when you have all the hardships of uprooting families,
travelling to difficult places, working on a government salary. All of
these things are not the most glorious and have their challenges, but
when you get up in the morning have to go through all those things, you
have to believe in what you’re doing and believe it’s important. You
cannot just say, “I’ll leave it for the next guy.” You need to step up to
the plate and come to bat. That is how I see it.