Jewish Press of Pinellas County

Israeli military officers to give Tampa briefing




Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, Israel's Defense and Armed Forces Attache to the U.S., will be the main speaker at a Brotherhood program at Congregation Schaarai Zedek.

Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, Israel’s Defense and Armed Forces Attache to the U.S., will be the main speaker at a Brotherhood program at Congregation Schaarai Zedek.

A change in the U.S.-Israel military relationship that took place last year and has brought Israeli military brass to Tampa is reaping benefits for Israeli’s defense, an official in Israel’s Embassy to the U.S. says.

The change, which took effect on Sept. 1, 2021, was for Israel’s military to be begin working with U.S Central Command (CentCom), headquartered in Tampa. Prior to that, Israel was aligned with U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and would hold joint military exercises with European nations. Now they do that with Middle East nations under Cent- Com’s umbrella.

What that means for Israel’s security, and a briefing on the challenges and opportunities in the Middle East, will be included in a presentation by Israeli Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman and other ranking Israel Defense Force (IDF) officials at Congregation Schaarai Zedek Brotherhood’s annual Steve Marx Speaker Series.

Zilberman is Israel’s Defense and Armed Forces Attache to the U.S. He is stationed at the Israel Embassy in Washington, D.C. and oversees officers from every branch of Israel’s military (Air Force, Army, Navy, Intelligence, Research and Defense and Missile Defense). He will bring those officers with him to the off-the-record briefing.

Open to the public, there is no charge to attend Zilberman’s presentation at the temple, 3303 W. Swann Ave., in Tampa, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 7:15 – 8:30 p.m.

Prior to the main program, there will be a pre-event reception with the attache and other Israeli military officials from 6-7 p.m. Cost is $25 per person. That event is limited to 100 persons and a RSVP is required at www.zedek.org/brotherhood or by calling (813) 876-2377. The admission cost includes two cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Israel Defense Forces Maj. Eyal Rechnitz, aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen Zilberman, told the Jewish Press that among the benefits of transitioning to CentCom is the accessibility Israelis now have to American military commanders. An IDF official who reports to Zilberman is stationed in Tampa and has 24/7 access to the commander of CentCom or his staff, Rechnitz noted. He also said Israeli military officials meet frequently at CentCom with military officials from other nations under CentCom’s area of responsibility.

“Since we moved to CentCom,” he said, “we have had so many opportunities. For the first time now we can sit at the same table as not just Jordan and Egypt but with UAE and Bahrain. When we sit with them in a strategic conference … we eat there and talk and you would be surprised at how open other nations are about the Iranian threat. It really has unbelievable applications and opportunities.”

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