It's very fashionable to refer to former colleagues in the diplomatic profession as members of an endangered species. After all, why would anyone feel the need anymore to send a flesh-and-blood envoy to represent one sovereign nation among others, when one could accomplish the same task easily over the phone or through Skype? Why waste public funds on policy, trade and culture emissaries, when global citizens can download any information they want from the Internet anyway?
At the time of writing, French Ambassador to Israel, his excellency Christophe Bigot, was concluding his tenure and proving how absurd such doubts really are. Bigot landed in Israel four years ago equipped with an expansive knowledge of and rich experience in Israeli affairs and the affairs of this highly disruptive region. He knew people, he had read the literature, seen the movies, researched history and read the fat volume of documents on the Israel-France relationship. The opportunity filled him to the brim with enthusiasm, and fueled him with motivation to better the relations between the two countries.
He soon forged close working relationships with colleagues in the Foreign Ministry, the cabinet and the Knesset, from across the political spectrum, with sharp-eyed journalists and with well-informed scholars. He felt at home in the best of Israel's cultural institutions, and became friendly with their producers. He cut the country length-wise and width-wise, spoke with the citizenry, shared its joys, felt its anxieties and was not ashamed to cry when the victims from the Toulouse massacre were flown to Israel to be buried in the ground.
His residence in Jaffa became an open house. The talent of legendary French hospitality -- its culinary tradition and its wine -- helped grease the wheels of the machine designed to facilitate his understanding of Israel and its people, and to introduce, in turn, France to them.
My father, Zeev Shek (blessed be his memory), one of Israel's first and brightest diplomats, once told me, "There are mountains of books trying to explain how to be the best ambassador. The truth is, the key to that is much simpler than you think. You need to love your country, and you need to also love the country where you serve, and its inhabitants."
Bigot practiced this formula to perfection. He endeared himself to Israelis, impressed them and touched their hearts. In turn, they offered him affection and trust. Equipped with all of this, Bigot was able to accomplish the embassy's central goals: tightening the diplomatic dialogue, promoting core French interests, expanding trade, scientific and cultural cooperation, and deepening the understanding between these two nations -- all things Facebook couldn't do.
This article could have been written by many Israeli ambassadors spread out all over the globe, from those serving in central, cushy locations, as well as those situated in places many people wouldn't even be able to locate on a map, places without running water, places where one's life may be in danger or one's family wallowing in misery.
Think about this when you read a pithy article about the Foreign Ministry strike buried within the back pages of the newspaper. Tragically, no one at the top seems to be taking their profession seriously. Little stories about a visa that wasn't granted or a minister who didn't receive his passport are trifles. The main issue is that foreign relations aren't a luxury, especially in a country such as Israel. International affairs are an integral part of our national security, entrusted to men and women doing work that should be considered sacrosanct in a way most people browsing the web simply can't understand.
The writer was former ambassador to France and Monaco.
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