Important People and Long Hours

Well folks, I’m getting mad good at tying a tie. This has been a long week, and its only Wednesday, but I think it will go a lot smoother here on in. I have worked 26 out of the last 48 hours. Damn b.

But its been very cool. I’m going to walk you through some of it. I have realized in this experience that I would really enjoy being a personal assistant in the future as long as its for really cool people.

I have been reporting on the preparatory sessions for the “Durban II Conference,” the review conference to be held next year to the original conference in South Africa in 2001, which displayed the most slanderous, racist, anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic hatred since the Holocaust. It was a disgusting sight.

I’m writing this in the Human Rights Council chambers at the U.N. It’s 10:18 a.m., so the distinguished representatives are moseying on it for the 10:00 session. But anyway…

Since its gotten down to crunch time for UN Watch’s conference on how to prepare for Durban II, I’ve done a lot of research about different countries policies, and their press coverage, and on different people. My task coolness has moved up a few degrees due to a couple members in the office being unavailable. The day before the conference Hillel, the executive director called me into his office to assign me a task. I was to find the former President of the American Jewish Committee, show him around, and accompany him in a meeting with a large Irishman who is running for President of the Human Rights Council in a couple weeks. I guess the men I was showing around was influential enough in the United States that if he really liked the guy, he would be able to get the U.S. vote for him.

I actually wasn’t very nervous at all. I was pretty blunt with him when he asked for my opinions. So I took him to the meeting, and got him an English breakfast tea as instructed, then settled in to watch these two men feel each other out. It was real fascinating to watch the politicking and smooth lobbying the Irishman tried to do. He noted his ties with the Jewish community, and even brought two copies of a book about Yad Vashem that he wrote the forward for, as well as a letter from the grandson of Eleanor Roosevelt who represented the USA in Israel in 1948 at an independence celebration. In the end I took him to the Human Rights Council chambers and asked him how he thought it went. In the end he gave me one of the copies of the book the Irishman had given him, as well as the letter from Mr. Roosevelt.

The day of the conference…okay we’re about to start. It just crossed my mind that it would be fantastically funny to go and sit in someone’s seat when they came in, and be like, “oh is that your seat?” I wouldn’t do it for Iran or Saudi Arabia, for they would cut my hands off. Maybe U.A.E, or Sudan. Hehehe

Anyway, the day of the conference my job was to chill near the podium with Hillel, the exec. and make sure he has all his notes, his bios, etc. I snapped some pictures, I held various microphones, set up the video camera, and welcomed some ambassadors. I was chilling outside getting some fresh air when the President of the Human Rights Council showed up. It is a huge deal for him to come and speak at our conference. There are 70 Islamic and African countries who will be pissed when they see our press release of the president in front of our wicked cool UN Watch wallpaper. I was really happy that I recognized him, though I think I called him Mr. High Commissioner, confusing his title.

I also met the American Ambassador who spoke, and the Israeli ambassador. The U.S. ambassador is such a Texan…this big former businessman. He loves American. A lot. And why not? We all should (why you ask? Ask me later…)

I had an interesting conversation in the afternoon with a rep from the State Dept. In sum, he said that Europe has gone soft. After 1,000 years of war and bloodshed, a WWI where a million men died in a battle, and world war II that ravaged everything and showed it how cruel and evil man could be, they have become pacifists. They have reverted back to the same mistakes that were made before they appeased Hitler and didn’t crush him in 1933 when they could have easily, and so have learned nothing. He also said that he disagree with Obama, who wants to talk to everyone. “If someone if walking down the street with a baseball bat, and wants to hit you in the face, will you try to reason with him? Now, if he has a stick, and you have a bat, that’s a different story.”

At night we had a Gala dinner. It. Was. Delicious. Good wine, good olives, several courses…I will not have another meal like that for some time. There were some amazing speeches as well.
After a dozen of us went for drinks. It was a very interesting mix of people. There were 3 UN Watch employees, a few members of the Council for Jewish Students, a couple locals, then you have a State Dept. employee, the US Special Envoy on the study of Anti-Semitism, and a Yale professor. Real funny group. I was taking career advice from the State Department guy. He said I should get all my education now, and not stop and work for a couple years, which I had planned. I also asked him how he got to where he is. He basically said it comes down to how much you want it. I plan on sending him an e-mail and asking him what he specifically means by that. I think I’m going to look into some grad schools in the fall…Any ideas?

Lastly, I’ve found myself hanging out with a group of 30 year old Israelis. I think that’s funny. I don’t see myself hanging out with 30 year olds at home ever…it’s a strange thing the social formations of temporary friendships.

I met the President of AJC, David Harris, which was very cool. He invited our entire office out to dinner tonight. I will enjoy that.