In Kyiv, Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky presented his children's book
In a week, Michael Brodsky will conclude his tenure in Ukraine as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel. In addition to the many political, cultural, and humanitarian projects he has carried out, Brodsky is leaving behind his book in Kyiv, *How to Raise a Diplomat at Home: A Guide for Future Ambassadors and Their Parents*. It is a collaborative work with his wife, illustrator Regina Shafir.
“It was my wife’s idea to create a book together. We decided to combine our talents and do something together. We each have our own careers and our own interests, but for the first time, we decided we could do something together. I hope we’ve created something beautiful,” the diplomat said during the book’s presentation at the Readea bookstore.
Regina Shafir, an artist and animator, as well as the cultural attaché at the Israeli Embassy.
“I wrote the text, but the main thing is the illustrations Regina created—she’s a well-known artist in Israel. And we started working on the book last winter,” the diplomat noted.
During the presentation, Michael Brodsky was asked if he had ever thought as a child that he would become a diplomat. The ambassador replied that during the Soviet era, when he was a boy, it was impossible to even dream of traveling to other countries, let alone pursuing a career as a diplomat. A window of opportunity opened after he repatriated to Israel with his family in 1990.
Regina Shafir noted that the book *How to Raise a Diplomat at Home: A Guide for Future Ambassadors and Their Parents* is not a guide to raising a diplomat, nor is it a general guide to raising children. It is simply an opportunity for young readers to reflect on this profession.
“For your children to succeed in life, the most important thing is to love them. It’s important to observe your child so that you can identify their abilities at the right moment, see what they’re drawn to, and support them in their choices,” said Regina, who has experience raising three children.
“The book is cool; I read it quickly. There are cool illustrations and lots of questions for me. I had to think a little bit about how to answer them,” noted young reader Dmytro, who was among the first to have the opportunity to read the book *How to Raise a Diplomat at Home: A Guide for Future Ambassadors and Their Parents*.
The terms of both diplomats, which coincided with the most difficult period of the war for Ukraine, are coming to an end in the coming days. Michael Brodsky and his family are returning to Israel, where he will continue to work at the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The family leaves behind numerous completed projects in Ukraine, including a book in Ukrainian on how to raise a future ambassador at home.
As a reminder, in an in-depth interview with UA.News, Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky spoke about the significant difference in perceptions of war based on his experience living in two war-torn countries.
The diplomat also noted that the State of Israel will not advise EU and NATO countries on how to respond to provocations involving Russian drones. However, Israel itself always immediately shoots down any targets that violate its airspace.
