Regev Ortal is grateful for the local Jewish community, her only connection to her roots when she moved to the United States from Israel, leaving behind her family and friends. She found community with local Jewish organizations such as GatherDC, Moishe House and the Facebook group DC Jew Crew.
Ortal is the director of government relations at Israel Policy Forum, a U.S. organization dedicated to a two-state outcome in the Middle East, a role she began on Sept. 23. She was previously a lobbyist for J Street and is a staff sergeant on reserve for the Israel Defense Forces.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Tel Aviv University and lives in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
I grew up in Israel. One of the main things I know that people love about Israel and growing up in Israel is that you, by definition, end up growing [up] with a lot of Jewish community. I come from a very secular family from the kibbutz movement. But, as I’m Israeli, a lot of my culture is grounded in the holidays and the customs. There are a lot of differences between the way that I was used to seeing Judaism and the way it is in the U.S. with the American Jewish community.
Have you always been interested in government, policy and advocacy work?
In a way, I think it started as Israel’s image abroad. My family moved to the U.S. when I was 16, to Washington state, and we lived there for a couple years. That was my first time viewing Israel externally, meeting people who have never been to Israel, [who] don’t know much about it, the way that the Israeli consulate has communicated with the community, and it made me interested in, ‘How can I, as an Israeli, help Israel display itself with its best foot forward and help with its status and all the great things that are good
about it?’
I did foreign relations in the military. My unit was the foreign liaison unit, and so that continued that trajectory of diplomacy and learning to work with people from all different places. And in university, I met my husband, who’s American, and I also got involved in the Tel Aviv chapter of Hillel. That was my first time to D.C., through a Hillel international delegation to an AJC conference that was here at the Hilton in Dupont Circle in 2019, and that exposed me to this world.
What were some challenges you faced as an Israeli in the U.S.?
I don’t have any family in the U.S. I now have a husband and his family’s in Alaska, quite far away. So I didn’t have any family, I didn’t have any friends. When I came here, something that’s difficult to grasp is the cultural difference even within the Jewish American community. It took a while to adjust and … to feel a part of the community. Everyone has been truly welcoming and I’ve had a great experience. My home is always going to be Israel, so part of it is homesickness.
What does a day on the job look like for you?
Right now it’s been just onboarding. A lot of my job has to do with building and maintaining and strengthening the relationship of Israel with the legislature and with the administration. A lot of the job is either thinking through how to translate some IPF policy recommendations into legislation and helping members of Congress and the administration translate that into action. And it’s maintaining the relationship – being available as a resource, whenever someone has a question about what is going on [in] the region, which has already happened, getting a request for a meeting to ask about what’s going on in the region.
What are the causes most important to you?
I think I’m a person that derives meaning from fighting for what I think is right and for beyond what I think morally, what I think is necessary to protect people and communities that I love. I really derive my passion from my work, from the impact that I’m making on my friends and family back home.
Why is it important to pursue a two-state solution?
I don’t think it’s about important; it’s about an achievable solution. I know there is a lot of conversation about what exactly a two-state solution would look like — there’s different models that are being brought up. They’re all important to consider. We’re not at the point where we need to make a decision about the model to move forward. It’s not that I have a problem with a one-state solution; it’s just not likely to happen. So I’m thinking about what is actually feasible to bring peace and security to Israelis, for Palestinians, for everyone else in the region.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I listen to podcasts, I spend a lot of time with my husband, Harrison. I love secondhand fashion and design. I go thrifting a lot, I like designing spaces, organizing spaces — a lot of my friends utilize me for that.
