In February 2011,
Ido Aharoni officially assumed the post of Consul General of
Israel in New York, after serving as Acting Consul General
since August 2010. As Consul General, he represents the
State of Israel to communities from throughout the tri-state
areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
He has been a
member of Israel’s Foreign Service since the summer of 1991.
During his tenure in Israel’s diplomatic corps Aharoni held
two overseas positions, in Los Angeles and New York.
In September 2007, Aharoni was appointed to
serve as the Head of Israel's Brand Management Team in
Jerusalem. In the spring of 2006, he was appointed to serve
as a Senior Advisor to Israel's Foreign Minister and Vice
Prime Minister, in charge of media and public affairs.
Between 2001-2005, Ido Aharoni served as
Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the Consulate General
of Israel in New York. He assumed this position several
weeks prior to the terror attacks of 9/11. As the head of
the department, Aharoni oversaw the operation of Israel's
largest public affairs and media relations apparatus
worldwide. He handled media relations, community outreach,
as well as a variety of informational services.
While in New York, Aharoni became familiar
with nation-branding methods, which he later introduced to
his superiors in Jerusalem. This effort resulted in
bringing about a paradigm shift in the perception of
Israel’s public image by Israeli officials, in Israel and in
the USA.
Prior to his arrival in New York, Aharoni
served as a Policy Advisor to the Director-General of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. Over the years,
Aharoni served five directors-general.
From 1994 to 1998, Aharoni served as Israel’s
Consul for Communications and Public Affairs at the
Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. In that
position, Aharoni covered the seven southwestern states of
the USA and worked extensively in some of America’s top
markets (Greater Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix,
Tucson, Salt Lake City and Denver).
In the spring of 1993, upon completion of the
Foreign Ministry's cadet program, Aharoni was appointed to
serve under then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, as Policy
Assistant to Israel’s Chief negotiator with the
Palestinians.
Before joining the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Aharoni earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Tel
Aviv University with a joint-major in Film and Television,
Sociology and Anthropology. He then moved to the United
States where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Mass
Communications from Emerson College in Boston.