Reda Mansour (, ) is an Israeli

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

poet, historian and diplomat. He has published three books of

Hebrew poetry {{Short description, Disambiguation page Hebrew poetry is poetry written in the Hebrew language. It encompasses such things as: * Biblical poetry, the poetry found in the poetic books of the Hebrew Bible * Piyyut, religious Jewish liturgical poe ...

and received the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa (, ) is a public research university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963 as a branch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation as an inde ...

Miller Award as well as the State President Scholarship for young writers. Mansour was born (1965) in the

village of

Isfiya Isfiya (, ), also known as Usfiya, is a Druze-majority village in northern Israel, governed by a Local council (Israel), local council. It also includes Christians, Muslims and a few Jews, Jewish households. Located on Mount Carmel, it is part of ...

in northern Israel. He has a Ph.D from the

's Middle East History Department and a graduate of

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

where he was a Wexner Israel Fellow. He studied Spanish at

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

University, and a general studies semester in the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. His field of research is the ''Changes in the Perception of Identity and Social Environment as Evident in the Intellectual Discourse in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

During the Third Decade of the " Corrective Movement" 1988-2003''.

Early life

Reda Mansour, a Druze citizen of Israel, studied in

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

between 1977–1983; first in the

Leo Baeck Leo Baeck (; 23 May 1873 – 2 November 1956) was a 20th-century German rabbi, scholar, and theologian. He served as leader of Reform Judaism in his native country and internationally, and later represented all German Jews during the Nazi ...

Middle School and later in Basmat High School of the Technion (Israel’s institute of science and technology). During that time he was involved in many youth organizations which develop cross-cultural understanding around the world, by encouraging respect for cultural difference. Among these organizations: CISV and

BBYO BBYO is a Jewish teen movement, organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization is intended to build the identity of Jewish teens and offer leadership development programs. On June 19, 2001, ...

- B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (chairman of local branch). In 1988-1989 he was also active in

Habonim Dror Habonim Dror (, "the builders–freedom") is a Jewish Labor Zionist youth movement formed in 1982 through the merger of two earlier movements: Habonim and Dror. Habonim (, "the builders") was established in 1929 in the United Kingdom and later e ...

(in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States). During the first years of his university studies in Haifa, Mansour was involved in a Variety of social projects among them: Perach: Coordination of student assistance to young primary school students in two villages in the

Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...

, and Bridging the Gap: Promotion of Higher education in Minority communities

Literary career

Mansour is the first non-

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

in Israel to write exclusively in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

. His short story "Jumblat in the

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

" has won the "Recommended Story" category of the "Ha'aretz" Annual Short Story Award in 1997. In addition, a collection of his poems is currently translated to

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and Portuguese. He is at work on a book of short stories. Reda Mansour has participated in poetry readings and Poetry festivals in Isfiya, Haifa,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

, Quito and

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. Mansour participated in the Charleston's historic Piccolo

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

festival in June 2008. He held a reading of some of his acclaimed poetic works at Charleston's City Gallery at historic Waterfront Park. Reda Mansour was the international visiting poet at The Meacham Writers’ Workshop of the University of Tennessee in November 2009.

Tender Leaves of Conscience

This collection of Hebrew poems was written in various places around the world starting from 1998 during the author's studies in the KSG and ending in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

four years later. The poems are dedicated to nature and its effect on history and people. They blend together

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

and

traditions and the multiethnic history of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

with some images of the modern

American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the British colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also ...

. They explore the relationships between people and places. The title of the book is the title of one of the poems that was written during a

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

spring mixing with the news of the massacres in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. Published by Sa'ar Publishing 2004, Cover design by Israeli renowned photographer

Alex Levac Alex Levac (; born 1944, Tel Aviv) is an Israeli photojournalist and street photographer. He was awarded the Israel Prize for photography in 2005.Haaretz photographer Alex Levac wins Israel Prize By Smadar Sheffi and Yulie Khromchenko, Ha'aretz ...

Other books by the author

*''The Man of Dreams'' (1987) *''From the Battlefields to the Land of Freedom'' (1991) * ''UN Peacekeeping Forces'' (Ed) (1991) * ''UN Security Council Resolution on the Middle East'' (Ed)(1993) * ''The Silence Between the words'' (200

Diplomacy

Appointed at 35 years old, Mr. Mansour was the youngest

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

in Israel’s History. During his career in the foreign service, he served as Ambassador of Israel to

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. Prior to that, he served as DCM in the Israeli Embassy in

and as Consul in the Israeli Consulate in

. Mr. Mansour speaks five languages. He served as the Consul General in the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta. In January 2007, the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Senate passed a resolution honoring Mansour and others for efforts to promote peace and grow business, cultural, and educational ties between the U.S. and Israel. He was the Israeli Ambassador to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

between 2014 and 2016. He later served as the Israeli Ambassador to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

between 2018 and 2021 and as a non-resident Ambassador to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

and CARICOM. We Who Shape Nations: Diplomacy in the Modern Age Ambassador Mansour'
book
published in 2023, is a fascinating, in-depth exploration of diplomacy and the real lives of the people whose careers move the cogs of international relations. What is diplomacy? Popular media will often oversimplify diplomats, portraying them as savvy political agents of a state, cocktail-sipping spies in all but their titles. The truth, however, is far more dramatic. Diplomacy is the driving force behind every major international accord and every grand monument. Diplomats stand over every border drawn—and every nation formed in the modern age.

Civic activities

Mr. Mansour has devoted his public activities in Israel for the promotion of dialogue between

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

and

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. In this realm, he has served on the board of several

NGO's A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

and taken part in many projects aimed at promoting of co-existence and cultural dialogue. Mansour served on the board of many civic organizations: Jewish Healthcare International - Provide Humanitarian Aid Worldwide. International Organizations, Member of the board,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

– Georgia. The U.S – Israel Chamber of commerce - Non Governmental Organization. Member of the board. Atlanta - Georgia. Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange - Non Governmental Organization Member of the board, Atlanta – Georgia.

– Israel cultural Institute - Civic Association, Member of the board. Quito – Ecuador. The Shalom (Peace) Club - Civic Association, Member of the board. Quito – Ecuador. Omanut Laam - for the promotion of culture and art in small communities. Non Governmental Organization, Member of the board, Israel. San Francisco Amuta - support to educational activities in the North of Israel. Non Governmental Organization, Member of the board. Israel.

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

- Member of the Martin Luther King Jr. international Board of sponsors - Atlanta Reda Mansour courted moderate

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

leaders in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to counteract the sway of

Islamists Islamism is a range of Religion, religious and Politics, political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is su ...

hostile to the state of Israel (2005–2006). Mansour aimed at finding the silent voice—to give it a means of speaking out so that it will condemn terror, condemn

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, and connect with the local

communities for the sake of joint civil actions.

Awards, prizes, and fellowships

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

Annual Prize, recommended short story. * Hero of International Trade, World Chambers of Commerce – Atlanta * MLK board of advisers,

, Atlanta * Miller Prize of Haifa University, for the poetry book ''Images of a Bridge'' * Amos Prize of the

president of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...

to writers. * Dean Achievement List - University of Haifa * The Wexner Foundation – Wexner Israel Fellow –

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

* Georgia Senate Resolution - Honored for efforts to promote peace and grow business, cultural and educational ties between the U.S. and Israel * Honorary Tennessean – By Governor

Phil Bredesen Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (; born November 21, 1943) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected in ...

Humanitarian aid and peace-building operations

Tungurahua relief

Tungurahua Tungurahua (; from Quichua ''tunguri'' (throat) and ''rahua'' (fire), "Throat of Fire")) is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua. Volcanic activity re ...

, (Throat of Fire) a

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

(5,023 m) located in the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

of the Andes of central Ecuador, south of the capital

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

. The volcano erupted in 2002 and a major ash out-fall covered the entire region including the capital city. Ambassador Mansour organized a relief effort that included the delivery of medical equipment and aid to small communities.

Stabilization of the Ecuadorian north border

Following the establishment of ODENOR the Ecuadorian Authority for stabilization of the border areas with

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

(2003), Ambassador Mansour facilitated the participation of Israel in the International donor countries conference in Brussels. Later he led two projects in that region that provided clean drinking water.

Battling
Desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...
in southern Ecuador

As part of the efforts to battle

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

in southern

and foster the

–

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

peace agreement, Ambassador Mansour invited Israeli scientists to this region. The scientists from the

Ben-Gurion University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) (, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Named after Israeli national founder David Ben-Gurion, the university was founded in 1969 and currently has f ...

in the Negev offered assessment and evaluated possible remedies. The university also invited Ecuadorian students to study in its International School for Desert Studies

Articles by the author

Israel sets an example of freedom, tolerance Integration Is Israeli Arabs’ Only Path To EqualityIsrael wants peace, political moderationGaza: A 40-Year Struggle to Maintain Hope

Poems

* Carmel (Englis

* I Am The Man of Dream

* Nomads (Spanis

External links

The Meacham Workshop Modern Hebrew Literature - a Bio-Bibliographical LexiconSupport Cross-Cultural DialoguePresentation on the Middle East – VideoIsrael is seeking Muslim friends in EuropeIsraeli Ambassador to Lecture on Middle East Peace and Reconciliation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansour, Reda 1965 births Harvard Kennedy School alumni University of Haifa alumni University of Salamanca alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Israeli male poets Arab citizens of Israel Israeli Druze people Israeli Arabic-language poets Living people People from Isfiya Ambassadors of Israel to Ecuador Ambassadors of Israel to Brazil Ambassadors of Israel to Panama Ambassadors of Israel to Barbados Consuls for Israel Ambassadors of Israel to Trinidad and Tobago