Avi Pazner

Avi Pazner was born in 1937 in Gdańsk

Aviezer "Avi" Pazner was born in Danzig, now Gdańsk, in 1937. His father, Chaim Pazner, represented the Jewish Agency in Geneva during World War II and rescued Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe. The family moved to Israel in 1953.

He attended Gymnasia Rehavia in Jerusalem and served as a combat soldier in the Armored Corps. He studied political science and economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He joined the Foreign Ministry in 1965 and served in the Central African Republic and Kenya. He later became the ministry's spokesman and, from 1986, media advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, including during the Gulf War. As ambassador to Italy he played a central role in setting up relations between Israel and the Vatican, then served as ambassador to France.

From 1998 to 2010 he was World Chairman of Keren Hayesod, which raised over 2 billion dollars for Israel in that time. He then represented the French energy company AREVA in Israel, and since 2013 he has been a commentator on i24 News. He is married to Marta, has 3 children and 8 grandchildren, and lives in Tel Aviv.