Besides the Jewish community, there is one other community whose affection Israeli diplomats in Los Angeles are continuously courting: the Latinos.

Taking note of the growing political power of Latinos in California-as evidenced by the near victory of former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa in the recent Los Angeles mayoral race-the consulate has been initiating meetings and projects to bring Israelis, Latinos and American Jews together in common enterprises.

Zvi Vapni, Israel's deputy consul general in Los Angeles, joined me for dinner on Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Casa de Pico in Old Town San Diego State Park - a fortunate, but coincidental choice of restaurant and menu, given the subject matter of our interview.

The diplomat was assigned to Los Angeles slightly more than a year ago after staffing the U.S. congressional desk in Israel's foreign ministry in Jerusalem.  Previously he had been in the consulate in Atlanta, Ga., and in his nation's diplomatic mission to Bulgaria.  By background, Vapni is a history professor.  He expressed his delight with the historic setting of Old Town.

Israel's interest in cultivating Latinos is based upon enlightened self-interest.  As more and more Latinos are elected to Congress, they will vote on legislation directly affecting Israel.  But what makes the Latino-Israel relationship so fascinating is its possibilities for mutuality.  Numerous Latino leaders in Los Angeles are equally interested in cultivating the Jewish community, Vapni said.

Initially the Latinos "were very surprised that a consulate would approach them, and their surprise surprised me because I thought probably other consulates did that too," Vapni said.

One of the first programs sponsored by the consulate in Los Angeles was a breakfast meeting for leaders in both communities to hear journalists Frank del Olmo, associate editor of the Los Angeles Times, and Rob Eshman, editor of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, in a comparative discussion about the relationship of Jews to Israel and of Mexican-Americans to Mexico.

The complexities of both relationships were explored.  "The fact that you are a Jew does not mean that you are always comfortable about what is going on in Israel, and you are even more sensitive to that," Vapni said.  "They (Mexican-Americans) talk to the fact that they sometimes feel unhappy with the differences between rich and poor, about corruption, about the way things are being done in Mexico.  On the other hand, they feel this connection."  

As the Jewish community wants the United States to have amicable and productive relations with Israel, so too do many Mexican-Americans want the U.S. to have such relations with Mexico, Vapni said

Vapni said that the feedback from the Mexican-American community was quite positive following that meeting.  "One of the things that is interesting about the Mexican community is that they look at the Jewish community as a model to imitate in many, many ways," he said. "They look at the Jewish organizations, and they look at the Jewish political power, and they want to learn.  They want to see how things are done."

But besides whatever political advantage may be derived by both sides by coalition building, Vapni said there are other bonds between the two communities which may prove even stronger.

"What they indicated to me is they think the relationship will be successful because both communities have commitments to families, commitments to tradition, commitments to the work ethic, and commitment to education... Those are the ingredients for an American to be successful -- family, education, tradition and work."

To help build the relationship, the consulate hired Naomi Rodriguez, a former aide to state Senator Gloria Romero, to serve as the consulate's liaison to the Latino community.  "She is doing great work in connecting us to people in the community," Vapni said.  

Another major event had been planned on Sept. 12 to bring together about 200 prominent members of the Jewish and Latino communities in Los Angeles. However, it was cancelled immediately following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.  It is in the process of being rescheduled to a date in January or February.

Similarly postponed was a planned October trip to Israel for Los Angeles leaders of the Latino community.  When the rescheduled group does arrive in Israel, perhaps in February or March, "business people will meet with Israel business people; educators will meet people who are involved in similar projects, and media people - if they are interested - will get briefings about the Middle East."

Vapni said he had learned that as American Jews have been committed to developing the economy of Israel, so too are there Latinos who desire to strengthen Mexico's economy.  "There are many Mexican-Americans who are interested in taking businessmen from here to Mexico and maybe this would be a good opportunity for Israeli business to get involved," he said.  

"One of the things that we are very good at is high-tech agriculture: drip irrigation, computerized to the soil.  This is another possibility."

As a mariachi band played near our table, Vapni's eyes seemed to dance with enjoyment.

There are many commonalities to explore, he suggested.  Both Israel and the Latino community have an interest in issues of immigration and absorption, he suggested.

"How do you deal with multilingual issues and absorbing immigrants?  I think we can say something about that, and I think they definitely have something to say about that."