Every Israeli representative in the global media is intimately familiar with the constant struggle against interviewers who come with a clear bias to the opposite side, alongside the personal struggle for eloquent self-expression in a language that we all (let's face it) speak in a rather distorted way. A new voice in the "Iron Swords" war, which stands out favorably in both areas, is Elon Levy, who serves as a spokesman for the Israeli government in the foreign media. We used Forefront and Perplexity to get a little acquainted with our new planet.
Levy, 32, was born in London to Israeli parents, attended public school and later earned degrees in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University and international relations from Cambridge University. In 2014 he made aliyah, served in the IDF during Operation Protective Edge, and since then has lived in Israel, translating Israeli historical books into English and serving as a media personality – including presenting news in English on Channel One (until its closure) and i24News, and serving as a global media advisor to President Isaac Herzog. He speaks perfect English with a typical British accent and humour, but knows Israel inside out and represents it in-depth, making him a sought-after interviewee in news outlets such as the BBC, Sky News and Channel 4.
His concise and clear answers, along with his facial expressions and great grace, make his interviews often go viral.
For example, in one of the clips that attracted a lot of attention, he expressed complete astonishment from British Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who asked him whether the release of some 30 Palestinian prisoners against 13 Israelis symbolizes a racist Israeli perception that Palestinian lives matter less." This is an amazing accusation," he began his reply, which explained that the reason was quite the opposite.
In recent days, Pantheon was joined by an interview for a podcast called "Kiddush Club," in which it was brought up that he "doesn't sound like a typical Israeli." He immediately switched to speaking English with a typical Israeli accent and syntax: "Don't I sound like a typical Israeli?" and then briefly explained the course of his life.
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Levy's Israeli accent is not surprising to anyone who has watched the Israeli media in recent weeks. He has already been interviewed several times in perfect Hebrew – and if that's not enough, he is able to be interviewed fluently in Spanish as well.
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