In six years - from Paratroopers Commando to the Hallways of Washington:
CLINTON'S ISRAELI AID
Mickey Bergman, 30 years old from Ra'anana, feels like he is living in a movie * He is a consultant in Clinton's organization, he traveled all the way to Darfur to help the refugees and in the meantime he also finds time for Angelina Jolie: "there are very few people like her that are so involved in humanitarian help."
By Yoav Frumer, Ma'ariv Reporter in New York
If you ask Mickey Bergman how did he get at the age of 30 from the Paratroopers special commando unit to a much desired position in the hallways of Washington, on the side of the most powerful people in the world - his answer will most likely be that it was all luck.
This unusual young Israeli from Ra'anana managed in the last few years to become, among other things, Dennis Ross's right-hand man, consultant to President Clinton, and an integral member of the influential Washington crowd. But this surprising story began as the usual story of almost every young Israeli. Soon after his release from the IDF in the year 2000, Bergman started his studies at Hebrew University, but after only one year he left and moved to California on the heals of his love to Robin, today his wife.
He continued his studies at UCLA and upon completing his degree in International Relations he started working with no one else but Dennis Ross, the former US special envoy. In Washington a good word passes from mouth to ear, and after two years by Dennis Ross' side, which included helping him with his book, luck showed its face to Bergman again: he landed directly on Bill Clinton's team. "My resume landed in the right place at the right time" said Bergman, "Suddenly I found myself in the same room with several of the most important people in the world."
Despite his nervousness from his new position as the Deputy Chair for the Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation track at the Clinton Global Initiative, Bergman got used to the occasion quickly. "In our first meeting I didn't know were to bury myself, I was sitting next to Sandy Berger, the former National Security Advisor, and didn't think I could dare to open my mouth," he remembers, "But an hour later, and without noticing, I found myself engaged in the conversation and calling him by his first name." According to him, only after finding himself talking politics with the former United States President's top advisors, it dawned on him "sometimes I feel like I am living in a movie," he admits.
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The incident with Brad Pitt
Beside the encounter with world leaders, Bergman's role presented him encounters with celebrities. "One day during the conference, I was in a hurry to get to a meeting and someone was blocking my way in the hallway, talking on his cell phone," Bergman said, "I didn't have time for courtesy, so I grabbed the guy with both my hands, moved him to the side, and started to pass by." Then the man turned, and Bergman realized that he had upset Brad Pitt. The incident with Pitt, however, did not effect his relations with the star's partner, Angelina Jolie: "There are very few people like her that care so much, and that are so involved in humanitarian work," says Bergman. But even the Hollywood stars pale in comparison to the admired boss. "Clinton is not interested in just talk. He is truly interested in actions that will better the world," admits Bergman. "He sacrifices and dedicates himself to his humanitarian goals, sometimes at personal costs."
As a part of his job to secure commitments from business people for humanitarian projects, Bergman decided to leave Washington's hallways and go into the field. "How can I ask for commitments from people without making one of my own?" he explained. And so, last winter he traveled to the burning African sun of Darfur (for more on the crisis in Darfur see the story to the right). He arrived at the refugee camps on the border of Chad and Sudan, a place that many American journalists called "Hell on earth." Bergman's mission in Africa was to help establish a local health center with an American humanitarian organization, for which he is raising $50,000. Despite the many hardships in Darfur, he is convinced that it is the international community's obligation to help the Muslim refugees in the country. "The sights there are not simple," he admits. "But I believe that with good will we can help those suffering people." The money he is raising is the first part of his mission; his efforts to raise awareness with American decision-makers regarding the Darfurian refugees are as important.
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Remember the name
For someone who is both in the small team of advisors for the Clinton Global Initiative, and is the Director of Congressional Relations at the Center for Middle East Peace, which was founded by the wealthy Jewish philanthropist Danny Abraham, one can definitely predict a bright future for this young Israeli. However, if you ask him, his future intensions are not directed at the American Capitol, but rather the Israeli one. "I wish to bring my experience with me back to Israel," he says. "Israel was always and still is my first love, beside my wife of course, and I plan to do all that I can to better it." This explains why at noon this past Friday Bergman cut our meeting short and rushed, with the rest of the Israelis in New York, to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv qualify to the European Champions League final.
*** In the frame on the left there is a background story about the conflict in Darfur ***