When I received an email last year from a BYU professor encouraging me to meet with one of his former students who had recently relocated to Los Angeles, I was only too happy to oblige. Greg Smith, a national field organizer for AIPAC, had been hired by the organization’s LA office to be its new deputy regional political director. Given that he was a Mormon, I wasted no time in inviting him to break bread at Rocco’s, the best pizzeria in the mid-Wilshire area.
Greg turned out to be just as smart, focused, and capable as I had expected. A policy wonk, he enjoys dealing with elected officials and AIPAC members who wish to influence and/or educate them. I walked away from our lunch knowing that I would hear more from him in the coming months and years.
Imagine my joy, then, upon hearing a few weeks ago that Greg was now AIPAC’s regional political director in LA. Few things make me happier than to see Mormons in high-profile positions in the Jewish community, and I wish Greg continued success in his Israel advocacy career. His recent engagement to a nice Jewish girl – an AIPAC colleague, no less – will endear him even more to the local Jewish community. May his tribe increase.
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