Ayalon leaves Nefesh B'Nefesh to pursue Yisrael Beitenu career

By HAVIV RETTIG GUR
Nefesh B'Nefesh announced on Sunday that Ambassador Danny Ayalon, its co-chair for almost two years, is resigning from the organization and devoting his time to his new political career in Yisrael Beitenu. Nefesh praised him as "instrumental" in developing partnerships between the organization and Israeli and Diaspora bodies said his time in the organization was considered a success. "Nefesh gave me the experience in aliya work that I'm going to take with me into the political system," Ayalon said, specifying that Nefesh had developed techniques to "make Israel more hospitable and attractive to [potential olim] who could also choose not to come." A former ambassador to Washington, Ayalon is now head of World Yisrael Beitenu and will run in the next elections on the party's Knesset list. As head of the party's world organization, "part of the job will be developing connections with world Jewry and promoting aliya," he said.