El Al ambassadors spread the word

In an effort to improve Israel's image abroad, the country's national airline El Al has decided to recruit its pilots and flight attendants to become unofficial diplomats in promoting the country abroad. The project called Blue and White El Al Ambassadors was initiated by the airline's chief executive officer Eliezer Shkedy who said the aim was to encourage airline staff to engage in public diplomacy in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. The project was launched at the Yeshiva University in New York and is sponsored by the Stand With Us advocacy group, the Jewish Agency and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recent months El Al pilots and flight attendants have undergone intensive training to prepare for the role that will require them to talk to the public abroad.