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🇮🇱 Israel /Culture & Society

Olga Deutsch: Exposing the dark underbelly of human rights groups - interview

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Olga Deutsch, vice president of NGO Monitor, will become its president and CEO in January, succeeding founder Prof. Gerald Steinberg.
  • NGO Monitor exposes the funding and anti-Israel activities of foreign human rights groups, many based in Europe.
  • Deutsch, who was evacuated from Yugoslavia during war and later made aliyah to Israel, brings a business background to her leadership role.

Olga Deutsch, who will soon lead NGO Monitor, has a personal history intertwined with Israel's support. She was evacuated from Yugoslavia in 1992 during the Bosnian War and later made aliyah, or immigration to Israel. Deutsch recounted her experience as a 13-year-old, recalling her parents asking if she wanted to go to Israel, a country she had never visited.

My parents asked me if I wanted to go, and I said yes – though I’d never been there before. I didn’t speak the language and didn’t have relatives here.

— Olga DeutschRecounting her decision to immigrate to Israel as a teenager.

"I didn't speak the language and didn't have relatives here," she said. Despite initial challenges, she found a connection to Israel, though she returned to Serbia to finish her studies. Her goal to move to Israel remained, and she eventually returned 16 years ago.

But from the moment I stepped foot there, I loved the energy, the people, and even the school’s cows and chickens. According to my parents, I wanted to stay. But I was only 13, and I had to go back. Since then, my goal was to move to Israel.

— Olga DeutschDescribing her initial experience at an agricultural boarding school in Israel.

Deutsch's career path includes degrees in banking and finance from universities in Belgrade and Munich, and a fellowship at Columbia University. She worked in consulting before chairing the European Union of Jewish Students. She sees her upcoming role at NGO Monitor as a culmination of her beliefs and business acumen.

But I always knew I was coming back to Israel. Sixteen years ago, it came full circle.

— Olga DeutschReflecting on her eventual return to Israel to live and work.

"This job was the winning combination that allowed me to work at something I truly believed in, and to build on my business skills," Deutsch stated. She believes many pro-Israel organizations could improve their operations with business-minded leadership.

This job was the winning combination that allowed me to work at something I truly believed in, and to build on my business skills.

— Olga DeutschExplaining her motivation for leading the European Union of Jewish Students.
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Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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