Shelley Rivlin. Photo: Courtesy Shelley Rivlin

Encino resident Shelley Rivlin knows what it means to be a diplomat after participating in the United Nations’ General Assembly, where she acted as a lay leader for the American Jewish Committee (AJC) earlier this fall.

Rivlin, a retired educator, was looking to “make a difference and grow at the same time” in her work with the AJC, a non-profit organization that promotes pluralism, human rights, and the Jewish interest.

“I got involved because…I think that it’s one of our [responsibilities as Jews] to try to make the world better…to try and improve the world,” Rivlin said.

The event – which the AJC has dubbed the “Diplomatic Marathon” for its 16-year involvement – was “amazing,” but also a big commitment for Rivlin, a first-timer in the Los Angeles chapter’s five-year-long effort to send community members as ambassadors.

“There was training on the diplomatic code and the importance of listening,” she explained. “Then there were materials that I took home to study…[as well as] a lot of homework before I went to these meetings with the countries,” which included Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Hungary, and Burkina Faso.

AJC Director of Public Relations Eli Lipmen agreed that lay delegates “go under intense training,” stressing, “this is delicate work. We could really do something that could hurt our interests as Americans or our interests as Jews if we sent somebody who didn’t know [the diplomatic language].”

Leading the lay representatives was AJC Director of International Relations Steve Addison.

“We felt [Rivlin] would be a great leader,” Addison said. “She’s a person who is curious about the world [and about] the work that we do.”

Rivlin credits her 37 years in education with preparing her for her role as a diplomat.

“As teachers, we have to be very diplomatic with children, with parents, with administrators. This [experience] just developed skills that I had [already] and made them sharper,” she said.

The Diplomatic Marathon, which began initially without lay participants on September 23, included conversations this year with 71 countries in total.

Said Lipmen, “The idea of the meetings is to engage [foreign leaders], talk about their issues, talk about our issues, and make sure that we have an open dialogue.”

On the AJC’s agenda were several pressing topics including Iran’s nuclear threat, and hopes to realize an alternative energy policy that would reduce dependence on the foreign oil that “puts money into the pockets of [our] enemy,” Rivlin said.

Another major AJC issue was human rights, and more specifically, human rights as it relates to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

According to Lipmen, “Going and speaking with these countries about Darfur...continues to put the issues on the front of their plate and lets them know it’s important – they need to do something about it.”

To that end, the AJC often partners with Jewish World Watch, an Encino-based non-profit that promotes Darfur awareness.

“[The AJC was] on the forefront of Darfur...way before all the movie stars got in it...before this was a popular issue in Hollywood,” Rivlin added.

Ultimately, what has made these discussions successful is the sense of trust that has developed over the years among the AJC and participating countries.

Rivlin put it succinctly: “AJC builds relationships.”

Addison echoed Rivlin’s sentiments. “We [are]...safeguarding the rights and freedoms of Jews, both here and throughout the world, by building...partnerships.”

These partnerships, along with exemplary lay leaders like Shelley Rivlin, helped to make this year’s Diplomatic Marathon especially memorable.

“Shelley exemplifies the true nature of the American Jewish Committee,” Lipmen stated. “[She has blossomed into] a diplomatic ambassador...[to the] community of Encino...[and] to the world.”