Secretary George Shultz, IDI Co-Founder and Honorary Chair (1920-2021)
About Secretary George Shultz and IDI
George Shultz co-founded IDI shortly after stepping down as Secretary of State in 1989, acting on his belief that the fundamental challenge facing Israel was “how to preserve an open society under conditions of permanent siege.” Israel’s ability to survive and prosper in a hostile region, Shultz believed, depended ultimately on its internal strength and cohesion. He helped launch IDI’s national economic conference in 1993, established the Institute’s prestigious International Advisory Council in 2009, and served as the Institute's Honorary Chair until his passing at the age of 100 in 2021.
Secretary Shultz was one of the most distinguished statesmen of the 20th century. An American patriot who served in numerous senior positions, including Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Treasury and Secretary of State, he was also a true friend of Israel and the Jewish People. Secretary Shultz played a key role in opening the gates of the Soviet Union to large-scale Jewish emigration. And when hyper-inflation threatened Israel's economy in the mid-1980s, Secretary Shultz provided timely experts and expertise that helped Israel weather the crisis, liberalize the economy and set the stage for decades of explosive economic growth.
Secretary Shultz's commitment to Israel's security and its democracy never wavered. He holds a special place of honor in the annals of Israel and the Jewish people.
"Secretary Shultz was not only a great statesman, economist, businessman and academic, but also a stalwart friend of Israel," IDI President Yohanan Plesner remarked upon his passing. "After retiring from a long and distinguished career in public service, he expressed his enduring commitment to Israel by readily agreeing to help establish a 'think-and-do tank,' as he called it, dedicated to preserving and strengthening Israel’s embattled democracy. Never losing site of the fragility of our country's fledgling democracy, Secretary Shultz foresaw the need for an independent, non-partisan think-tank that would provide Israeli decision-makers with policy proposals based on data, research and expertise."
Plesner noted that "Secretary Shultz was a great man but also a mensch. Every hour spent in his presence was simultaneously a seminar in world history and a practical course in leadership."
