Consul General of Israel has ‘productive’ visit to Arizona

On Friday, March 4, Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Southwest, Dr. Hillel Newman was headed back to Los Angeles after a short visit to Arizona. The Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles covers the entire Southwest region of the United States and is an official office of the government of Israel. Its many departments work hand in hand to strengthen the bonds between Israel and the Southwest.

While Newman was in Arizona, he visited the State Capitol at the invitation of House Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers. “He invited me to address the joint session of the two houses, which was wonderful,” said Newman. “I also gave a tribute to the speaker for his friendship with Israel.” Newman presented Bowers with a plaque as official recognition of his friendship to the State of Israel.

Newman was a featured speaker at an event held on March 3 hosted by the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations (PCFR) at the Phoenix Country Club. Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, moderated the discussion.

“We at the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations were thrilled to host Dr. Newman for a reception and program to talk about ‘The Changing Landscape in the Middle East,’” said Tina Waddington, executive director at PCFR. “Our members and guests were treated to a great presentation by Dr. Newman on Arizona-

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“The character is an idiot, a loveable idiot,” Landau said.

“Bryan Loves You” stars George Wendt (who played Norm in “Cheers”) and Landau as a psychotherapist, who falls under the seductive spell of a dangerous cult. It relates the story of the cult of the Bryans, who allegedly took over a small Arizona town in 1993. Landau made the 90-minute film for $25,000.

Landau said his portrayal of the cult draws on his experience growing up as a Jewish kid in Gilbert, then a rural farm town southeast of Phoenix. “It’s about fitting in, and when I was a kid, I didn’t fit in very well. I was one of the few Jewish kids around the neighborhood. As a 13-year-old, I would get questions from people. ‘Are you Jewish?’ I couldn’t tell if they had ill intent. Were they honestly just curious because they’ve never seen one before? Or was there some sinister plot?

‘Oh, so your people killed Jesus, right?’ How do you respond to that as a kid? There’s that tone if you’re different than everybody else around you and it might be dangerous depending on the tone of the community.” Those issues come through in the film, Landau said.

As a child, Landau showed signs of a budding actor and filmmaker. He lived on Long Island before his mother moved to Arizona for a lower cost of living and to be closer to her family. “I was always a creative kid and audio-recorded comedy sketches and scenes during elementary school in New York. I would be the funny one in the group or at least make people laugh whether unwittingly or intentional.”

In junior and senior high school, he made movies on the family camcorder with 8-millimeter video tapes. At Arizona State University, he tried theater but lacked the confidence, he said. He turned to broadcast

After college, he got his start as a reporter for The Arizona Republic and at KTAR radio.

At age 23, Landau moved to Los Angeles and dove right into entertainment. “I just started working on TV and film sets at the lowest levels, meeting people and experimenting with acting. Within a few years, I had enough experience to make a short film.”

He then turned to feature films. “Take Out” and “Bryan Loves You” were shot in Arizona, and post-production was completed in LA.

After “Bryan Loves You” was completed in 2008, Landau worked as a producer for projects in both film and television. He also worked in the script department of Eclectic Pictures in Hollywood.

After returning to Arizona in 2013, Landau became a political media strategist. He also taught media and marketing at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe.

More recently, Landau made a short film on cleaning up Phoenix hiking trails, which were overrun by people wanting to be outside during the pandemic. In 2019, he produced a popular web NFL show on the Arizona Cardinals, “Cards Brah,” a mix of comedy and sports analysis.

Arizona, he said, is a great place to film. “I’m excited to show the world my home state. My hope is “Take Out” will make you laugh and forget a little about your troubles. And that “Bryan Loves You” might serve as a cautionary tale on the dangers of not thinking for oneself.”

He said it was a huge challenge to make his independent films and receive wide distribution. “Seventeen years has got to be a world record for selling a movie.” But he gets creative satisfaction from making them. “When you’re making a micro-budget film, you’re working with professionals as, thankfully, I did. They have day jobs that pay them money that they need to live. Your project is what they work on because they believe in it and like you.” JN

To follow Landau’s film projects, visit his YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/ SethLandauEntertainment.

Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

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Newman spent time with representatives from the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Kate Gallego and Governor Doug Ducey. He also met with the Arizona Water Commission. “We’re planning on bringing a delegation of water companies from Israel because we know there’s a water challenge in Arizona,” said Newman. “We’re bringing our experience in the fields connected to water – it’s not only desalination, it’s also detection of leaks, recycling, reclamation and purification.”

Israel has had great success in water reclamation. A report titled “Israel: A Global Leader in Water Management and Technology” by the State of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs states, “By 2015, Israel was treating and recycling 86% of its wastewater for use in agriculture – ranking Israel as the number one global leader when it comes to water recycling. Within the next decade, Israel plans to reach 90% water reclamation. At the same time, Israel is upgrading its wastewater treatment to tertiary treatment, which will allow for unlimited irrigation.”

“There are also fields that we can learn from Arizona, so the idea is to work together in collaboration,” said Newman.

“Israel is called the ‘start-up nation.’ The governor likes to call the state (Arizona) the ‘start-up state.’ So I say, ‘From the start-up nation to the start-up state’ we’re going to work together.”

Water is just one of the industries that Arizona is working with Israel on; there will also be exchanges of delegations in the fields of aerospace and defense.

“There’s a delegation going out from Arizona to Israel this month,” said Newman. “There’s also a large delegation coming in from Israel in April – 18 different companies. We are working in cooperation with local organizations, the Arizona Commerce Authority and Arizona Israel Technology Alliance – different players contribute to different parts.”

This was Newman’s third visit to Arizona, where he is always greeted with “warmth and friendship” and considers this trip one of his most productive in the little more than two days he was here. “We see it as a really special relationship due to the leadership of the governor and the Speaker of the House, who are dear friends of Israel,” said Newman. JN