THE BODY POLITIC

In his pre-diplomatic years as the No. 2 man in the Israeli Air Force, the only flak Ran Ronen ran into was the kind that sometimes exploded near his F-16. Last month, however, Israel’s consul general in Los Angeles encountered another type of flack--one that does lunch and takes meetings.

The burly diplomat recently hired Los Angeles-based Boonshaft-Lewis & Savitch as media advisers to help expand the consulate’s exposure and improve its image. “Only an American,” declares Ronen, “can understand the American mentality. And only an American can properly convey our case to the American media.”

The best part of the deal--at least as far as Israel’s less-than-free-spending Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem may be concerned--is that the firm offered Ronen a year’s worth of work gratis. Hope Boonshaft-Lewis, a 42-year-old American Jew who worked as national finance director for the Democratic National Committee from 1976 to 1978 and as director of community relations for the Carter Administration from 1978 to 1980, is determined to increase the diplomats’ media savvy.

“The average American sound-bite is eight seconds,” she says. “The average Israeli sound-bite is 41 seconds. If you look at Israelis who do well with the American media--people like (Deputy Foreign Minister Benjamin) Bibi Netanyahu--they can think both like Americans and Israelis.”

Boonshaft-Lewis, whose client list includes SuperShuttle and Guardian Bank, says she will continue to work for free for as long as the Jewish state wants her services. “I’m a ‘60s person,” she says, “and need causes to be passionate about. I have always been committed to Israel’s survival and position in the world, and this is a way for me to give something back.”