Zvi Chalamish is, since 2005, Consul and Chief Fiscal Officer of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

's Ministry of Finance for North America.

Chalamish graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...

 with a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in Economics and Accounting, and an MBA in Finance and Accounting. He is also a CPA. For 15 years he has represented the Ministry of Finance in a wide range of executive positions.

Prior to his diplomatic appointment in the U.S., Chalamish served for five years as the deputy accountant general for the Israeli Ministry of Finance.

Chalamish is responsible for raising foreign currency for the State of Israel in international markets through bond

Government bond

A government bond is a bond issued by a national government denominated in the country's own currency. Bonds are debt investments whereby an investor loans a certain amount of money, for a certain amount of time, with a certain interest rate, to a company or country...

 and loan guarantee offerings, and overseeing the State of Israel Bonds

State of Israel Bonds

State of Israel Bonds are debt securities issued by the Government of Israel.State of Israel Bonds is also the more familiar name of the underwriter of the bonds in the United States. The company is officially known as Development Corporation for Israel...

 (Development Corporation of Israel) activities and fundraising initiatives worldwide.

Chalamish is also charged with budgeting for the Israeli Economic Mission to North America and its five regional offices. He is the key liaison to the American investment banking

Investment banking

An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...

 community and the credit rating agencies.