i'm rabbi eric weiss and honored to be your host. we are engaged in a great and deep conversation about how we care for one another from our neighbor to our neighborhood, too, indeed, the world. there is a core question about the ways in which we care for one another and we want to take the conversation to a deeper and broader level by introducing new to the console of germany with a different conversation about the jewish community and germany. welcome consul general. >> let's ask basic questions. >> the consul general is responsible for eight in the u.s. and we have our embassy in u.s. and we have our councils who do the same things the msc does but in their jurisdiction, and in san francisco, it's quite a big one. we have washington, oregon, alaska and down to hawaii. >> you cover the western and far west of the u.s.? >> absolutely. we spit this -- we split this with the rest. >> you are part of the court of germany? >> and diplomatic service, there is no distinguish made between consul work and ambassador work. there are other fo