Pro-Israel NATO official is Romania's leading presidential candidate

The leading candidate for president of Romania in next year’s elections has a Jewish-American son-in-law from a prominent and known family, as well as strong ties with Israel and its leadership.

While in Western Europe hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest against Israel, in most of the capitals in Eastern Europe, the atmosphere was much less tumultuous. In fact, in several Eastern European countries, the pro-Israel narrative was clear and unapologetic after October 7, and the support for Israel’s actions was unequivocal.

A pro-Israel narrative in Romania

One of these countries is Romania, which stood by Israel from the first day of the war, expressed absolute support for Israel’s right to defend itself, and sharply condemned the massacre by Hamas terrorists. In a year from now, presidential elections will be held in Romania, and according to a recent poll, the leader in these elections is NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, who previously served as Romania’s foreign minister and led the Social Democratic Party. Geoană is considered an enthusiastic supporter of Israel and maintains close ties with the President of the State, Isaac Herzog. Geoană also emphasizes his long-standing friendship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Geoana's ties with Israel

Geoană visited Israel în September, where he met with Herzog, Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He highlighted NATO and Israel’s close, long-standing partnership, and their efforts to strengthen cooperation on climate change, innovation, and new technologies.

But Geoană’s connections with Israel are more complex. His daughter, Ana Maria, recently married Garrett Cayton, who is a descendant of a family of Jewish billionaires from the US. The two met about six years ago, tying the knot this year in a lavish wedding held in Venice, which costs approximately $ two million.

After the October 7 massacre, the Cayton Goldrich Family Foundation joined forces with the Los Angeles Jewish Federation and offered a $1 million matching grant. “We mourn the loss of innocent people murdered by Hamas terrorists. We also pray for the safety of those Israelis who have been injured, and the safe return of those who have been kidnapped,” the Federation said in the announcement of this matching fundraising campaign. “Our federation and the Jewish communities of North America stand in solidarity with our beloved homeland.”

Notably, the family’s foundation donates to several Jewish and Israeli causes such as Tel Aviv University and the Jerusalem Fund.

The Cayton Goldrich Family Foundation has a total assets sum of close to $100 million.

Geoană himself publicly said several times that he admires the achievements of the State of Israel since its establishment – despite the complex security challenges it faces, and sees its Hi tech industry as a success story that should be emulated in his country, Romania.

Recently, Geoană published an autobiographical book in which he shared his doctrine for the future of Romania in detail. Although he has not yet officially announced his intention to run for the presidency of Romania, in all the polls conducted recently, Geoană has been leading by a significant margin over his potential rivals.