Dr. Yosef Govrin joined Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1953 and during his 42 years of diplomatic service he served in many functions in Israel and abroad, inter alia: Ambassador to Romania, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry, and Ambassador to Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia and to the UNO in Vienna. These Reflections are based on the author's activities in developing relations with these three states in substance and in quantity, his discussions with the heads of these states and their discussions with their Israeli counterparts, surveying their internal and external policies, describing the local Jewish communities and the activities to foster relations with them and to strengthen their national s tatus. These reflections have a documentary nature and constitute a unique and important source for research regarding the history of Israel's relations with Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia from the beginning of the 1990s, characterized by the end of the Cold War, following such historic events as the dismemberment of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the end of the presidency of Austria's Kurt Waldheim, when he was "persona non grata" in many parts of the world, including Israel, as well as the signing of the Oslo Agreements, known as the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO.

In the Years 1989-1991 Israel renewed its diplomatic relations with the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Poland and Czechoslovakia, relations which were severed subsequent to the Six- day- war. Albania was added to the above, with which Israel established diplomatic relations for the first time. In these years Israel's representatives held talks with envoys from East Germany towards establishing diplomatic relations. This was never fulfilled due to East Germany's refusal to recognize its part in paying restitutions to Israel for its part in the persecution of Jews during the Nazi rule and due to the approaching German reunification process. The Author, who served in those years as Deputy Director General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in charge of East and Central Europe, and who took part in these processes, documents, for the first time, the chain of contacts between Israel and the countries of East-Central Europe (except for the USSR) which lead up to renewing diplomatic relations between them. The book also deals with their hostile policies towards Israel in the international and Middle Eastern arena, Anti-Semitism against the Jewish minority living among them, and the status of the Jewish Communities in these countries during the break in Diplomatic relations and in the time that followed. The Political and Economic motivations of each of these countries to improve relations with Israel are also dealt with from the mid-eighties of the previous century towards a gradual renewal of diplomatic relations together with their liberation from their dependence on the USSR and their transition from their Communist regime to a liberal one.