Out of Zion

Shelley Neese: Welcome to the Out of Zion podcast. I'm Shelley Neese, filling in for Dr. Susan Michael. Today, I have with me my fellow Floridian, Liz Berker, who is the co-founder of Strong Voices for Israel. Liz, welcome to the show.

Tell us what Strong Voices for Israel is and how this started. This is a fairly new organization.

Liz Berker: It is. We're just under two years old right now. It was a child of three really dedicated Zionists that wanted to make a change. I joined forces with two incredible IDF reservists, Max Long and Noy Leyb.

We realized that there was something missing in Jewish advocacy and in the building of bridges between Jewish and Christian communities. That was well-trained speakers who have an understanding of how to communicate effectively their powerful stories and testimonies to non-Jewish, faith-based communities.

We wanted to make sure that these congregations, whether it was a church in the Midwest that has no access to these stories or whether it's a Christian university or high school, that they're able to have someone come to them with the stories and connect on a human level, one-to-one. So we put together Strong Voices for Israel and have had the pleasure of working with some amazing organizations, pastors, and schools.

Shelley Neese: It's not random that you founded this because this is also just your professional life. You help people to be better trained to communicate. So that was also just something that you saw. If we tell the story better, it will be more effective in touching hearts and minds.

Liz Berker: Absolutely. I've been teaching communication skills for years, and that's one of the reasons why I noticed what was going on. I'm the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, so after October 7th, every Jew's life changed. Mine changed profoundly when I saw the increase in antisemitism immediately and saw the world's response on October 8th.

I knew I had to do something. I started off with publishing my father's manuscript that had been sitting around for about 40 years waiting for me to go in and edit it. Once I did, it started the ball rolling of what I thought was needed in getting these stories out there. Now I take much more pride, passion, and dedication to bringing these really important stories to people that need to hear them the most.

Shelley Neese: I know it's doubled your workload in effect, but you are the person to answer this call. When I'm an outsider looking in, what I see is that this was probably your therapy, too. In a post-October 7th world, everyone was working through the trauma and the newly released stories every day. You were doing something; it was a form of therapy to be able to take your skill set and use it for good.

Tell us Noy and Max's story. I've had the opportunity to meet both of them and hear it from them, but they're not here right now and you know their stories like the back of your hand. First, start with Max.

Liz Berker: I'm actually very sad that they're not with me because we were all three of us here together in DC last year. They walk around and at least once they're identified as an IDF soldier, people ask them questions. We couldn't walk even 10 steps without people coming to them, which shows exactly what the need is. They would come to them and pray for them and want to hear their story, which really reinforced our mission.

Noy, who is the first person that I connected with, is an IDF reservist. At the time of October 7th, he was in New York. He had just been working on a startup, and the call came. It was time for him to make a decision and without hesitation, he went straight back to Israel and enlisted in his reserve duty. What he was doing was already in the world of advocacy and explanation, explaining really what's going on in Israel for many years now and speaking at universities and college campuses. He immediately once he went into Gaza started sharing exactly what was going on there, which is very powerful.

Then we both connected with Max Long, another extraordinary young man and lone soldier from Boston originally. He enlisted in the army, and then after he finished his service, he was really passionate about doing something for lone soldiers like himself. Knowing that he wants them to be able to stay in Israel and be comfortable and start a life, he started Growing Wings, a nonprofit that helps lone soldiers and supports them in so many different ways.

It was such a natural progression to do Strong Voices for Israel to be able to give these lone soldiers the opportunity to share their stories as well. Another thing that many people know Max for is that he goes to DePaul University now. About a year and a half ago, he was doing the same thing of trying to educate, trying to communicate, and have human connections at one-to-one levels. He stood outside with a sign saying, "I'm an IDF soldier, let's talk. Let's have a conversation." Unfortunately, he was viciously attacked physically.

It was all over the news. There's been a court case about it and it's taken a lot of national awareness because of the importance of standing up for Jewish students everywhere, including our soldiers, against this horrific antisemitism on campuses. Max is a tough cookie and he took it on. He proudly is doing what needs to be done to keep speaking, keep sharing his story, and making an impact and ultimately bridging our communities with education.

Shelley Neese: Didn't he go back to that school after the incident?

Liz Berker: He's still there. I think his mother is probably used to it already with him being a lone soldier and keeping going back because they're both active reservists. He refuses to give up. He's still going to DePaul, even with all the hate that's there. There's a still active lawsuit. The Lawfare Project is responsible for the lawsuit right now with DePaul as well.

Shelley Neese: What has the experience been like for both of them in going into these Christian spaces, going into churches, and telling their story? I'm asking with fear and trembling because I hope it's been positive.

Liz Berker: It's been tremendously positive. This is what I try to share with the Jewish folk. I've had the blessing from the past almost two years to be working with so many different organizations and attending these incredible conferences. Most Jewish people don't understand the love and support that's out there.

We prefer to go to communities that are already pro-Israel or already have some kind of belief and love for Israel. It's of course more welcoming that way, even though we still do welcome the opportunity to educate others. But to be able to see a room full of whether it's students or congregants at the end of our speaker's presentations just get up, want to hug, want to rush up to the stage to want to just give their love to the speaker is powerful.

Furthermore, everybody screaming "Am Yisrael Chai" at the end is a feeling that every Jew should experience. So it has been extremely powerful, and I thank God every day that I have the opportunity to witness it and hopefully also share it with the Jewish world so that they know firsthand.

Shelley Neese: You are our ambassador to the Jewish world that the Christians love you and it's sincere. My other question is just what we are seeing happening in the world today. Do you have a positive outlook for how all of this goes forward? Where are we at with just the spread of antisemitism? Is it ebbing and flowing, waning, or increasing?

Liz Berker: I think it's contextual and I think it all depends on what personal experience you have. There's so much information and we take little tidbits here and there, whether it's from social media or whether it's from the news. Ultimately, we're going to be making our judgment based on our personal experience. While I'm in these environments, of course, I'm hopeful.

I think we have a lot of extremely powerful, brave, strong leaders like yourself, Susan, and so many that we work with, like Eagles' Wings. There's just a tremendous amount of people in this space that are working diligently day and night to make a difference. They are, and we are together.

I think we have to be aware and we have to continuously be focusing on where our attention needs to be because I am concerned as well. The rise in hate and the rise in the far-right nationalism and America-only movement—not America first, because we all agree that America first is what we should believe in—is very scary. I think that we need to address it. As long as we join forces, as long as we share what we're doing in our mission, and as long as the Jewish and Christians work in unity, then I think we do have a chance.

It's a long-term game. This is not an instant gratification game. I say that whenever I speak at a church. Whatever plans and strategy we have shouldn't be just for immediate remedy. There's no Band-Aid you can put on it and then see things change. We have to lay the seeds down right now in a smart and calculated way, and then I think we'll be able to see the reaps of that in a couple of years.

Shelley Neese: We all know just the power of personal testimony. It just sits in the mind differently than if you're presented with a lecture of facts and figures. Telling the story of a war is a very granular thing to do. What you're doing is so important.

Even just when we take groups to Israel, it's one thing to walk the Nova site or see the monument of all the burned-out cars, which are totally overwhelming. But without someone meeting you there, without a Nova survivor meeting you there, or without hearing from an IDF soldier on the Gaza border, it's all too overwhelming and it doesn't sit in your brain and your soul the same way as when you hear it through one human and their experience.

Last year you joined us. Tell people how to find you, how to find Max, how to find Noy, and how to find Strong Voices for Israel.

Liz Berker: They just have to go to www.strongvoicesforisrael.org and you'll be able to read about us. You'll be able to send us a request if you'd like a speaker. We have IDF reservists, October 7th survivors, students that had experienced campus antisemitism, and Holocaust descendants. I speak as well, and we have others that speak about their direct experience from their parents.

Just request us and we will do our best to get a speaker out to you, whether it's in person or even virtually. You're right, it's that personal one-on-one. Our soldiers and our speakers sometimes don't just do a presentation. We've had Max play laser tag with college students. We do things that they can relate to, which is important.

What I've found is we have some amazing Christian brothers and sisters that are very pro-Israel because of theology, because of their belief in Scripture, as they should be. But we want them to have a stronger connection to Israel and not everybody can go to Israel. Many have the blessing to, but not everybody can, so we want to be that bridge for them to be able to give them that firsthand experience. Like you said, even Holocaust survivors—not everyone will remember the history book they read or the lecture they heard, but if anyone has had the blessing to meet a Holocaust survivor and hear their story, they remember that the rest of their lives.

Shelley Neese: Last year, we were privileged for you to join us for our Israel Advocacy Day in May. You were part of the Florida constituency. What was that experience like for you as a Jewish woman living in the Southeast?

Liz Berker: I have chills. That's how my experience was. It was very emotional. It was an extremely emotional experience that I didn't expect it to be. I teach emotional management, so I thought I had it under control, and being there blew it away.

That was my first really hardcore experience to work closely both with pastors, with other leaders in the community, and some Jewish communities. There were only a few of us, but hopefully this year we're expecting to get more of the Jewish community there. But to be able to do something, to learn myself about the history in the Christian world and then the antisemitism with Susan, which was amazing, and to see the Christians want to learn more about the rise of antisemitism and want to take action was beautiful.

I can't even tell you what my favorite part was because it started with the incredible event at the Museum of the Bible, which that in itself was extremely moving with speakers that I still remember what they talked about today. Then the lobbying—that was the first time I lobbied. That was my first time on Capitol Hill. I have never been involved in politics. I've trained some politicians, but I haven't been involved in politics and it was extremely rewarding to do it in unity.

A lot of times we do things on our own and we want to make an impact. When you're mission-driven in everything and anything that you do, sometimes you're really surrounded about self: what can I do to do this? What can I do to make a difference continuously? Not from a place of ego, just a place of your mission that you're driven by. So to be able to do that with other people was such a blessing and a reward. Israel Advocacy Day is just what triggered that desire to keep on doing it. So it is something that I highly recommend. I am so looking forward to it again this year and I urge many, whether it's pastors or rabbis or just Jewish philanthropists or anybody that is really involved in this mission of building the relationships within the Jewish and Christian communities.

Shelley Neese: I think one reason why the response rate from members of Congress was so positive was because we were saying this is a group of rabbis, pastors, and Jewish and Christian leaders. Sending this message of "we've united around this issue" was important. We agree that Israel is not just a Jewish issue, not just a Christian issue, but this is an America-first issue that we can all unite behind.

I do think that got their attention and also, we're relational people. Even if we were just coughing in between advocacy meetings, that's my favorite part—just being able to connect with people from your local community across the aisles. America needs to support Israel and especially people of faith. Liz, thank you so much. This was wonderful. Thank you for listening to the Out of Zion podcast.

Liz Berker: Thank you for having me.