#141: Behind the Bima - Rabbi Uri Pilichowski

from boaron Florida this is behind the Bea on this week's episode Rabbi Goldberg and co-host Rabbi Philip BT and Rabbi Josh Brody are joined by Rabbi URI pichowski educator columnist and author of Zionism today Rabbi pichowski talks about what Zionism really means explains how he tries to defend Israel and shares his perspective on how to educate the Next Generation about Israel also discussions on trips to Israel and how Israel has changed since October 7th all this and more behind the be welcome to the newest episode of behind the Bea as always incredibly honored more honored than ever to be joined by my dear friends and colleagues Rabbi MTZ and Rabbi bro we have a great guest tonight Rabbi pichas who used to live here and has been doing amazing things in Israel for many years and passionate enthusiastic and persuasive really great conversation about about Israel today and so many different facets of it Rob Brody you just got back from yet another mission that was trip number three number three since October 7th moscot and I are going the end of January on our trip number three and we want to keep going and we want to keep organizing and arranging and helping others to go any highlights from this most recent trip you want to share with us sure and I think it's actually incredible because almost every week since October 7th there's been another group coming from our community whether it's through the schools or from the members of our school it's it's really special but the story keeps evolving and I think every time we bring another group it's always the same concern people on the trip and also people that are watching the trips are saying why are you guys going what are you doing what do what do you think it's going to add and you heard this this past shabas where where Jim got up and he said that he heard from one of the great generals and one of the army bases we were we were we were visiting and I know you probably say it better than me but they said that we're at a very low point and um your your your visit actually means so much now let me ask you a question because you've now been on the third time you've been to many of the places three times so you've seen it closer to October 7th you've seen it in the middle and now you've seen it most Rec recently can you give us an example of one of those places and how that experience has evolved like how you experience I give you I'll give you a few examples and and every place we visit we give it give it introduction you know just be prepared we don't we're not here to scare you we not here to shock you and we give it an introduction this is this is what you can expect to experience this is what you can expect to see Although seeing it and touching it and feeling it it's gonna be very different than anything you can anticipate and for example you go to the the car parking lot where there's going to be two parking lots 2,000 cars and we say oh guess what they're because of the The Blood Stained uh chairs and seats in the cars they're going to crush them and they're going to uh bury them but that seems to not be the story right now now they're not going to bury them they keep going through them they have these giant vacuum cleaners that they're taking out unfortunately body parts which are going to be buried but at that point they're not going to bury them and we go we walk into the hotels oh be prepared you're going to see all these people living there and they're kids running around and there's kids in the different offices and in the gym having classes but in The Plaza Hotel now you walk in and you see kids wearing backpacks on their way to the local schools so it's a different story it's still very jarring you you've never gotone to a hotel in your life and seeing children walk walking out of a hotel with their parents going to school that's already an experience but it's it's different story it keeps changing and does it get old for you meaning you're somebody who went to living countless times yeah so does it lose its impact its effect no I think the the way we introduced this trip was maybe this was as a result of the the first two trips is try it's not easy you want to take photos and you want to take a video and you want to but try be in the moment because there's so much to experience and I think when you anticipate what you're going to see because you've been there before actually gets a little bit more intense interesting because of the experience yeah not it's like the song or the the thing that you've watched that you watch again or you listen to again because you know where it's going you're like pumped up or experiencing it differently and and also on some of the I I you know space out a little bit on on some of the other trips you know you it's very hard to to to to take it all in at once and I remember there were one or two places in bar where where we were together where I remember just saying I missed that story I I just did I saw everyone's reaction and I just didn't get it so I knew to go and pay a little bit more attention this time yeah I found that even in our trip but I'm still processing in other words it took me days after we got home to fully like revisit all those images and all the stories and all the speeches and all the people that we met it's so hard on these condensed really short trips to grab it all in and what you're really kind of doing is you're taking like snapshots with your head and then on the plane home and then when you get home to your family and they ask you about the stories and we have to speak about and SCH you kind of relive those experiences and you process it in your head a little bit so I find like even to this day I go back to those stories and I'm still trying to understand them internalize them and emotionally connect with them for sure you know what you said is really important in quoting Jim and even even that comment mes there are several people have reached out to me who have opportunities to go to Israel whether it's for Yeshiva week or on a mission and they're like it's a war zone can I really get around does it really make a difference will it really matter am I really contributing anything is it just a photo op for me is it just a Feelgood for me right should I bother and and we can't reiterate strongly enough and you don't once you go there you'll you'll you'll smile and you say I heard them on the be behind the be say this and they were 100% right the the greeting the warmth the welcome the difference the not to give ourselves credit or Pat ourselves in the back whatsoever we are nothing nothing nothing nothing but we are something and and it means something it means something with the people who need it the most just like it means something when you show up to go home to go visit to call a loved one and and and you just show up ah but they didn't take away the problem or the challenge or reverse it or undo it but but you showed up and that means something it means something to Big brute strong Rambo soldiers it means something to them you watch them melt when they read a card from a kid and it means something to people in the that were decimated and and you know we say that not to celebrate ourselves but to encourage and motivate those who have hesitations if you have the capacity if you have the time and you have the ability don't don't wait don't wait you will never regret it not for one second you will always look back you will tell your children and grandchildren it will wake something up inside you and you will not regret it so if you could do it Yeshiva week maybe you could join us for the two days that we're planning there for for BRS community and if we're able to Beyond um but you will not regret it for one second and I had a whole conversation with a friend on on Friday they are they have other plans for Isa break that they made long before October 7th and they are really struggling with whether to go through with those original plans or to switch it and come to Israel at a significant financial cost for them and one of the factors is exactly what you just said he said how could I look my children in the face and lose out on this educational opportunity for them to lose out to talk to them about what it means to be part of the Jewish people in a time of War how you do things differently how you curtail some of your normal fun activities because the Jewish people are going through suffering and he said you know I don't have an itinerary I don't have a plan I place to stay he said but I'm gonna go and even though it's going to cost me a lot of money I'm going to do it because I want my kids to know that that's where my values are it's not in a cruise it's not in Panama it's not in Greece and again there are valid reasons to go to all that I'm not making judgment I'm saying for this guy he felt it was such a missed educational opportunity to talk to his children about that that of showing up when it's important yeah and and not everybody can we recognize we respect there are people listening who wish they could take the time off work or arrange or or be able to afford not simple at all but but if you can and and you won't regret it for one second gentlemen great to be back together again and to be able to have this conversation with our friend Rabbi URI really uh very interesting angles perspectives refreshing approach on a lot of things that others feel strongly about might reopen and how they think about things so we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did it's great to be reunited with our dear friend Rabbi URI pachowski dear friend colleague lived and worked in boka and with us at Boer atone synagogue for several years and has remained our friendship has only grown but also being a colleague and partnering and working together on the things that we care so deeply about so Rabbi pachowski thank you for taking the time and going with us behind the Bea thank you for having me so you I've been waiting years to uh to be this famous and uh yeah a dream come true you are the the second pachki first we had the mayor the morash of a mayor and uh we're going in in order of importance so it's good to have you now um Rabbi pichowski you you've just come out with a new book Zionism today incredibly important book a beautiful book you have tremendous hkas the endorsements and testimonials from a range of people speak to your relationships and speak to the significance of the book but why why put out a new book about Zionism as if that book case is not full enough there aren't enough books scholarly historical biographical what what is your book introduced to this landscape of the conversation on Zionism that was missing beforehand un five books on Zionism yeah Danny Gus's book is excellent I mean you want to talk about ban you want to talk about some of the those are all in the history those are all in the history of Israel and Zionism okay sareba wrote a book against Zionism we could so so my book's a little different right so uh you know like I take a different approach it truth is I'm not just being you know fous here but there are very few books on on actual Zionism that doesn't cover that's not really about Israel um so I thought that it's important that we actually study Zionism um I work for neish fish and every fast challenged me two years ago to start bringing Zionism to the Forefront of discussions among people being that's the foundation of the state of Israel and Truth to be told I kind of bluffed my way through the interview I didn't really know so much about Zionism I knew a lot about Israel but not so much about Zionism and I spent like the last couple years really studying Zionism um and I find it a fascinating human experiment so this is like really the conclusion of uh of a lot of the topics that I studied over the last couple years and I thought that it's important that we that we think about these topics a lot of times we just we're always on defense about Israel or we're always you know trying to get our opinions out there Israel but let's take a step back and and examine what this whole philosophy is all about that's what the book is and it really thinks it challenge you to think that's the goal of the book not telling you what to think but giving you things to think about so it's it's adding something that didn't exist before it's not just the history of the modern state of Israel it's a philosophy and IDE it's a philosophy and an ideology about about Z it's interesting that RAB F challenged you to write it as part of Neeses no no no no to speak about to speak about ZM I got it right to talk to teach about Zionism the book is very much not connected to NE can you clarify one thing for our listeners you said you know a lot about Israel but you didn't know a lot about Zionism can you just clarify that statement what exactly does that mean what are some things that you learned along the way yeah so thanks so for Zionism is is the is a philosophy and a movement right it's both yeah and uh the state of Israel is something that exists it's it was the it was the achievement of all of those thinkers um but it came out very different every there was never a definition given to Zionism they never got up at one of the Zionist conferences and said hey this is what we're talking about um they just kind of everybody kind of assumed they knew and if you think about it for a second right is Zionism a religious or a secular movement is it capitalist is it socialist right there's no definition of Zionism is is a very very open door type of uh type of thing where everybody can walk through um and and find their place in this and the but the one you know overriding feature was that we are a people um we have rights as a people and we have a land that's ours and we need to go back to that land that and we have and we should rule that land that should be our land that's the one thing that everybody agreed to within the Zionist camp and then you had a lot of different debates because we never really coales around one definition and then after 50 years of activis M we we we achieved our goal which was like you amazing and uh and then we had a state and uh you know what a br right that we had this that we have this state and now what do we do with this state right so now you know taking the Zionist ideals and now what do we do with it so those are those are some of the things that yeah that I didn't know there wasn't a definition of Zionism I figured that was the first thing I started looking up yeah what's the definition of Zionism and then you can't find one because there is no you you'll look at Wikipedia it'll give you a definition because it has to but that's there's nobody that says this is the definition of Zionism and your definition your book reflects a religious Zionism what would a secular zionna say about your book my book is not an wolf is one of the people that wrote It's A friend of mine she's a atheist a former concent member um very very a big opponent of religious Zionism has a lot of problems with it and yet we get along you know and uh so it's it's if you read into her like the way that she praises the book she says religious zence because I'm I'm religious and I'm a Zionist so I come from a from a certain perspective but there's many there's 101 chapters in the books and many of them are not uh are not have anything to do with religion at all and and a lot of Zionism doesn't have to do with religion right we joked before about about Satur is was SBA a Zionist of course he was because he daved every day he said if you take the word and Zion he too longed for a return to our homeland he just had a different path how to get there Kish was the Kish a Zionist Kish said everybody should vote it's a Mitzvah it's a Mitzvah he said like M eating M but it's a but it's a Mitzvah so was the Zion so to a certain degree every Jew no matter what their orientation is a Zionist the question is how that expresses the Manifest well I was going to formulate that a little bit different which is that in America the word Zionism is a complicated word for better or worse there are many segments of the Orthodox Community some of whom live in our community men of whom live up in New York who the word Zionism they don't relate to but they very much relate to Israel so what would you say to ER Israel so what there there's a Great Divide between ER Israel and Medina Israel right that's one divide there's a divide I don't there's there very few people that are like especially Torah Jews you quote s ex me I would even say TARTA right which are which is even more extreme example of people that that dress you know and observe address as if they observe the Torah and you know act as if they observe the Torah you know I don't look at what anybody actually does so let's assume they do observe the other parts of the right and uh and so you look at them and their their objection is it's a matter of timing right they they live in there Isel these people right they live in y right Carta right Carta means the Guardians of the capital right so so they they just feel that the state shouldn't be today right so they don't disagree with any of the tenants of Zion they just disagree with the timing of the movement so they they would say that they're zionists no Zionism has Zionism has this connotation I think that's R Goldberg's whole point right that that you know what's what's his Zionist so R Goldberg's saying let's expand the the the tent as far as we could possibly expand it and say anybody that loves erell is a Zionist today right and yeah so that let me let me POS a little different to you is is the the the more or K light family but who moves their family who's more of a Zionist the one who lives in Baton does douglan eats blue and white cookies sits under their palm tree raising money for barbecuing for soldiers goes every year for sukus wears a says or or the one who who moves to Israel who children move to Israel and maybe they haven't fully they vote in the election they pay taxes in Israel maybe their children don't go to the Army which is we can talk more about the complicated part about that so who meaning the one who moved to Israel pays tax in Israel contributes to the economy of Israel it's been told to me by by by it's misrepresentative in the contribution to the economy of Israel just by their population numbers so they're contributing to the population who's really the more of theion the kipasa wearing Israel flag waving Hollow of the Braha reciting Jew in tinac the five towns or batone or I'm not I'm not expressing an opinion I'm just saying that it's so complicated this question of that word Zionist and who meets our criteria of right so we we don't why do we have to have criteria of who's a Zion who car okay guys you know you're you're Bon and doing all the things you said so okay we love you here Zionist great and you're in Israel and you don't uh and you do all the things youa said okay we love you also right you're everybody's zus who cares like you know why do we have to like oh you are you are like that's the whole point let everybody in you know you're all zionists you all love Israel we all love you you're all Jews right everybody's great then if you're a non-jewish Zionist we love you too right so uh we're a big Love Fest who cares have to start say this guy is this guy isn't well the MOs just got scared of the dog even though it's 6,000 I'm trying to figure out is Miles Away let me ask you a question also we had a guest on a few months ago where it said we said what does it feel like to be an Israeli and the guy shot back he says I'm not an Israeli I'm a Jew there's a guy living in Israel what what does that mean I mean Israeli is a fat like you you like you you belong like the way the world works today is you live in a country you're a citizen of that country like these are just facts if a guy sits there and says I I have Israeli citizenship but I'm not Israeli say no you are now you could disagree with many of the policies of the state of Israel and say I really don't want to be associated with the state of Israel but then you should move and give up your citizenship if you really don't want to be Israeli otherwise like it's just a fact like people so Afra of why why are people I don't know I don't know this man so I don't know what he's afraid of well can I can I phrase it to you differently and I'll tell you how we got here because Let's Go full circle to Rabbi fast is also a dear friend of ours colleague of ours we're so grateful Bon synagogue and Neeses he's a a major part of of Jewish history of of the newer books of of tanak that are being written so we have only the greatest admiration F incredible but I wonder I wonder and I'm I'm asking out loud I don't have an opinion I want to hear yours whether focusing no whether focusing emphasizing and and speaking about Zionism is actually the winning strategy to getting more alah or can become the impediment because I think there's an enormous group of people who feel connected more than ever especially since October 7th to the fate and destiny of the Jewish people in Israel to arat Israel to the soldiers to the and and like RAB masat said that word Zionism just you know for some people yes Pride Zionist absolutely for others it's like no no no no no no don't don't careful don't don't don't don't get me dirty with that label so I just wonder whether couching it in that term will actually help and increase neish benfish is incredible work of Aliah or could for some even be an impediment where let's not talk about that let's just talk about you're moving here you're making Aliah you're becoming a citizen you're voting you're paying taxes you're adding to the economy and where you live and what your ideology is that's not relevant to trying to get you from to the so I I don't I think that like not going to speak on behalf of really fast for sure not and definitely not on behalf of neish manfish because right so you know but I could just say like I've never met anybody that said I'm not gonna move to Israel because there's this thing called Zionism you know like uh Zionism exists like there's a reality to the world we're past this argument right this argument happened decades ago U and and there's a state of Israel and it exists and there's a movement called Zionism and is and it exists and you can associate with it you don't associate with it you can live in AR and be a productive member of societ you know and I think I think if you if anybody studied Zionism they would find their corner of it that they like and they don't have to accept at all I definitely don't right I'm not an guy you know so and uh you know there a lot of things that herzo wrote that I'm still shocked by and uh but there's a lot of things that that uh that zist WR that I do agree with and I and I do find favor with so I think that you moving to erell and making Aliah which is ne's you know mission is to is to increase Aliah to celebrate Aliah and to facilitate Alia especially uh so that that's just ER is AR to medell it has good stuff it has bad stuff and you come here and make it better if you have problems that's a it's a democracy everybody gets to say so what's the Argent if you if you could talk to three rabbis who speak to American Jews regularly and say Here's the message that if you'd only share this people would come on Aliyah right because we get that regularly from people we speak about We're Not Afraid we talk Aliah all the time we encourage it we push it we celebrate those who've made it we talk about our own struggle with it and the question of not if but when so so we're all ears so if you had the script if the American Rabin it got together and Rabbi pachowski could deliver them the script and say if only you'd get up this would be the winning argument here's how you could awaken and arouse and Inspire more Jews to right now come to Israel what would that script include so I'm a teacher I'm an educator I I don't have like these winning you know formulas if if somebody had this then everybody would would be here already you know like uh like that's not this is not how it works I think that uh I don't have an answer to that question I think for me I can tell you for me why why you when when I moved from batone which is a wonderful community and and supported by the way not just the Valia but have great tremendous gratitude the support that you gave me my family to our town during s Tor right that all the things that that the Bon Community is beautiful um but when I decided to leave it and come to arel so I don't know if you remember but it was during soan was in 2014 and we had reporters as the mosquit was moving into our community we were moving out we had reporters doing uh doing interviews with us and one of the reporters said you're you're moving into a a like a war zone was and it was a war zone my first night show we got rocket attacks you know that was we moved in we were the only neish mefish flight that didn't have a party we had to get out of the airport as as fast as possible and I One reporter from Florida asked me like live on television so why are you moving in war and I just had one word answer it's home that's what spoke to me th this is our home and you can decide that you're not going to live at home many people don't live at home right um if you decide to make your house somewhere else but this land is our home this is the Jewish people's home this where you always feel at home and sometimes home is difficult sometimes home has challenges but you're always going to be home here that's what spoke to me that's why I always wanted to come back to erus because erus was home for me and uh and that's the way I feel every day that I'm here I wake up every day it's a dream to be at home and uh and number one number living the dream number I I never know it by heart I always got to look it up on Google day since July 24th yeah but it's uh it's over 3,000 you know days and it's it's just it's it's it's it's so special to be here and such an opportunity to be here and uh and and by the way I'm gonna be the first guy to say it's not for everybody it's definitely not for everybody but it's it's something that everybody should strive for um it should everybody should have some sort of a of a plan when I when one day I'll get there that's where I want to be and uh and I think that's that's the message I know and again I don't know if it's the winning message I don't think that there's ever going to be a message you get up in front of American jewelry and here's your formula and everybody says whoa yeah I never thought of it that way let's get on the next flight you know but uh I think that the idea that this this is home this is really home can I pivot the conversation a little bit first of all that was beautiful and um just me that we're going to have a tough conversation in my house tonight but I appreciate that um just to Pivot a little bit I remember when you made Aliah and I asked you what you're going to do in Israel you did so much advocacy here so much APAC ad you know activism and you said I don't know but I'm gonna figure it out I'm gonna figure out a way to use my voice in Israel and you certainly have anyone who follows you on social media knows that the pilichowski palace is a stop for groups trips federations apack missions of people to come and to learn about what life is like what we'll call over the green line in Yehuda vishon and you host enormous amount of groups in all those groups that you host what do you think is the number one misnomer that American jurry has about people like you and I use like you as purpose you call yourself a settler right you you post yes I'm a settler I'm the settler that everyone talks he's a rational settler he's Ral what is the number one misnomer that American Jews who visit the pilichowski palace have about you your lifestyle and the choices that you made the number one I mean it's it's a they think it's a war zone right they think they're going to come here and there be violence they're amazed to find out that in the 44 years of our town we've never had a terror attack we've never had Rockets you know so we had a Yeshiva that that came over Yeshiva from Y is about 100 guys came over Friday night for for an on egg and the parents were nervous when they found out that you know they'd be going to mitz Bay where I live and uh and so the the manah the principal of the Yesa wrote to me and said what should I tell these parents I tell him tell we haven't had a siren in 10 years you know and that was like a and that was a mistake yeah like uh so like when people come here and it's it's quiet all the time like it's just it's just silent here absolutely silent and I know you don't I know you don't believe it but I'm gonna say banara Okay continue okay so yeah I don't know how that would fit but yeah so so that so we you know and uh and and thank God look look you know we has blessed this town like uh you know um we just you know show and we're we're grateful that we have that piece of mind so people come and they expect to see you know like armed guards and we don't have a fence around our town you know we like uh boka place there are neighborhoods in boka that are that look more like a war zone then than uh than here in mitz Bay and uh yeah maybe not not today because of the war but you know but uh but like it's it's like safe here we don't have you know we don't have these issues and so that's so I think that's the biggest uh the biggest mistake people make and the biggest misconception that they have and they're coming into a war zone They Come to like a very nice suburban community in the desert and they're shocked by that how important was it that you moved to mitzpe like was was a place that was not uh over the green line so to speak you sham was that was that a was that an option or you know you said we're going we're going we got to be in that we moved here not for ideology sake we moved here for financial reasons um we wanted I didn't want to share walls I don't like living in an apartment um you like that that's my own like craziness and uh so I wanted a nice siiz house and they're very expensive in Israel nice siiz homes and uh they're expensive anywhere you know so so I wanted that and uh and I want it to be close to us so try to find that somewhere you're not going to find that anywhere else but uh but and even now it's find M right yeah my home is has overd doubled in value since I bought it nine years ago yeah so uh so I don't think I could afford it today but then I could thank God that I did so uh so that's why I moved here but not the ideology came much laughter then I started looking into it and saying yeah when I came here I was like a big two-state guy I was like oh we're going to make peace I'm going to be friends with all the guys in eure and uh you you know and we're gonna change things you know that that was my big misconception but uh yeah talk to us Rie peski you are not currently uh wearing a uniform and fighting in the IDF but you are fighting for Israel online and offline daily uh educating students in America advocating getting access to the the highest most powerful people who who influence policy and you're fighting the good fight on on social media anyone who follows you and and you should mention your social media handle so people can follow you and see the intelligent informed conversation and and support you in the fights that you're fighting including with a regular spat I see that you have back and forth with a former US ambassador and and other other ongoing conversations um talk to us a little bit about that what what before the war and and now during the war what are the most what are you focused most on in correcting the record is it about Israel's right to defend itself are you fighting for what comes next I know yesterday the US had some strong opinions about about benier and smotrich who talked about relocating the Palestinians from Gaza and the US felt strongly about it then there's now news that you that actually Israel is talking with the Congo and trying to actually find a home for them so is that where you're advocating what what do you view as your mission is it just always setting the record straight on Israel is there a unit are you in in the in the Israel fight I've been rejected by the IDF three times you know and I think that uh I would I would love yeah I always I don't know why but you know I always try to tell people yeah that's that's the real those are the real Warriors the guys are the typewriters you know we're not we're not Warriors we're not fighting any fights like this a joke you know we're we're on Twitter so much just like we like to say like oh yeah you're a war I I I want to get rid of that notion the difference between me and a soldier is is night and day and you know light years apart from each other um what I try to I'm an educator I'm not an advocate on online I'm an educator I try when I see mistakes to point them out to people especially with Ambassador indic who unfortunately with all his scholarship makes a lot of mistakes so I try to I try to point out like uh you know the error where when he makes them uh so but I like I just interrupt you for one second have you ever connected with him offline meaning is there a relationship outside of the Twitter stats that take place no and it's not that we don't give not into like that often like we use each other you know he uses me as like the crazy settler and I use him as the you know the Ambassador that guy that gets it wrong you know there's so many American ambassadors that get it right you know that I'm very close with you know Ambassador and NES and Ambassador Ambassador fredman and then Ambassador Shapiro these are all wonderful men who did great work and uh and and Stephanie howed who's now the uh the acting Ambassador until Ambassador Lou gets back from his vacation yeah so these are all uh these are all incredible people and uh and they do great work but I I see myself as an educator and I'm trying to get across the facts most the most important thing is that the Jewish people have a right to this land and the right to govern this land that's very important to me and uh and that's that's from baru and that's from international law that's from history that's morality um we've got it all behind us I like I have a class that I give at nees that I think is is one of the most powerful classes where it's not only that I show that we have a a stronger argument than any opponent in this land the Jewish people have a stronger argument to the land of Israel than any other nation in the world has to their own land we have the strongest and and it's you know it's so important to recognize that that that we we are we're the one of the oldest people of this of this Earth and nobody has the arguments and the claims to their land that we have this is our land and nobody's taking this from us so that's my main message that this is uh you know that's what I try to educate about and when people get that wrong I like to point that out and you know and I like to and reinforce that message as much as I can we were very lucky last week we had a class with Rabbi pichowski at neish benfish we didn't know what the class was going to be on and then when he presented it with the following question he does a country need borders and then what are what's the history of Israel's borders we spent two hours discussing it and he brought all the maps you know thousands of years ago to the current day it was very clear that we had no clue we had no clue on on on understanding this and and no perspective and even now we we're all we all printed out the the slides that you gave us and the joke was that we're going to get a test from you afterwards but we're not prepared we just don't we just don't even know and that was and we're educated on Israel we we we feel like we know Israel and yet we still don't even understand the the classic uh borders where are the schools making the mistake how how come we all went through Jewish Day schools we all learned about it but we don't we don't seem to know the basics well I don't think schools are making a mistake you know yeah schools have a lot of a lot of I teach in American schools you know so like I'm the guy making the mistake then also um but I don't think you didn't teach us in JC okay so goldber and I wear a fish together we got a wonderful education um s m and myties I'm sure got a wonderful education as well and uh and I think the schools are doing a great job I just think there's a limited amount of hours in the day um to go through things so if if the schools would would spend the entire day on Israel then yes every kid would would love you know would know everything about Israel but they wouldn't know anything about about Torah they wouldn't know any mathematics they wouldn't know uh they wouldn't know you know ha um so Okay so we've got us you know economize our time as much as possible I think all schools are doing a wonderful job I don't think we should criticize schools at all I think that people have to study on their own you know people have to learn on their own um and that requires a lot of reading and a lot of efforts not podcasts not not uh not videos not not radio shows not you know not movies it mean means you have to read all all those things are great and we all do them and they're wonderful also they're additional but if you don't read you got to gu very books in get a picture of my book I've always made a picture of reading I've got an Israel reading list that it's very important these books you have to you have to read you could read you could read a lot and still not feel the confidence that when you get into a discussion in a college campus when you're sitting in a class at Columbia or NYU or Binghamton or Maryland and someone raises an issue I could have read a million books on Israel but there's a different skill set that says I now have the confidence to be able to get up and to reut something that someone just said you know so again I keep coming back to say Rabbi Goldberg said after his first trip to Israel where you know he got up and chill and he said my conclusion is that Jews in Israel will be fine it's the Jews in America that I worry about and we hear from dozens of students on college campuses many of whom were extremely proud of they've written op EDS they've written very publicly in their college newspapers advocating for Israel and then we also hear from students who feel threatened who feel that a professor said something or a student said something in class and they didn't feel either equipped or confident enough to stand up against them so you can read a lot but how do you develop that skill set that says when I'm sitting in the class in Maryland I'm comfortable fighting back and I'm comfortable at addressing my opinion with confidence I I don't I I tell my students maybe you have a different you know way of approaching this it's fine I tell my students you're not respon you're not Israel's defense attorney you don't have to defend against the this is a college professor like this is somebody who's a professional scholar like you know you expect 18 year-olds how much training when you give our 18 19 20 year olds they can stand up against a college professor the guy's a college professor he plus he has the standing you you he or she has been given the podium in front of 700 students and we are disappointed when our students walk out of the room like how come I couldn't stand up to that college professor who's been teaching for 40 years and speaks with confidence and mocks me when I stand up for Israel of course our our 20y olds don't have a have a chance against them right so and why would we why why would we ever put our why would we tell our 20-y olds to do that D the mishna says right know what to answer it doesn't say go out and answer every single heretic that you see right so so that's I think that's a you know it's a skill set 100% but we don't have to send every single Jew every single Zionist is not Israel's defense attorney there should be a point where we say I have the confidence to know that I have my beliefs I have I I know what I know and that's enough for me and if this person wants to stand up and and say irrational things about about Israel and about the Israeli Palestinian conflict and about Zionism I don't have to listen to them and I don't have to convince them that they're wrong and I don't have to convince the whole world we have a state for 75 years we are thriving thriving who would have ever thought that we would have a state and it would be this good it's amazing our state look what we've built it's incredible it's not being taken away the United Nations doesn't have have a vehicle to take away Israel you can't have a vote and say now the Israel's it's here that's it it's not going anywhere as long as K Bar keeps blessing us with success we're gonna keep going that's all it matters so all we got to do is keep our Focus if some guy in Princeton or in Harvard or in in Penn or in MIT they want to say something bad about Israel because of the hate that's great guess what we're just GNA keep moving and Advance it we don't really care about you and look if Hamas comes after us you know what maybe maybe once in every 50 years 50 years they'll have eight hours of success but guess what's going to happen to you the next 85 days okay you're GNA be sitting in your apartment in Beirut drinking your cup of coffee thinking that you're all full success and one of our f35s is going to come and drop a 2,000 pound bomb bomb on you and that's going to be the end of you and that's what happens when you mess with the state of Israel we are a thriving success we do not have to defend ourselves against anybody else who cares what they think we're moving we're going forward join us come on board and if you don't we're going to run you over bu the book wow what a what a refreshing and different perspective on this that was that was a fantastic answer we're gonna clip that and make you go viral because that was amazing that was amazing the world the world should should hear that passion that was really special that was really amazing let me ask you pichas when you came to Israel you said you were open to you were an advoc for a two-state solution and your opinion changed what is it now what is the solution there's no solution sorry to cut you off there's no solution think there's no Sol who are we G have a solution with there's no solution saying we have no partner we got this practically though what do you what do you do with people whatever that real number is because that same Gaza Ministry of Health of the one who tells the population too so we don't know what the real number is probably much less than the world talks about whatever that real number is that we neither give citizenship in Israel nor do we allow them to have citizenship in their own country I'm not talking about Arab Israelis I'm talking about whatever the real G take take Gaza or take or take y we have we we just have to protect ourselves the people in Gaza are their own people they can decide their own fate whatever they want they want to do this try this again I wouldn't suggest it it's not GNA go well for you but that's that's your that's their problem not ours the world wants to step in and help great our problem is making sure we we are secure we don't have to you say that I'm by the way I'm I'm just as rightwing more right-wing than you so I'm not I'm just I I think I'm leftwing you should hear something neighbors I'm just saying I'm just saying for for the sake of conversation Devil's Advocate but that's not entirely accurate what you just described which is you know it's yours do what you want we're just keeping ourselves safe but we control those borders we allow Goods in or out we create checkpoints we don't allow you to have your own military we don't allow you to have your own economy we don't like because we don't allow you to have your own shipping and transportation meaning it's more than just do what you want be gun and if you mess with us we'll destroy you but all we care about is ourselves and our safety on our side of the fence you go with it's it's not entirely accurate so it's more complicated than that I I I disagree I think it's very simple I I really I I strongly disagree I think that we're we're going to make sure that we do whatever it takes to keep us safe and yes that's going to have adverse effects on our neighbors that want to kill us because every step that we take to secure ourselves is going to be and you could they could change that in an instant people say oh you're not being fair to them oh be fair to them come sit down with us let's have a cup of coffee sign a couple pieces of paper we'll enjoy ourselves but the minute you decide that no you know what you should die okay so then that's not going to go well for you because we're strong and we're and we have the strength and we get to determine what happens to us not you not the world nobody else we agree about that what I'm saying is right now you've got an educational system that over 70% of the residents of what the world calls the West Bank right voted to or or in the poll support whatas did October 7th and the whole reason abas has not held elections is because he would lose Kamas would take over there too so we could say well you do your thing here's a fence we're living on our side of it we'll control the borders for our safety but be gun but that's not so great for us either because we really right there was a tunnel discovered in kevone yesterday the what we need to change Educational Systems we need to for our own Safety and Security for the same reason that you were saying for our own safety security and future aside from being strength the Iron Dome is the invention of of a Yakov not a Israel the notion that you can shoot as many Rockets as you want is we'll blow it up over the sky as supposed to we'll go in and take you out so so how do we change an education system how do we change a culture how do we change how do we how do we change things we can't relocating is Ben and at Le start putting out a proposal let's relocate let's get them out let them be someone else's problem let them be re-educated and reprogrammed elsewhere and uh they're not we can't control another people we can't control another people we can't they're going to do what they do we can only do what we can do we cannot change somebody else the idea that we can go in and change somebody else is is just unrealistic we're not going going to be able to change their educational system we're not going to be able to change what their parents tell their children right that they are what they are we have to deal with the reality of what they are and we have to take their steps we can't change anybody else what would Thomas fredman if he were on this call what would he respond to you no because he would fundamentally disagree with you what would he respond to you I don't know have to ask him I don't care yeah saying the other opinions out there right the other opinions out there say that they took a different worldview which is if you have the power you have the responsibility for everybody around you I fundamentally disagree with that I think that that's not true yeah yes we're powerful because we worked hard to get there right we no one gave us this we worked hard on this right we built this people tens of thousands of people died for this they are continuing to die for this we we built this so somebody else that says now that you've had success and you built this so now you have to you you're responsible somebody else it's just not true so I would I I can't tell you what Thomas freed would say to me I can tell you what I would say to Thomas Freedman with all due respect and respect your scholarship but this this we can't we can only do what we can do that's it tell us what's behind you on the couch I know you're a big student of presidential libraries you're a big Patriot in America it's very interesting because this past weekend tucko Carlson went after our friend Ben Shapiro questioning do a loyalty he loves Israel more than America and many many think Tucker revealed himself and some anti- undertones he has towards his whole view really by going after Ben in that way so dual dual loyalty right you you've always loved Israel you're also proud Patriot practicing American and and proud than most and aware of American History I know you've been to maybe not all presidential libraries most I everyone everyone up to everyone which for me that might be like a form of a punishment like I did something wrong someone would make me go do that right what's what's I here you are in mitzo in Israel and on your couch behind you is a blanket and two pillows did you ever check that off your bucket list Air Force One Air Force not yet it's still there it's funny because I just asked one of you know somebody in the in the administration I said by the way if there's an extra seat next time uh I'd love to that's one of the things I'd love I'm looking the book because I'm pretty sure I have I have a chapter on Dual loyalty I'm almost 100% positive and I don't believe that there's such a thing as as a as a problem of dual loyalty I can be America and Israel have a wonderful relationship because share values we also have strategic aims that we that we share we also share your enemies but most importantly we share values we share values of the United States of America fundamentally we believe in the same things and a strong America is a much stronger Israel and a stronger Israel is a much stronger America um so to think that those contradict means that you misunderstand both America and you misunderstand Israel it's not that you're misunderstanding Jews right or you're misunderstanding zence you're misunderstanding what you yourself stand for you don't get it because if you understood it right then you would say okay of course there's no dual loyalty it's like there's somebody living in New Jersey and somebody living in New York and then turning to each other and being like no you really don't love America you really love your state doesn't make any sense you know it's funny we we went to yiva and Washington Heights and a lot of Puerto Ricans there and they wave a lot of Puerto Rican flags and I never heard anyone ever accuse them of dual loyalty how dare you be waving the Puerto Rican flag you know that that doesn't come up with other people dual loyalty I mean they you know they they like staged a a shootout in the capital the bullet holes are still there and they tried assassinating President Truman there's a lot of dual loyalty accusations against Puerto Ricans okay not not not the current ones in Washington Heights so tell us about why is that on your C why are you displaying that on your couch in mitzo so okay so I I I'm a fanatic about the White House I love everything presidential I read hundreds of books on it um I love going there and uh and I just it's like I don't know why I have to see a therapist about this but uh yeah I say it seriously I don't I can never figure it out but I just love everything about about the White House I love uh so uh I collect memorabilia you look you're only looking at like two pillows and a blanket you saw the rest of the rooms all white house stuff here you know it's like a museum here um so so I love I love everything presidential it's it's not more it's it's not as much of a feeling about America is just about the you know just this fanaticism I have about uh about reading everything about the white house so the fascinating uh building and a fasc and the presidenti presidency is fascinating I love it what's the most interesting thing about the White House that people don't know that's F fascinating thing about the White House people don't know um I that's a good question I think the the idea that it's the people's home that that the it's not the it's not the president's house um the president gets to live there but it really belongs to the people and uh and there's a there's a sense of the tradition of America and the democracy and the the pluralism of the United States of America that abused itself everywhere in the house in every room that you could see I think I was for Hanah party I sorry one second and and everybody was like lining up to have the best access to the president for his remarks and I if I recall correctly you were talking to like the chef or the butler or or one of Jack it was Jack Lou staff people there not Jack Lou was not the chef of the butler let's make Jack was the chief of staff at the time I got 45 minut just I just talking to him about it and then uh and and uh and also with the White House Usher the White House Usher user thank you that's what you were talking about Jack listening I didn't just call you the White House Butler or Usher Usher is not but the Usher say the Usher is the CEO of the White House is like uh 1400 employees that they're that they're over it's a it's a huge job it's not a simple job she was the CEO of Marriott before she took over as the see that and during the Obama Administration though who I forget her name but the White House lers took a very important position in the United States Rob BR did you ever ever have any political Ambitions either in the United States or now in Israel never never why not never because it destroys your moral being absolutely every politician is as long as you're not a dictator which is another problem that destroy you morally but every single politician at some point is going to be conflicted between what they know is right and what's going to make them popular that's why kazal tell us to stay away because then you have a moral conundrum either your political life is over or you or you uh give up on your morals so I don't want to ever be put in that position so never wanted I would never ever run for office ever it's the worst thing that you could do for your soul speaking as a politician spouse you know but it's like horrific her soul her soul barem is doing fantastically let's wind down by going to a little bit of a lighter topic it's it's not light because it's important but it's a little bit lighter you um you started a conversation this week online which a lot of people waited in on got excited about and it wasn't about a two-state solution or relocating Palestinians or our rights to the land it was about the way that Yeshiva and Seminary Gap your students in Israel asked to come for a shabas so yeah pet peeve of your not the first time you started this conversation but but it's a pet peeve of yours what what are they getting wrong should we maybe high schools like in senior year one of the senior seminars should be by the way as you prepare for your Gap here it's not only what to pack or here you know what buses to take here's how you reach out to ask if you could come for shabas is this a failure of parents of teachers of Educators this is a general problem of the generation we are not teaching how to be menl what's your experience having a pichowski palace hosting people regularly what's the pet peeve about the way that people approach you and what should we be teaching how to do it better so I I think for I think it's a parents job and I think that not not high schools and I think it's 98% of the people that ask me you know to come for shabas do so in the right way um you know respectfully and recognizing what they're asking for um but I think that uh there are every once in a while and it really gets me I have six pages of notes of a sheer that I used to give when I taught in IAS of like you know week one this is what you do when you go to somebody's house you know from everything from how to use a toilet brush to uh to you know don't get a six sheo bottle of wine on your on your way for shabas split among 15 people you know like uh but yeah but things that you need to know and these are parents parents have to teach their kids there this a par you that why not why not publish that let's get that out there and let let let parents make I yeah I actually like I didn't know where I wrote on a whim my wife is a is a subscriber to to mishak magazine she's a big fan so I wrote to them and then uh but I wrote to them right before the war broke out so they wrote back to me and then I didn't hear from them again you know they wrote back that was very interesting um so I actually wrote an article about it I would like to publish it but just with everything that's going on it wasn't at the top of my list um but I think that it's it's incredibly important that people recognize that when you're at you have to teach your kids when they go to somebody's house for Sabas or they go just on a Monday you know just this is how you act this is what this is what you should you know this it's just simple basic things what what are they getting wrong and what would be a better way to get it right aside from the toilet brush let's say the the first text the toilet brush first what the first text the first contact with you what are they getting wrong and what how would they hi my name is URI I I you know I I go to this school I come from this place um I would love to spend shabas with you could you could you have me and I don't know how many friends over um and and you know and it's okay if you can't but we would love to have you just a simple it's being normal like this is not like brain surgery you know you don't have to follow a text we don't need to PR on M Brew on how to be a how to be a guest like it's just normal things not like hey yo heard that you have guests like uh want to cash at your place you know like uh that's is ridiculous so let me ask you the the question everyone wants to know is how do you get your house listed on ways that is so you can apply and then you have to have a sufficient amount of people searching for it the problem MIT this is like a settlement life is that we don't have numbers on our houses it makes no sense I have one I have the guy down the block is number 149 and the guy cross from me is number 2157 I don't know it's and the houses around me have no numbers I don't have a number on my house so it's like so everybody knows everybody so it's like yes you just say how do I get but that's you can't give directions right and then I have all these buses coming so the bus would type in my address and it would take them up the block because that's where GPS lands them for some reason so I I applied to ways for pill jasi Palace I thought it'd be funny and then and then he like took on a life of its own pichas where can people find you online and where can they get your new book um okay so so the two answers are exactly the same so they can uh they can find me online on Facebook and on Twitter Facebook I'm the only repo ask in the entire world so it's easy to find me on Facebook and uh on Twitter I'm rational settler and on uh on Instagram also rational settler and then uh rational like rational sement I'm going say clearly because if you don't and then to get the book I'd appreciate people came to me you can get it on Amazon but like uh Amazon doesn't give the the uh what what you really need yeah giv you make I make 80 cents on every book so don't publish your books on Amazon I shouldn't say that yeah so very nice of them to to host my book but uh you get in touch with me privately and uh yeah get you a book Ma and on the new book it's an important conversation this was a fantastic conversation and and you're working neish benfish neish benfish we are biased of course but what what it has done for Aliah and and and making it easier but doing so much more that people don't know from like even the fact that your position they're educating about Israel and Zionism and I know has a whole hall now and is hosting Simas of people have made Aliah and during this war of people who have their their wedding canceled elsewhere doing it at nefes rby fast what the nefes team are doing is simply Out of This World list listen this this will bring tears we had we had our y IUN today which is like we have this once a year go gives a two-hour speech about all the stuff that we're doing I broke down in tears and I'm going to break down in tears again we we flew in 750 mothers of Lone soldiers 700 just to get and called it operation hug just so that they could hug their children wow these are they're coming out out of the battlefield from Gaza for three and a half weeks you haven't heard from your kid they're not allowed to take their phones in and then the the kid doesn't know that the mother's going to be there and the kid comes off the battle field literal Battlefield he's lost friends he's he's seen things that we can't even you know in our nightmares we don't imagine and their mom's there to give them a hug you know everything else that Nish has done the 85,000 people that made Aliah everything else that you know 30,000 kids that were born in Israel through you know that that we've had from our oim everything else that you count it up all the reasons why rast is going to Alaba and Tony's going to and all reasons but the operation hug is just something that's like wow unbelievable keep up the great work we love you we look forward to seeing you r m is going to come visit you on his next trip and uh just put it on ways easy to find pill thank you you better ask the right way now I'm scared to text you after please if you don't mind if Reby thank thank you very much thank you for watching behind the beima catch us next time for another Peak behind the be