Making Israel’s case in Brooklyn Heights

Israel advocacy will be on menu during a Shabbaton this Friday night at the Orthodox shul in Brooklyn Heights.

Yishai Fleisher, international spokesperson for the Jewish community in Hebron, plans to tell congregants that “we’re all IDF soldiers now,” and that there are many ways to flight for Israel without picking up a gun.

“Strenthening our Yiddishkeit” is high on his list, he told The Jewish Star. “Take on another mitzvah, find another way to connect to our Torah, to our Jewish values.”

Fleisher’s appearance at Congregation B’nai Avraham is part of the synagogue’s one-year commemoration of Oct. 7. He will speak during dinner on Friday night and at services on Saturday morning and afternoon.

The shul’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Aaron Raskin, said that “it’s important in this chaotic world that we hear about Israel with clarity, from a strong proud Jew” like Fleisher.

While B’nai Avraham is a traditional synagogue with a decidedly pro-Israel tilt, it’s housed in an uber-liberal Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhood.

Asked whether Fleisher’s appearance might upset the neighbors, Rabbi Raskin responded that “I’m not concerned. People have their opinions but people in the middle are looking for answers and Jewish pride."

Asked what he’d say to people who criticize Israel because of the high number of casualties in Gaza, Fleisher said “I also have a critique of Israel, but it comes from the other direction, which is that Israel has allowed its enemies to become entrenched.”

“We gave away the Gaza Strip in 2005,” he continued. “People like myself protested that, and we said that what would happen is that Gaza would be taken over by terrorists who would use Gaza as a launching pad against Israel’s Jewish people, and that’s what happened very quickly.

“We have faced tens of thousands of rockets [and] the creation of a humongous tunnel system.”

Those who don’t understand why Israel is fighting in Gaza “may not be aware that Hamas is not a liberal organization looking to have liberties for Palestinians,” Fleisher said. “What they are looking for is the annihilation of Israel.”

“My critique is that we have not done enough to stem jihadism from surrounding us — Iranian backed jihadism in the form of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis,” he said. “There is a noose that wants to tighten against us, and our strike against Gaza is an attempt to push back on that jihadist noose.”

Fleisher reminds critics that “Israel has done its best to keep the civilian death rate as low as possible, but the bottom line is that we are in an existential war. It’s an existential war against Iran that wants to annihilate us and Gaza is merely — and they say this themselves — the first step, the first attack against us.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s enemies, seeking “to erase Israel and erase our Jewish identity,” are waging war on many fronts. They are “using all kinds of tactics to weaken us,” including the “creation of a narrative called ‘Palestine’ which has done an amazing job of eroding clarity as to our rights to our land, historically, legally and religiously,” he said.

“There are 22 Arab states, and there are many more Muslim states, and there’s one Jewish state and it’s under an attack of total annihilation. It’s just that they are doing it in a gradated, step-by-step approach. We recognized it way too late, and now we’re striking back and we must strike even harder to defend our people.”

What type of commitment will he ask of his audience in Brooklyn Heights?

“Do I invite the folks in Brooklyn Heights to move to Israel? Sure. But it’s very important for me to say that my message is not aliyah or nothing.”

He suggests that individuals make a conscious effort to better connect with Israel.

“Do you make a plan to come every summer?” he asks. “Do you buy wine from the land of Israel and drink it Friday night? Did you consider buying that apartment in Israel and renting it out?

“What is the step that you can take to be more connected to the most exciting project of the Jewish people in 2,000 years?”

Asked for an “elevator pitch” about Hebron, Fleisher said this:

“It’s the oldest Jewish community in the world. It’s our forefathers and mothers [in the Machpelah]. It’s the first purchase of the Jewish people in the land of Israel by Abraham. It’s where King David ruled first, before he moved to Jerusalem. If we don’t hold on to it, then Hamas and the jihadis will take it over, and we can’t have that.”

The B’nai Avraham Shabbaton is sponsored by Eric and Marcie Roth in honor of their daughters’ friends who are currently serving in the IDF.

To register for the Friday night dinner ($36 per person) and lecture, visit www.BnaiAvraham.org. Fleisher will also speak during Saturday morning services at 11:45 am and answer questions between Mincha and Maariv at 7:15 pm.