00:00:02
Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Out of Zion podcast. I'm Shelley Nice filling in for doctor Susan Michael. Today I have with me my fellow Floridian, Liz Becker, who is the co founder of Strong Voices for Israel. Liz, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me, Shelley. So first, Liz tell us what is Strong Voices for Israel and how did this start? This is a fairly new organization, it is.

00:00:29
Speaker 2: It is We're about just under two years old right now, and it was a child, let's put it that way, of three really dedicated Zionists that wanted to make a change. We joined forces, well, I joined courses with two incredible IDF reservists, Max Loong and Noi Lay, and we realized that there was something missing in Jewish advocacy and in the building bridges between Jewish and Christian communities, and that was well trained speakers. Is that the key correct that little the well trained speakers that have an understanding of how to communicate effectively, they're really powerful stories and testimonies to non Jewish faith based communities.

00:01:23
Speaker 3: Let's take a break and hear a message from one of our sponsors, Welcome to the Israel Answer Series, Connecting Israel the Bible, and you join Susan Michael as she explores timely issues and current events from a scriptural perspective to equip the Christian world with a balanced and biblical response. Be searching subscribe for future episodes which will ignite your faith and bring the Bible to life in your everyday world. Now, let's join Susan with your Israel answers.

00:01:59
Speaker 2: We wanted to make or that these congregations, whether it was a church that is 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. And so we get together strong voices for Israel. And have had the pleasure of working with some amazing organizations, some amazing pastors as well as universities and schools.

00:02:31
Speaker 1: And it's not random that you were you founded this because this is also just your professional life that you help people to be better trained to communicate, right, So that was also just something that you saw that if we tell this story better, then it will be more effective and touching. Hearts and minds right. Yes, absolutely so.

00:02:52
Speaker 2: I've been teaching community communications 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 seventh, of course, every Jew's life changed pretty much. Mind changed profoundly when I saw the increase in anti Semitism immediately and saw the world's response to on October eighth their response, so I knew I had to do something. I started off with publishing my father's manuscript the time that had been sitting around for about forty years, just waiting for me to go in and edit it, and I knew that I had to get that story, and once I did, it sort of started the ball rolling of what I thought was needed in getting these stories out there. So, yes, I've been teaching communications for many years. I teached to professionals in very different industries and take much pride in that, But now I take much more pride and passion and dedication to bringing these really important stories to people.

00:03:56
Speaker 1: That need to hear them the most. Well. I know it's doubled your workload in effect, but you are the person to answer this call and so when I'm just an outsider looking in, what I see is like this was probably your therapy too, and just living in a post October seventh world and just everyone was working through the trauma and the newly released stories every day, and so you were doing something. It was also a form of therapy to be able to take your skill set and use it for good. So tell us NOI and Max's story. I've had the opportunity to meet most of them hear it from them, but they're not here right now or not, and you know their stories like the back of your hands. So first start with Max.

00:04:35
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, and I'm actually very sad that they're not with me because we were all three of us here together in our b last year they won the LEA shirts.

00:04:42
Speaker 1: I'm an IDM soldier asked me a question, correct.

00:04:44
Speaker 2: And we couldn't walk even like ten steps without people cummings them, which shows exactly what the need is. And they would come to them and pray for them and want to hear their stories, which really enforced and reinforced what our mission was. So NOI, who is actually the first person that I connected with. He is an idea for reserve is at the time of October seventh, he was in New York. He had just been working on a startup, and the call came right it was time for him to make a decision, and without hesitation, he went straight back to Israel and listed in his reserve duty.

00:05:18
Speaker 1: And what he was doing. He had already been.

00:05:20
Speaker 2: In the world of advocacy and explanation of what we say in Hebrew Hasbarah, explaining really what's going on in Israel for many years now and speaking at anti universities and college campuses, and he immediately once he went in into Gaza, he started sharing, because he had already a following in social media, started sharing exactly what was going on in Gaza, which is very powerful. And I love the way that he already communicated, so I knew I wanted to work with him, and then we both connected with Max Long, another really extraordinary young man, lone soldier from Boston, originally enlisted in the Army, and then after he's incredibly because he's done a few things after the Army. When 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 come from the.

00:06:18
Speaker 1: Start of life.

00:06:18
Speaker 2: So he started growing Wings, a nonprofit that helps loan soldiers and supports them in so many different ways, which why 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 in powerful ways. And I loved what you mentioned about the therapy for me, and it's the same with our soldiers. And another thing that many people know Max Bore is that he goes to De Paul University now, so 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 and stand outside with the sign saying, you know, I'm an idea of soldier Vindegaza, let's talk, let's have a conversation. And unfortunately he was attacked. He was viciously attacked physically, physically. I 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, because of the importance of we need to be standing up for Jewish students everywhere, including our soldiers. But all Jewish students up against this horrific anti semitism on campuses, and Max is a tough cookie and he took it on and he proudly is doing what needs to be done to keep speaking, keep sharing his story and making an impact and impact and ultimately bridging our communities right with education with other things that we're doing as well.

00:07:52
Speaker 1: So, and didn't he go back to that school after they did. He's still there the mother and he wants to protect him and be like, you're already he wrote, goes somewhere same.

00:08:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think his mother is probably used it already with him being a lone soldier and keep going by it because they're both active reservists. They just last year both did serve their terms, and so I think you probably used to already. A Nosmax is a tough cookie and he's not standing down for anybody on He does it really eloquently and brilliantly too. So yeah, he's still he refused to give up. He's still going to de Paul even with all the hate that's there, and they're still active.

00:08:33
Speaker 1: Lawsuit.

00:08:34
Speaker 2: Law Fare Project is responsible for the lawsuit right now with the Paul as well so what has the.

00:08:41
Speaker 1: Experience been like for both of them? And going into these Christians faces, going into christ churches and telling their story. I mean, I'm I'm asking with fear and trembling because I hope it's been positive.

00:08:54
Speaker 2: It's been tremendously positive. Okay, And this is what I try to share with the Jewish woote. I've had the blessing from the past two years, almost two years to be working with so many different organizations and tending 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 you know, 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 rush up to the stage, to want to just give their love to the speaker. And furthermore, everybody's screaming amisra Hi at the end is a.

00:09:47
Speaker 1: Feeling that every Jew should experience.

00:09:51
Speaker 2: So it has been extremely extremely powerful, Shelley, 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.

00:10:02
Speaker 1: So, yes, you're our ambassador to the Jewist world. Of like the Christians love you. It's sincere. There's no false motives there. Well, so my other question is just what we're seeing happening in the world today. I mean, do you have a positive outlook for how all of this goes forward? Where are we at with just the spread of anti Semitism? Is it having and flowing, waning or increasing?

00:10:31
Speaker 2: So, I think it's contextual, and I think it all depends on what the experience, what personal experience you have. There's so much information and we take little tidbits here and there, whether it's from social media, whether it's from the news. Ultimately we're going to be making our hypothesis and ideas and judgments based on our personal experience. So while I'm in this environment and these environments, of course, I'm hopeful.

00:10:53
Speaker 1: I'm very hopeful. I think we have a lot of.

00:10:56
Speaker 2: Extremely powerful, brave, strong leaders like yourself, like Susan like, I mean so many that we work with eagles wings, and I mean there's just tremendous amount of people in this space that are working diligently day and night to make a difference, and they are and we are together, right. I think we have to be aware and we have to continuously be focusing on where our.

00:11:22
Speaker 1: Attention needs to be. Because yes, I am concerned as well.

00:11:27
Speaker 2: The rise in hate and the rise in the far right, nationalism and America only movements, not America First, because we all agree that America First is what we should believe in, is.

00:11:44
Speaker 1: Very scary, and I think that we need to address it. I think that we need to.

00:11:48
Speaker 2: 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, that I think we do have a chance. It's a long term gang. This is not an instant gratification gag. I say that whenever I speak at a church, I say that wherever I am that 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 and to the reaps of that in a couple of years.

00:12:27
Speaker 3: Let's take a break and hear a message from one of our sponsors. Welcome back to the Out of Zion podcast with Susan Michael.

00:12:39
Speaker 1: I mean, 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 or even just you know, telling the story of a war is a hard thing to do. It's a very granular thing to do. So what you're doing so important because even just when we take groups to Israel, it's one thing to walk the Nova site, it's one thing to see the monument of just all the burned out cars and all of these places which are totally overwhelming. But without someone meeting you there, without a Novas survivor meeting you there, without hearing from an IDs soldier on the Gaza border, it's all too overwhelming and it doesn't sit in your brain and your soul the same way then when you hear it through one human and their experience from there until now, so I mean you and I both know how important that is. Last year you joined us, and before I go on, tell people how to find you, how to find Max, how to find NOI, how.

00:13:33
Speaker 2: To find Strong Voices for Israel. Absolutely, they just have to go to www. Strong Voices for Israel dot org and you'll be able to read about us. You'll be able to send us if you have a request and you'd like a speaker, and we have idea for service. October seventh survivers other students that experienced campus anti semitism, Holocaust descendants I speak as well, and they have others that speak about their direct experience from their parents. They know firsthead, whether it's to a manuscript or a trip to Poland, a trip to the camps. So just request us and we will do our best to get a speaker out to you, whether it's in person or even virtually either way to hear those because you're right, it's that that personal one on one and our soldiers and our speakers. Sometimes it's not just presenting. We've had Max just played laser tag with college students, right.

00:14:26
Speaker 1: You know, we we do things that they can relate to, which is important.

00:14:31
Speaker 2: What I found is we have some amazing Christian brothers and sisters that are very pro Israel and their 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, Shelley, And not everybody can go to Israel. Many have the blessing too, but not everybody can. So we want to be that sort of bridge for them to be.

00:14:53
Speaker 1: Able to give them that first hand experience, right, And like you said, even Holocaust it survivors. I mean not everyone will remember the history book that they read or the lecture that they heard. But if anyone has had the blessing to me a Holocaust survivor and hear their story, they remember that the rest of our lives. Absolutely. So last year we were clear of privilege for you to join us for our Israel Advocacy Day in May. You were part of the Florida constituency. The thank you South Florida was well represented. So what was that experience like for you as a Jewish woman living in the southeast a year a little over.

00:15:27
Speaker 2: A year after October seventh, So I have chills, that's how my experience was. For me, it was very emotional. It was an extremely emotional that I didn't expect it to be. I mean, I teach emotional state management, so you know, I think I got it under control, and being there blew it away. Because that was my first really hardcore experience to work closely both with pastors, with other leaders in the community and some Jewish communities.

00:15:53
Speaker 1: There were only a few us.

00:15:54
Speaker 2: There wasn't a tremendous amount hopefully this year, expecting to get more of the Jewish community there, but to be able to do something to learn myself about.

00:16:05
Speaker 1: The history of the Christian world.

00:16:06
Speaker 2: Of course in the anti Semitism with Susan, which was amazing, and to see the Christians want to learn more about the rise of antisempitism and want to take action was beautiful. I think my and I came to tell you what my favorite part was, because of course it started with the incredible event at Museum of the Bible, which that in itself was extremely moving with speakers that I still remember what they talked about today. And then the lobbying. That was the first time I lobbied. Ollow Yeah, that was my first time on camp. I would think of you as this political animal, so I'm not the amazing parties. I've never been involved in politics. I've trained some politicians, sir, and I haven't been involved in politics, and it was extremely rewarding, and to do it in unity because a lot of times we do things on our own and we want to make an impact, and when your mission in everything and anything that you do, sometimes you're really surrounded about self.

00:17:04
Speaker 1: What can I do to do this?

00:17:05
Speaker 2: What can I do to make a difference continuously, not from a place of ego, just a place of you have your mission, that's what you're driven by. So to be able to do that with other people, Wow, that's just such a blessing and a reward. And I've gone back several times because sort of aclized Advocacy Day as well. 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 so many whether it's pastors or rabbis or just Jewish philanthropists or anybody that is really involved in this mission of building the relationship relationships within the Jewish and Christian communities and also doing some kind of advocacy to help support Israel as we need it tremendously right now more than ever.

00:18:00
Speaker 1: Reason too, 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 and so sending this message of we've united around this issue. We agree that Israel is not just a Jewish Christian Jewish issue, not just a Christian issue, but this is something that is an America first issue that we can all unite behind. And so I do think that that got their attention. And also we're relational people, so even even if we were just coughing in between advocacy meetings like that's my favorite part is just being able to connect, especially like we did with people from your local community and across the aisles and across the by. You know, Israel is a bipartisan bicameral that we America needs to support Israel and especially people of faith, and so that was like the exciting part for me as well. Oh listen, thank you so much, this was wonderful. Thank you for listening to the Out of Zion podcast. Hey just give me one more minute. I want to offer you one of.

00:19:03
Speaker 4: Our free resources. We have wonderful resources in our show notes and if you go to our website at ICEJUSA dot org slash show notes, you'll find links for a number of our free offers. We have downloadables to help root you in scripture, help you to understand the issues surrounding Israel and the importance of being of Christian support for Israel, and don't forget. Please follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn and stay connected.

00:19:39
Speaker 1: Thank you and God bless.

00:19:42
Speaker 3: We hope you have enjoyed this episode of Out of Zion with Susan Michael. Be sure to subscribe to out of Zion now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pray dot com, Salem One Place, Salem like audio. Out of Zion Susan Michael is a production of ic Ejusa. All rights reserved. This podcast is presented in partnership with Life Audio to explore a wide range of faith centered podcasts on prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more. Visit lifeaudio dot com.