Transcript
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The conversation opens with a heated challenge about whether current anti-Semitism resembles the conditions that preceded the Holocaust. It ends with the guest explaining why he cannot return to Israel because of his belief in Jesus.
Whatever you would say to me, I'm saying to you now.Because you cannot name a single thing.This is a real child I challenge you.I challenge you to name one thing,
one thing that happened before the Holocaust that led up to the Nuremberg Laws that hasn't happened today.Synagogues being vandalized, Jewish businesses being boycotted, Jews being harassed, assaulted, hunted down on the streets.Would you get out?Or is there anything what would have to happen for you to say I need to get out right now?
The elephant in the room.I can't go back to Israel.
Why?
Because I believe that Yeshua, Jesus is the Messiah and that will stop me at the border.
Olivier introduces Hillel Fuld and explains their shared concern about anti-Semitism. Hillel describes his background, his brother Ari's murder in Israel, and how that tragedy shaped his full-time advocacy.
Shalom everybody.This is Olivier again and today my goodness, I have a special guest.Uh I actually honestly friends, I cannot believe that you took the time to speak with me and to share with with our audience a passion that we have a common passion.Now, I'll give you a little secret.We have another common passion.We both love watches but this is not what we're going to talk about.Today, I want to introduce you to my new friend.His name is Hillel Fuld.He's all over the internet.He's going to introduce himself but the passion that we both share is the importance of opposing anti-Semitism especially in 2026.So, let me bring him on the screen right now and here he is.Hillel, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you, sir.
So, like like I was saying offline, this is not even what you do.This this advocacy against anti-Semitism.You you you do it very well but this is not your day your day job.What do you do for a living?
So, it's interesting because it actually is my main thing now.For 20 23 years, I built a tech consulting business working with tech companies and entrepreneurs and helping them grow.But actually on October 7th, I realized I have a unique opportunity to fight for my people and I have unique audience and so I shut down the business on October 7th and basically completely refocused my life on fightingfor Israel.And so now this is what I do full time, but I wouldn't call it a job because no one's paying me.
Oh, I Okay, I did not know that.I thought this was really something that you did you know because it's still from the passion of your heart for our people.
Right.But But I did not know that this became your full time.So I respect you even more now.
Thanks.Thanks.
So now Hillel, some people will be familiar with your name.Some but most people might not know a tragic event that took place in your family in your life a few years ago in 2018 is it?
Yeah, eight years ago.
Yeah.So give us briefly what happened because that I think that's a an important component of why you do what you do now.
Sure.So we're a New York family.I was born and raised in New in New York in Queens and we're five brothers.Ari was the one that was right above me in the lineup.So we kind of grew up together and you know, my older brother's already married and out of the house.My younger brother was a baby.So me and Ari were very close in age.And he moved to Israel and about eight years ago he was shopping for his family in a place called the the Gush Junction which is right outside the town of Efrat which is about 10 minutes from Jerusalem.And he was on the phone with his wife.He was shopping and a an Arab boy came from behind him and I say Arab because I refuse to use their language of Palestinian and I say boy because he was a boy.
He was a teenager and it's important to emphasize that he lived in Israel.He wasn't occupied or oppressed.He was just a ran a random Arab boy living in Israel decided that today's a good day to murder a Jew and he came from behind Ari and he stabbed him in the neck and he that day wonthe lottery because he got Ari in a main artery and had he moved the knife, you know, 3 in to the right, Ari would still be alive, but he got Ari in a main artery and Ari was clinicallydead immediately basically and somehow miraculously he was able to chase down the terrorist, jump over a wall while he was stabbed already, fatally stabbed and he shot the terrorist, didn't kill him, but he shot him and then saveda woman's life who was going to be the terrorist's next victim and after he shot the terrorist, Ari unfortunately collapsed and died.
Um and uh since then he's become a national hero of the state of Israel, you know, being that in his last breath he saved this woman's life and he left a tremendous legacy, you know, of of not havingany tolerance for the lies that the the world tells and you know, while some of us, myself included, sometimes may use certain uh words and terminologies that I know are inaccurate, but you know, just for simplicity, having aconversation, I'll just call them Palestinians, I'll call them the West Bank or he didn't buy into that stuff and so he was very very specific in the words that he used and he he stood for truth and umterrible tragedy on on a personal level, of course, uh but on a national level, tremendous source of pride.So, that's the story.
That's the story and then you've lived in Israel for what, 35 years now?
Correct.Correct.35 years.I moved here as a kid, yeah.
Wow, so uh because you're you're not that old.How old are you?Do you mind me asking?
47.47?Yeah, 47.
you're a young pup.Are you 20 years younger than me?
It's all relative.I sit with entrepreneurs who are 21 and I'm like, oy vey.
I know.I know.So, uh you and I share this passion uh uh you know, of advocacy against anti-Semitism.For me it's been uh uh uh well, I mean, I'm I I'm a you know, a um uh son of, you know, born in France.I'm son of Holocaust survivors.My mother lost her dad in Auschwitz when she was 15 and uh but I really kind of didn't not I grew up in that you I can you not, but I really didn't do anything until uh later inlife.And and then I realized you know when my my Jewish identity became more important to me and and and then about 26 years ago through a series of events I I I kind of dove into this I wasin 2000 during the second intifada into this studying anti-Semitism and I realized it's coming back and it's going to get really bad and it's going to get worse and here we are today where I never thought I would
be alive in in the in a day of my life at my age to see the amount of anti-Semitism coming from every angle the right the left the Muslims the agnostics anybody.
Yeah.I'll tell you I'm I'm fortunate in in quotation air quotes.I'm fortunate to be on the edge of that.In other words my the hate that I'm getting on a daily on an hourly basis I should say is coming from all directions.It's it's actually crazy like again, I'm fortunate to be not liked by anyone.You know the Islamists obviously hate me the the liberals hate me even the conservatives hate me cuz I'm not conservative enough for them.So I'm getting hate from all directions and it's it's a whole lot of fun.What can I tell you?
When you said that conservative hate you and you mean in Israel?
I mean in general.In Israel you know if I I mean we're not going to get into politics but if I let's say for example post a picture with a certain politician who's on the right and I state in my post thatmaybe I don't know I'm not aligned with them completely then the conservatives like why are you not aligned with them?Like I I can't you know no matter what I do I'm getting the hate.So it's a It's a challenging time.
At the end of the day here's the truth at the end of the day when the anti-semites come for the Jews they're not going to care if they're liberals conservatives agnostics religious they go you're a Jew you die.That's the bottom line.
That's 100% true and it's unfortunate that Jews don't learn this lesson you know because it's the same thing in every generation.I mean I just posted yesterday a video of um I I remember his name the congressman who walked in, you know, even though he's super duper liberal and anti-Israel, even because he's Jewish, he was attacked on campus andhe was surprised by that.And I'm like, why were you surprised by that?Of course the anti-Semite and Hitler didn't ask you how religious you are how you identify.There were many, many, many Jews, unfortunately, tragically, who were led to the gas chambers asking themselves, "What did I I don't I'm not I'm I'm a German.What are they doing?Why are they doing this to me?I'm not even Jewish.I'm German."They didn't even identify as Jews.And Hitler didn't care.Hitler if you have a grandmother, if you have a mother that's Jewish, you're Jewish.
I don't care what you identify and unfortunately, what we should do is say, you know, they're going to hate us for who I am.I might as well own my identity.But again, we have so many Jews who voted for Mondani, so many so many Jews who are just anti-Israel and and sometimes even self-hating and it's it's tragic, but it's not it's not a new phenomenon.
For from your perspective, from your understanding, why, because this is a mystery to me, why so many Jews voted for Mondani?Because they don't My my take is that the modern American Jew, the average American Jew, liberal American Jew, doesn't care about Israel anymore.There's no connection with with with the land of Eretz Israel.They don't care.And to be Jewish to them doesn't mean what it meant 20 or 30 years ago.
Yeah, I think it's more than that.I think it's more than that.I think that well, if I'm going to be, you know, if I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, I think that it's in our nature to be a compassionate people.And so they take their compassion too too far, right?And we know that in the Mishna, we know that if you're compassionate to the evil, you end up being evil to the compassionate.And so some of these Jews take their quote-unquote compassion too far and they're compassionate to the enemy.And so when they see a war that Israel's fighting in retaliation to the word worst massacre in our history basically in one day.Um, you know, instead of saying I'm going to side with my people, they say, "Oh, the poor Palestinians.Oh, look at them."And so they take it too far.
But but I think if we're going to be more realistic and pragmatic and practical, I just think that they they kid themselves and they say, you know, if I assimilate, if I show my hosts that I'm just likethem, then they won't hate me.But again, we've seen this throughout history.We had it in Egypt, we had it in ancient Rome and ancient Greece and the Soviet and not in every empire we had these Jews who said, oh, I'm going to side with the enemy.I'm going to I'm going to appease our hosts and try to explain to them how I'm just like them and surely they'll love us and it just doesn't work.It never works.
So so where do you think because I think you and I might as as much as we agree on on on the gravity and the intensity of anti-Semitism, you and I might have a slightly different approach to thisnext question I want to ask or slightly different answer.
The discussion turns to where anti-Semitism comes from and why it persists across history. Hillel argues that empires reject biblical morality, target Jews as its messengers, and eventually collapse under that corruption.
Where do you think anti-Semitism comes from?
So it's a it's it's a million-dollar question.In other words, you know, I think before I tell you where before I tell you where it come from where it comes from, let's just let's just identify where it does not come from, right?I think many people will say, oh, they they're jealous.Well, they're not jealous cuz they hated us when we weren't rich, right?I mean, now they hate us cuz we're rich, but they hated us when we were poor.Oh, they hate you cuz you're white colonialists.Oh, really?Because in the Holocaust we weren't white enough.Oh, they hate you cuz you have a state.No, they hated us when we didn't have a state.So trying to find like a a specific thing to blame or to to justify or to even explain why they hate us is is dishonest.That being said, if I'm looking at this from more of a let's call it not theological but historical philosophical perspective.
Many people don't like when I say this, but I believe this to the core of my soul.And that is that if you look at the script throughout history, it's the same script that keeps repeating itself.And this is the script.There's an empire and the empire grows until it reaches world domination, unparalleled power.And the first thing that an empire does time and time again is it throws morality out the window, right?It puts people to fight to the in the Colosseum to their death for the empire's entertainment, right?They just throw morality out the window.And as soon as they do that, this this empire says, we don't want old school morality.Don't tell me, you know, thou shalt not murder.I don't want to hear this stuff.And so, they they say, "Well, where did this morality come from?Where did Where does the world know that it's immoral to murder?"
Because in ancient times it wasn't.So, the answer is obviously the Bible.Now, we brought the Bible to the world.We did.So, they come after us.They say, "Well, let's kill the messenger of this Bible thing.We don't want this morality.Let's go after the Jews."And so, the Jews, instead of saying, "Yeah, we are the messengers of morality.Deal with it."We come to our host every time and say, "Hey, don't hate us.We're just like you."And they say, "No, no, no, you're not just like us."And we say, "No, we're all assimilated."And they say, "Let me tell you something.We've developed a tool to show you you're not like us.It's called anti-Semitism."And then it goes through the roof.And that's where we're at right now.Unfortunately, if you look at that script, there's an ending to that script.
After anti-Semitism goes through the roof, the next stage is that that empire falls.And unfortunately, if things don't somehow miraculously reverse themselves, the West is in big trouble.
The speakers compare biblical themes, the enemy of God, and the role of Israel in history. The conversation then shifts to whether modern Jews should leave the West, with Hillel arguing that today's warning signs mirror the 1930s.
That's definitely uh that I mean I agree with you.Uh you know, I mean I I connected to the Bible.Uh I mean I I know that you're you're probably more uh uh more uh knowledgeable on the Talmud than I am.I mean I read part of it, but I mean you know, I I know you're probably in it a lot more than I am.Uh but I see um I see the role of of the enemy of God wanting to destroy Israel all over the Bible.Uh and that enemy is ha Satan.Satan.Because he because because we are called and not because we're better.Uh but we're called the chosen people.And then the word chosen really doesn't mean what what modern you know, the West is is is is understanding.It's chosen for a purpose, chosen to be a light to the a light to the nations.
And we are called to do that.And and and Satan, who is the enemy of God, is going to want to destroy everything that God loves.And God loves Israel and the Jewish people.From Bereshit, from the very beginning.
Yeah.Listen, I mean I'm you know, I'm a more of a Maimonides kind of Jew.I don't really understand so much about Satan and hell and heaven.It's the stuff that's beyond my comprehension, Kabbalah and things.I'm not not to not to, you know, diminish or belittle the importance of these hidden things and hidden secrets, but I I I I don't know.I I I don't understand these things.I've never really dealt, you know, gone in depth and learned them, but uh but the reality is yes, there there are forces of darkness in this world.There always have been.
Yeah.
Today those forces of darkness come in, you know, it's the it's the horseshoe thing, right?In other words, the the the forces of darkness are of course, the radical Islamist world, but then you have the opposite, you know, radical left that you would think logically they they'd oppose the radical Islamist, but you'd seesomehow they join forces.They hate the Jews.It's it's it's mind-boggling.It really is mind-boggling.
It's because of the anti-Semitism is irrational.I mean, to have the radical left and the radical Islamist agree on nothing ideologically except the destruction of Israel shows you how irrational it is.
Right.
And uh
But it's it's crazy.
It's Now you said something at the beginning that that's a little puzzling to me because uh you you you talked about your brother who, you know, you spoke you you spoke the words exactly like it was.You you know, to to what what I understood, you know, you would never call it the West Bank, you would call it Judea Samaria.You would call the Palestinian Arabs, you know.And I'm that way.I I I do it that way.And then the other side of Hillel is from what I've watched online is you're calling all of us to come back to Eretz Israel.Move back home.So, if we move back home and I see I have uh as a Jew here, I have an incredible ministry of educating a lot of evangelicals about the importance of fighting anti-Semitism, loving Israel, and so to me I
I I And then maybe please prove me wrong.I'm not called to make aliyah in any way, shape, or form.I love Israel.I go there two to four times a year for all kinds of, you know, things like the something that you did the other day.I saw a picture of you at Moledet.I mean, I've been doing stuff with Moledet, uh you know, helping them to get uh supplies and stuff, you know, raising funds in America.Uh so, the Aliyah versus fighting back I mean, we can do both, can we?
Sure.Let me ask you this.Like a good Jew, I'm going to answer your question with a question, okay?
Typically, I ask you this.
Imagine for 1 second that you are me, okay?And I am my grandmother in 1935.And you say to me, "Grandma Esther, you need to get out of here."And I'll say, "Come on, stop it.This is Germany.What are you talking about?Nothing's going to It's not going to happen here.We're enlightened.This is a democracy.What are you talk What They're going to massacre Jews?Are you insane?That's never going to happen.I'm staying here."What would you say to me?
Yeah.
Whatever you would say to me, I'm saying to you now, because you cannot name a single thing This is a real challenge.I challenge you.I challenge you to name one thing one thing that happened before the Holocaust that led up to the Nuremberg Laws.I mean, once it was institutionalized and legislated, it was game over, okay?
Absolutely.It's still in place.
Anything anything that led up to that point that hasn't happened today, because I I'll make you a list.Synagogues being vandalized, Jewish businesses being boycotted, Jews being harassed, assaulted, listed, and murdered, hunted down on the streets.You have Jews businesses refusing to refusing to serve Jews.You have swastikas and and and these anti-Semitic symbols everywhere.What what has to happen for you to say, "I need to get the hell out of here, because it's happening exactly as it happened then, copy paste"?And you know how this ends?
I've been saying this for the last several years.We are back in the '30s and '40s.There's no question about it.
So, why would you stick around?
Because I feel like I have an obligation to educate people that can do more for Israel.
Is that what you would have told my grandmother to do?I'm ask like for real.If if I'm if I'm Listen, I'm It's 1935, okay?And I'm saying to you exactly what you're saying to me.I need There's a lot of anti-Semitism, but I need to educate the Jews.I need to stand up.I need to fight for my people.I can't just run away and let them win.What do you say to me?You say
It's not It's not educate educate the Jews, it's educate a section of the of the population that can make a difference.You know, when I talk to a group of people, a group of evangelicals, I look at them and I says, "You are" because they're usually friendly wherever I speak.Uh I I look at them and I say, "You You are the new righteous among the nations."Let me explain what I mean by that.
Sure.
And and I I I encourage them because guess what?It's a couple of farmers in the southwest of France who took my mother and her two cousins when she when she was 15 after her dad was taken to Auschwitz and protected her on the farm for 2 yearsuntil she came back to Paris.So, the righteous among the nations they have a close place in my heart.And to me
I'm with you 100%.100%.I I tremendous gratitude to uh the evangelical community and I speak about them often.They're incredible.And please don't misunderstand what I'm saying.That being said, I can appreciate them and I can feel grateful, but I can also understand that my my welcome is over.That I'm no longer welcome in the West.And so, you know, again, I'll I'll ask you a question.If, you know, it's a very simple question.Is there any event, anything,
No, no, no, no, no.I I agree with you.There's nothing that No, no,
No, no, no.Hold on.Wait, wait, wait.Different question.Different question.Is there any event that would take place, any event, that if that event takes place, you, personally, will say, "I am out of here" not in a month or in a year or in a decade, today I'm gettingon a plane because this is too much.Meaning meaning clearly synagogues being vandalized, Jews being harassed, murdered, all of that's not enough.So, I'm asking you, is if if for if God forbid God forbid your next door neighbor is is murdered and raped and a swastika's drawn on their door, would you get out?Or is there anything?What would have to happen for you to say, "I need to get out right now"?
Because well, I'm going to I'm going to be be with you, Hillel, uh
The discussion moves into Olivier's Messianic Jewish identity and Hillel's reaction to it. They debate whether Jews who believe in Jesus can make aliyah, and Olivier explains how he came to believe Jesus is the Messiah.
I fit in a different category.Did you check Did you check my website?Did you check me online?
Yeah.
Okay.You know who I am.
Yeah.
I'm a Messianic Jew.
Yeah.
So, for me, I I I parents are
I got to be honest with you.I don't really understand that concept.To be To be totally frank with you.I'm I'm also a Messianic Jew.Do we all That's the the the foundation of Judaism is Messiah.
Messianic Jew from from from believing in the Messiah, I would say we both the same.We might not agree on who the Messiah is.
I don't know who the Messiah is.I won't know until he comes.
The The conversation is moving into a Messianic Wait, this is this is okay with me, but for my understanding of who the Messiah is in my understanding, I I know my future.And because I know my future, and I know that my future is secure, and again, you know, you might not agree with me or even be familiar with that.Because of that, I have no fear of death.And I will probably go further than most not Jew, most person, because if I feel like God has given me a purpose to make a difference for the world, uh uh in my own way, my participation in whatwe call tikkun olam, if you if this is for me the way to serve God, to make the world a better world, then I'm going to stick with it longer, and maybe I'll Maybe I'll wait for the swastika
to be on my door.I don't know.I'm I'm
So, so that's my question.Is that I mean, real Let's be Let's be real and honest here.Like, if that happens, I'm asking for real.If God forbid, your a family member is has experiences an anti-Semitic attack and is and is and is in a coma.Okay?I don't even want to say he's killed.He's in a coma.He's beaten half to death and and a swastika's painted on their body.Would you get on a plane?Like what is there is there any event, anything?
Yes, you know I there's I'm not going to I'm not cold right now.I'm not going to be an idiot and I'm not going to say oh you know what it's not that bad.That I would never even say that.I already say right now it's bad for us.But you know what?I live in Texas so I I never leave the house without a a side arm.That's for another day.But I you know I defend myself.I'm probably one of the the only Frenchman who will not surrender.And I'm an American now I'm not French anymore.But yes there is there there's going to be a breaking point.I agree with you.
What is that breaking point?
But but okay so but but but Hillel I didn't think we're going to go there but I'm I'm I'm really happy to go there.The elephant in the room.I can't go back to Israel.
Why?
Because I believe that Yeshua Jesus is the Messiah and that will stop me at the border.
Okay well that's a that's a practical you know circumstance.
me ask you this from a philosophical standpoint.Do you think that there's going to come a time and it could be sooner than we think in in in in in the history of the world right now where we are where Israel is going to say youknow what their parents were Jewish their grandparents were Jewish they all have the whole family is Jewish blood.Let's put the Jesus problem aside.They need to come home because it doesn't matter if they believe in Jesus a Jew is a Jew is a Jew to an anti-semite.
Listen I got to be honest with you I don't I'm not an expert on Messianic Jews I but if you're telling me that someone is Jewish legally Jewish and their mother is Jewish I don't even understand not tosay that I don't I don't let me just be very blunt.Not to say that I not to to that I agree or that I don't have a problem with someone with a Jew believing in Jesus.I do, but that's irrelevant.No one asked me when I come into Israel what my beliefs are.If you're a Jew, you're a Jew.And so, I don't really understand practically speaking what how does that What do they interview you at the airport and find out you believe in Jesus?Like I don't understand how that works.Well, then don't tell them.
I mean, if I walk in and they don't ask me, I'm in and I've I'm I've I've made
What do they ask you?What What's What's the question?What do they ask you?
The questions is I've I knew plenty of people have been asked you do you believe in God?And uh and and they will
They ask you the What?Wait, what?They ask you when you enter Israel if you believe in God?
They They're asked if they are if they believe in Jesus.Absolutely.And that's how they've been denied.
I have literally in my life never been asked such a question nor have I heard of anyone being asked such a question.That's crazy.
would be the best news I could ever hear because now I know that I can make aliyah without worrying.
But I I don't Let's just Let's just play this out for 1 second, okay?First of all, I've never heard of such a thing.I That's shocking to me that someone would ask you what you believe in unless somehow like they, you know, somehow find out.But even even if they find out, like why is why is what you believe relevant to coming to Israel?You're a Jew, you come to Israel.
Thank you.I agree with you.
No, no.You're not understanding my question.I'm not I'm I'm I don't I'm trying to understand their perspective.Like what's Why is what you believe relevant?I don't get it.
I Me neither.Me neither.I don't get it.I mean, if if you know, when when when I when I asked my dad years ago, I told him I said, "Does it bother you that that I believe that Jesus is the Messiah?"And he told me, "You're not Jewish anymore."And I go, "Dad, you don't believe in anything and and and you're Jewish."He goes, "Absolutely."I said, "So, belief belief has has no bearing on on your Jewishness.Judaism is a different story.Jewishness is you're born with it."
But again, to to be clear, you know, sure, after this podcast, you know, people will watch it and they'll they'll wonder is Hello, okay with Messianic I'm not Let me be clear.I I have no
It's not I'm not worried about that.
No, I'm saying theologically speaking, just to be very transparent, like I I'm not an expert on Messianic Jews.It's It's very hard for me to comprehend how a Jew can believe in Jesus, but that's a topic for another time.
Right.
What you believe or don't believe should have no bearing on entering Israel.You're a Jew, you come to Israel.Now, hold on.If you're telling me that this has been a a challenge or a problem for you or people that you know, then we need to understand why.Like, how does a person in an airport know what you believe in?I don't Unless you get Unless you come in and say, "Hey, I'm a Jew for Jesus."Like, how would they know and why would they care?
And And it might not be You know what?I have not In all honesty, I also don't have all the information about what the steps are to make aliyah, but I know that at some level, maybe when you do your filing, your your answer your questions.I know that because people have been refused entry because they were Jews who believed in Jesus.I Hillel, you can't tell me this is You've never heard that.
I've never heard that, and it's shocking to me.And honestly, again, this is It sounds maybe a little bit shady, but like, if a person wants to make aliyah, and they and they're Jew then then just don't disclose that.Why does anyone need to know what you believe in?
Now, if a question Another question though, if I want to make aliyah as a Jew and my wife is a Gentile, is she coming?
So, I I again, I want to be clear, I'm not an expert on this stuff.I don't know the legal stuff.There's
Just tell us if you know that.That's all.
I have no I I know I I know people who are married to Gentiles who live here, so there's got to be some sort of, you know, uh path to that, but I don't know how it works.I have absolutely no idea.But, um I I really like what you're saying to me shocks me, honestly.Like, what you believe in?What So, what if I come to If I come to Israel and I believe in flat Earth, they're not going to let me into the country?What does that have to What do I believe What's my belief?
It's just Hillel, it is just weird.It's a Jesus question.Tell you what, I'm I'm I'm saying this to my audience right now.I will do a little more research, and privately, I will reach out to you, Hillel.I will send you whatever I can find privately, and you can take a look at it.It will be between you and I.Just so that we we we know and if I'm wrong then I'll be the first one to issue an apology because I don't like to be wrong.
I I just want to be clear.I I you know I keep saying it but it's it's important for me to emphasize.Like I don't I'm not an expert on this stuff.I don't know anything about Jews for Jesus.Just if you're asking me because again I did look you up.I know I know that you're you know a Messianic Jew.I I By the way, I object to that term.Every Jew is a Messianic Jew.What you're saying is that you believe Jesus is the Messiah.So theologically speaking that's obviously you know deeply controversial to me to say the least.But I but I can separate a couple of things.I can separate your belief system which I obviously object to.I can separate that from the person that you are, clearly a nice and good person and a kind person.Two third things entering Israel.
Those three things like there's three separate independent things that I don't really understand the connection between any like why, you know, what if I'm not nice they're not going to let me to Israel.If I they don't like the way I look I'm not What is it what you believe saying unless you're coming here here there's one maybe there's one exception.Maybe there's maybe.If you're coming here to convince other Jews to believe in Jesus that's something else.That's something else.But if you're coming here to live your life
I'm talking about a Jew who wants to go back to But you know what?Enough said.I'll look into it because now you put a you put bug in my ear and and and No, I love to learn stuff.I mean I you know, that's the Jewish blood in me.I'm
Could you could you sum up I'd love to sum up just like could you in five less than two minutes could you just sum up your philosophy how a Jew believes in Jesus?How does that work?That's like to me that's like saying a Christian that believes in I don't even know what like I don't even know to give an example like you
Well, okay.So Absolutely.Uh the and then this has been my belief for 43 years.Um I had no upbringing whatsoever and and and many Jewish people say, "Well, see that's your problem.You did not learn Hebrew.You didn't go to synagogue.You didn't keep kosher.You didn't go you know, keep Well, kosher and Shabbat doesn't have any bearing to it."But but but I did not learn Hebrew.I didn't go to Hebrew school.So, uh late in life I was introduced to the Bible, which includes, as you know, the Tanakh, which is the Old Testament.You know that much, right?
Yeah.
Okay.So, the Old Testament of the Bible that evangelicals use is the Tanakh in a different order, which includes the Torah.The five books of Moshe, okay?So, I was introduced to that book and I read it and in it there are a a tremendous amount a slew of of prophetic writings in in in the Torah, in the prophets, and in the Tehillim, and everywherespeaking of a Mashiach, a redeemer, a savior of Israel.And I'm going like, "Wow, this is interesting."And I read all of them and tried to understand them, and it took me a while.And when I put it all together, all those pieces of the puzzle in the the Hebrew scriptures, in the in the Tanakh, I realized that all these pieces, if I look at them literally, their meaning is it it'spainting a picture of one person.And that person, in my own understanding, was only fulfilled by the Jewish man who claimed to be the Messiah.
In his humanity, he was a Jew.And of course, you know, that my people say like you're crazy when you think he's also God.But that's what it says, and I have the scriptures.And I mean, if you're interested, I've got several scriptures.I don't I'm Don't ask me about the Talmud.Don't I know my Maimonides, he's Rambam, my Rashi.I know those guys because I studied them when I was in Bible school to an extent.Very very small uh
You know, I'm not asking about the Talmud.I just I'm I was listening to everything you were saying and I was nodding my head until you jumped to the Jesus part.I don't Of course, yes, there's a concept of Mashiach and the savior and all of that.But how did you get from there's such a thing as redeeming Israel to it being Jesus?Like I That's the part that I'm missing.
Every single prophecy that I believe is literal given by God without without error, because that that's God's word.I mean, I'll give you like I like Genesis, you know, Genesis 49:10 when when Jacob blesses his 12 sons.When he blesses Judah, he talks about you know, the the the scepter shall not depart from from Israel until Shiloh comes.Shiloh is another word for the one to whom it belongs.We're not talking about the place Shiloh.We're talking about the one to whom it belongs.That is a title and the rabbis, and you probably know that already, they know that the word Shiloh means, you know, the one to whom it belongs.And it's the
That's what it means in Hebrew.
So, what what?
That's what I'm saying.That's what the word means in Hebrew, but I still don't understand the leap.
Well, I mean, you the leap is you don't you can't take one verse and say, "Okay, that verse tells me this that Jesus is going to be the Messiah."You got to look at all the different verses.It's to me it was the the gathering of all the Messianic prophecies only painted that that that it was it was not a leap, it was a it was a conclusion.I mean,
Let me ask you this.I know No, I know.I know.This is not the topic of the conversation here, so we'll leave it alone.But, I want to ask you this.I want to I want to ask you this.Um you seem like a very uh reasonable, logical, and intellectual human being.
And passionate.
I'm I'm I'm curious to know, cuz clearly you've dedicated a lot of thought and a lot of years of your life to this.I I'm actually curious if you would if you consider yourself open-minded enough for us to have a conversation for me to explain to you why he's not the Messiah.
Only under one condition.
Yes.If I have an open mind, too.
Well, I I think you would.I think you would, but uh we have to do it in Israel when I come.
Done.Done.No problem.
I'll make I for you.I know very little about it.I'm I'm definitely curious to always learn things, but anyway, that aside, you know, I I don't you know, I I don't I can't even understand the idea that you wouldn't be allowed into Israel because of your belief system.Again, assuming you're not looking I'm going to look into it because my whole life I've been told that and I know people who told me when you try to make aliyah, but we would you told them we believein Jesus, they said you can't come.And I'm surprised because you're a smart guy.I'm surprised you're going like, "Never heard of that."So I I am as surprised by the fact that you don't know about it than you are by the fact that I just said it.So this is good.This is I did not expect this podcast to go there, but this is going to be I don't know if I'm going to edit this out.
I think I'm going to leave it just the way it is because you know what I like about you know, it's I do another podcast that you probably saw on my channel called Three Jews, Five Opinions.
Hillel responds to common accusations against Israel, including genocide, apartheid, starvation, and occupation. The episode closes with both men agreeing on the need to speak to reasonable audiences, followed by closing remarks and contact information.
And
so it's you know, it's typical.Well, you know what?We're getting about ready to to wrap this up.What would you you you made it clear going back to the topic of anti-Semitism so that we're clear.You made it clear that Jews belong in Eretz Yisrael.They belong in Israel.What would you say to to evangelicals who are buying into the lies of of the genocide and apartheid and occupation and and and the Khazars and you know, we're not the real Jews.And what would you say to them?How Is there a way to rectify their trajectory or do you just give up on them?
Well, it depends who you're speaking to.If you're speaking to a reasonable person who is who has integrity and is willing to listen and learn, then by all means I'd have that conversation.And you know, every one of the things that you just said, every one of those blood libels, I would I would debunk and dissect one by one.If you tell me that we're committing genocide, I'd ask you if there's any other precedent to any genocide in the history of the world where the victims of the genocide their population grew.Is un- unprecedented.So, unless you're telling me this is like a magical genocide where the people being genocided are reproducing, then clearly there's no genocide.Now, no but like you know, these this isn't an opinion.I mean, what genocide in the history of the world could the victims of the genocide end like that?
If If today Hamas is is removed from Gaza, the war ends.What kind of genocide is that?It What kind of genocide drops flyers and lets the enemy know where they're about to attack?
Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have carpet bombed Gaza on the October
That's That's true, but that's that's already speculation.I'm talking facts, okay?If you're telling me we committed genocide, if answer me one very simple question.Forget everything else, okay?The people who say we're committing genocide claim that we dropped 200,000 bombs on Gaza.That's their claim.The same people who claim that we dropped 200,000 bombs on Gaza claimed that we killed 70,000 innocent people in Gaza.Now, you tell me how 200,000 bombs only killed 70,000 people unless unless those were precision bombs and were not aimed to maximize civilian death, but to minimize civilian death, in which case just think every one of those bombs.You're telling me every one of those bombs didn't have the capability to kill one person?One?Let alone five or 10 or 100.How did 200,000 bombs only kill 70,000 people?What kind of genocide is that?It's insane.Apartheid?
Do you know how many millions of Arabs We have Arabs who are anti-the-state of Israel in Israel's parliament.I can't step foot in an Arab town cuz there's a big red sign that says if you're a Jew, you can't go past here.That's apartheid.Do you know that there are Supreme Court judges, there are MKs, there are actors and doctors and lawyers who are Arabs in Israel who live freely?What kind of apartheid is that?
It's the opposite of apartheid.I went to the house I went to Hadassah hospital to take one of our tour members in 2019 because she fell and the triage nurse was a Muslim woman in all the whole garb.The triage nurse, if she wanted to kill the Jews, she would have done it.She She had She had the power.There's Arabs everywhere in Israel living freely.
That's right.And anybody, you know, who doesn't believe that is welcome to come to Israel and walk around in any mall in Israel and look how many Arabs you see and then go look in in a mall in Ramallah orin Gaza how many Jews you'll see.It's no apartheid.It's It's a big ridiculous lie and it's just so easily debunked.So, any one of the lies that someone comes at me, if they're a person with integrity who's willing to listen, it won't take me more than 30 seconds to debunk it.Any one of them.You name any of it.We We were starving Palestinians.There was no food in Gaza.We were starving them.How were they How were the hostages fed well then?The same people.The hostages are being fed well, but there's no food in Gaza.Which one is it?Right?
Oh, you're making up October 7th.Israel lied and it's also our proudest day.Which one is it?It can't be both.You can't have From the river to the sea means erasing Israel.Two-state means Israel exists.Which one is it?These guys are contradicting themselves constantly.So, I don't even have to disprove it.They do it themselves.
But I I think you The one thing that would be very beneficial, of course many will not do it, is to just come to Israel and be there for a week or two and just see with your owneyes what life in Israel is all about.
Yep, 100%.
Because that's that's really the But But, you know, people are no longer interested in the facts because they already bought the narrative and they want to only look at what is going to feed that narrative and and andkeep it going so they can continue to demonize and delegitimize the Jews.
Right.And that's why I said it depends on who you're talking to.I had a conversation with someone, one of the more intelligent people that I know, who is a an investor and who's driven by data and he says to me, you know, you were occupying Gaza.I said to him, "You ever hear of the disengagement?"He says, "No, what's that?"I'm like, "Why are you expressing an opinion without knowing anything about what you're talking about?Go look up what the disengagement was because we removed every Jew from Gaza, including the dead, by the way.We We dug up our dead.So, to say that we're occupying Gaza is nothing but a blatant, easily disproved lie."It Easy.
Yeah.And I mean that that ended in 2005.And And then look what happened in October 27, 2023.So, no no this I'm with you.I'm just I'm I'm I'm just asking for somebody who lives in Israel, how would you would you handle these people?So, I mean I write on this on a daily, weekly basis.I do videos.This is This is what I do.So, I just wanted one more opinion from from Israel to confirm that those are easily debunked.If like you said, if the people are interested if somebody comes to me to fight me and stay in their way, I just walk away.I don't want to even want to fight or discuss.I walk away.If somebody says uh Hey, listen.Let's talk about it.Like uh uh Like like if you were to tell me on a different topic, so Olivia, I want to get together with you, but I'm only going to get together with you if you agree that Jesus is not
the Messiah.I'm not going to I'm not going to meet with you.If you say like you did, "Let's look at the possibility and let's study together to see maybe maybe there is a different approach."And I said, "Well, you know, I have a different view.If we can exchange views uh civilly and and and have a good time over coffee, then I'm I'm there."And that's the difference between being stubborn, not wanting to change your view on anything.And and and on anti-Semitism and all the blood libels, it's the same thing.People are just the vast majority of them, unfortunately, they're not interested.They want to play their part in destroying Israel and killing all the Jews.
Correct.
And you know, so you have to know who you're talking to.By the way, that's that's not much different than anything that you're marketing.If you're marketing a a company, you also have to know who your target audience is.And so, you know, we're not talking to the people who have, you know, Heil Hitler tattooed on their body.Those people are not listening.But there are millions of people out there who have integrity who are willing to listen.Those are the people we should be speaking to.
That's right.Well, you know, Hillel, uh I'm looking at the time here uh and uh that's about the time I have for a podcast, but I You and I are going to get together and uh I'm going to be therein August, actually.Will you Are you going to be on the road?Are you going to be home?
I'll be home, definitely.I've got a cup of coffee.
uh I'm going to reach out to you and we'll figure out a way to do coffee or whatever.And uh we'll uh we'll do Messianic studies together.
Perfect.Thank you so much.It's great to meet you.I'm looking forward.
Hillel, thank you so much for your time and you have been a blessing to me for a few years now.Just about anything you post on anti-Semitism, I steal.But I No, I don't, because I give you credit.So, I repost and a lot of I want you to know a lot of evangelicals in America have been exposed to the work that you do to oppose anti-Semitism because you say it like it is, you say itlike it needs to be.And uh it it we need more like you.So, so thank you.Thank you for the time.Is there a uh If people want to find you or connect with you, uh what's the best way because I want to put that in the description?
Yeah, I mean, they could any platform, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, wherever.And they uh usually on Instagram and Facebook.Yeah, just my name and usually I I I either I or my team sees all messages.So, if you message me and and I don't respond, just ping me again and I you'll get a response.So, anybody could reach out anywhere.
All right.Hillel, thank you so much.We'll be in touch.
Take care.Sounds good.Bye.Bye.