Yishai Fleisher

Rabbi Yishai Fleisher (Hebrew: ישי פליישר‎, born 1976) is the spokesperson for the Jewish community of Hebron in Israel, a broadcaster with a weekly podcast, and is a contributing editor for The Jewish Press. Fleisher is a strong advocate of aliyah, the migration to Israel of Jews from around the world. He also works to end the Palestinian BDS movement, get recognition for Israeli indigenous rights, fights against historical appropriation, and strengthen the Jewish people's presence in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria.[1]

Yishai Fleisher
Rabbi Yishai Fleisher
Born1976 (age 44–45)
Haifa, Israel
OccupationSpokesperson, podcaster, writer
Websiteyishaifleisher.com

Background & education

Yishai Fleisher was born in 1976 in Haifa, Israel to Jewish refuseniks from the Soviet Union. The family emigrated to the US when he was eight. Fleisher has a sister and brother. At the age of 17, Fleisher returned to Israel and served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces and was injured in Lebanon during his military service in 1997. Fleisher returned to the US where he completed an undergraduate degree in political science at Yeshiva University, then a Juris Doctorate at the Cardozo School of Law. He received his rabbinic ordination from Kollel Agudath Achim.[2][1]

Advocacy for Aliyah

In 1999, Fleisher co-founded Kumah, "Arise" in Hebrew, a Neo-Zionist NGO whose mission is to enhance awareness about aliyah, the immigration of Jews from around the world back to the Land of Israel, historically, which today includes the modern State of Israel.[3][4]

In 2006 Fleisher co-created Free Your Mind: The Aliyah Revolution, an animated short film promoting aliyah to American Jews, using a parody of The Matrix film.[5][6]

Fleisher conceptualized the idea that created Aliyah Day in 2016, which acknowledges Aliyah, immigration to the Jewish state, as a core value of the State of Israel, and honors the ongoing contributions of Olim, Jewish immigrants, to Israeli society.[7][8][9]

Advocacy for Jewish settlement in Hebron

In 2015, Fleisher became the spokesman of the Hebron Jewish community.[10] In that capacity, Fleisher has been quoted in news articles and met with persons and groups working to better Arab-Jewish relations.[11][12]

Career
Yishai Fleisher speaking in Washington DC, 2019.

Fleisher speaks three languages and gives lectures. Abigail Klein Leichman of The Jewish Standard wrote in 2015, "Rabbi Fleisher has become a go-to Israel expert for international media, including CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Russia Today, Xinhua, MTV, Sipa Press, and Fox News. He does a podcast radio show, ...has appeared on American talk radio, and writes regularly for The Jerusalem Post and The Jewish Press."[1]

Fleisher hosts the Yishai Fleisher Show, a weekly podcast on The Land of Israel Network.[13] Previously, he was the director of programming at the Religious Zionist radio station, Israel National Radio (Arutz Sheva), and later director of programming at the Voice of Israel, an independent internet broadcast network located in Jerusalem.[13][3]

In 2016, Fleisher argued against UNESCO's attempt to recognize the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron as a Palestinian World Heritage Site.[14]

In 2017, Fleisher penned an op-ed which was published in The New York Times. A public uproar ensued because Fleisher's essay basically called for a Palestinian apartheid. About the essay, the editor said: "[Fleisher wrote that] the two-state solution is dead and [it's] time to face reality, and here's some alternative paths for what the future would look like. And we had a real debate about whether this piece was crossing a line, because was it denying personhood to the Palestinians? Was it an act of, kind of, hate speech in a sense? I felt strongly that we should publish the piece and we did, as did others. Because this particular viewpoint is hugely consequential. It actually is creating reality on the ground."[15]

Personal life

In July 2002, Yishai Fleisher married Malkah Bernath at the Cave of Machpelah in the Old City of Hebron. In 2011, they moved to Ma'ale HaZeitim where they live with their children.[1][10]

References
  1. Leichman, Abigail Klein (October 22, 2015). "Feeling the river of history flow". Jewish Standard.
  2. "Rabbi Yishai Fleisher - Bio". Daystar. August 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  3. Lehmann, Sara (February 10, 2010). "We Need To Put The Spirit Back Into The People: An Interview with Arutz Sheva's Yishai Fleisher". The Jewish Press.
  4. Brosgol, Dan (July 16, 2010). "Interview with Yishai Fleisher- Director of Arutz Sheva, Israel National News". JewishBoston. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  5. "New Film Calls on N. American Jews to Move to Israel". Israel National News. December 27, 2005. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  6. Bresky, Ben (March 14, 2019). "Hundreds mourn family-rights activist Gil Ronen - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  7. HaLevi, Ezra (May 4, 2008). "Monday Declared 'International Aliyah Day'". Israel National News.
  8. Fendel, Hillel (March 15, 2010). "Head Start for 'Aliyah Day' Law". Israel National News.
  9. Klein, Steven (June 24, 2016). "Rank and File: Aliyah Day Becomes Official Holiday". Haaretz.
  10. Wilder, David (January 10, 2016). "The Right Person in the Right Place at the Right Time!". Israel National News. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  11. Traiman, Alex (July 4, 2017). "UNESCO's Cave of the Patriarchs Measure Is Latest Example of 'Narrative Warfare' Against Israel, Experts Say". Algemeiner Journal. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  12. "Ramadan 'Iftar' Kosher Meal in Hebron Brings Israeli 'Settlers' and Palestinians Together". UWI. May 14, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  13. Amouyal, Noa; Frantzman, Seth J (August 25, 2015). "Voice of Israel English-language radio closes after first year - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  14. Okello, Christina (July 10, 2017). "Jewish settlers declare culture war on Unesco Hebron decision". Radio France Internationale.
  15. Feinberg, Ashley (February 27, 2018). "Leak: How NYT Editor James Bennet Justifies The Op-Ed Page To His Colleagues". HuffPost. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
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