Phyllis Chesler: The Radical Feminist Who Refuses Your Intersectional Anti-Israel Slot (Judean Rose)

Kate Millet (left) and Phyllis Chesler (right), 1972 (photo: courtesy Phyllis Chesler)

Phyllis Chesler is a puzzling figure. She’s an academic and a feminist, so she can’t be on the right. She won’t "hate on" Jews or Israel, so she's can't be on the left.

That makes Phyllis Chesler a problem. Which is a compliment. No one is thinking for Chesler; her thoughts are her own: they’re original.

A leader of the feminist movement, and embedded as she is in the thick of academia as Emerita Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies at City University of New York, Professor Chesler is obstinate in her refusal to jump on the intersectional bash-Israel bandwagon. And she fights against antisemitism.

Now, when you look at the sad state of today’s limited discourse, with seems confined to two very loud competing narratives, Chesler’s originality is compelling, attention-getting. And this is what makes Phyllis Chesler interesting to read. She is not preaching to the choir: how can she as a soloist?

We may not be able to fit the best-selling author, retired psychotherapist, expert courtroom witness, and founding member of the International Committee for Women of the Wall into a slot. Not ours. Not theirs. But if you try to fit this distinctive peg into your one-size-fits-all slot, Phyllis Chesler will be sure to correct you, as she did this author, during the intimate question and answer session that follows:

Varda Epstein: You were a leader in the Second Wave feminist movement in the United States. In your memoir “APolitically Incorrect Feminist,” we can see you rubbed elbows with some of the most important names in that movement. What do you think of Gloria Steinem’s recent criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu in which she calls him a bully for his application of Israel’s No Entry Law with regard to Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib? (See https://www.facebook.com/GloriaSteinem/posts/10156303734472854)

Phyllis Chesler: I didn’t just “rub elbows.” I taught, I learned, I co-wrote articles and planned conferences together with some of the best minds of my Second Wave feminist generation, the pioneers, both known and unknown. Also, I have written about feminist anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism at length in hundreds of articles and in some books, for example: In “The New Anti-Semitism” (2003); “The Death of Feminism” (2005); and in “A Politically Incorrect Feminist” (2018). 

I am deeply saddened and outraged by the leftward turn taken by so many feminists and feminist leaders, the extent to which their concern with anti-black racism and transgenderism trumps their concern with sexism. As I’ve written many times before, the institutional feminist movements in the West have been Palestinianized and many, but not all, are often more concerned with the occupation of a country that does not exist than with the occupation of women’s bodies and minds globally.

Phyllis Chesler on the cover of the New York Times Magazine with Kate Millett, Alix Kates Shulman, Ann Snitow, and Ellen Willis, 1990  (photo: courtesy Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: How are we to understand what seems to be a wave of antisemitism in the women’s movement, for instance among the leaders of the Women’s March?

Phyllis Chesler: The anti-Israel propaganda kicked in minutes after Israel won its 1967 war of self-defense. The well-funded cognitive war has borne its poisoned fruit. Neither Israel nor pro-Israel Jewish organizations launched a Stuxnet-like virus to combat this campaign. I know because I kept advising individual feminists, Jewish feminist magazines, Jewish-American organizations, Israeli diplomats and organizations—from the 1970s on, that this cognitive war was essential. Today, three Islamist leaders have announced a new global channel to focus on Muslim realities. We do not yet have an Al-Jazeera for Israel and the Jews—one that would cover the world and simply not lie about Israel and the Jews. The Israeli government and the IDF media have gotten somewhat better in terms of getting out our side, (the truth) more quickly. We are still mainly playing defense, not offense. Absent a miracle, we, too, will need massive funding and about fifty years to catch up in terms of the demonization campaign against Israel which continues the world’s long, long history of Jew hatred.

Debating anthropologist Margaret Mead on Feminism, 1977  (photo: courtesy Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: How does your work in the field of psychology inform your politics?

Phyllis Chesler: It doesn’t. I judge a political actor by what they do, not by what they say or by what the media attributes to them. I cannot psycho-analyze a political candidate from afar. I do have ethical standards that I bring to bear on the political process. In general, it does not interest me; rather, it terrifies and repulses me because so many politicians lie and are corrupt. There are too few statesmen and women on the horizon today. The Big Lies exist on both sides of the aisle and only if one is quite expert in a few specific areas can you begin to suspect what the highly partisan media might be revealing.

Congressional Briefing on Custody Battles. From left to right: Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer (both congresspeople who later became senators), Phyllis Chesler, and Nancy Polikoff, 1986  (photo: courtesy Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: Would you still describe yourself as a liberal? How have your colleagues responded to your latest positions on Israel and Islam?

Phyllis Chesler: I am not a liberal. Never have been. I am a radical. I try to think deeply—go to the root of any given subject. My colleagues have demonized and defamed me; refused to publish or read me; no longer trust me on all those issues that I myself have pioneered due to my position on Israel and on Islam. I have encountered very painful Holocaust denial as well as lies about Israel among some feminists—while other feminists refuse to take an informed or principled position. They remain bystanders, just as many a good European, good German, did, afraid of the Mean Girls bullies among them. Evil succeeds when good women do nothing.

Phyllis Chesler calls this 1972 photo by Jill Krementz: "The female author as Heathcliff," 1972 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: Are you a Zionist? What does Zionism mean to you? Should every Jew live in Israel?

Phyllis Chesler: too many questions wrapped into one. Of course, I am a Zionist. Zionism is the liberation movement of the Jewish people and a return to our Biblical homeland. I cannot decide for every Jew. I once wanted to live in Israel very much but that proved impossible—and the reasons for it are meant for another article or interview.

With Israeli flag at the Sea of Galilee, 1973 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: I read your book, “An American Bride in Kabul,” where you detailed how you married a fellow student, a Muslim, and ended up Kabul, imprisoned in his family home. The whole time I couldn’t stop thinking of what it must have meant to your family. They were orthodox, he was a Muslim, you had clearly made a bad decision. Did you think about them at all when you made your decision? Were you able to make peace with them, after the fact?

Phyllis Chesler: In retrospect, I believe it was bashert, dare I suggest that it may even have perhaps been divinely orchestrated. I cannot think of another or more humbling reason to explain that misguided adventure. The lessons I learned, what I’ve made of that unusual experience, have ultimately allowed me to understand that certain barbaric customs are indigenous and not caused by imperial, western intervention; that jihadists are not freedom fighters; that the largest practitioner of gender and religious apartheid are Muslim cultures and/or leaders; that one of the things that is NOT new about anti-Semitism in our time is the Islamic version of it. This is what is rising against us on the streets of Europe, in the media, at the UN, and on campuses in the West. Of course, the progressive intelligentsia and old-fashioned anti-Semites have joined forces with the Islamic world, thus creating yet one more perfect storm in terms of Jew-hatred.

I “left” my family in many stages: when I joined Hashomer Ha’tzair in 1948, very much against their will; when I was not Bat Mitzva’ed (girls in Orthodox families did not have this ceremony in Borough Park in 1952–that’s when I ate non-kosher food for the first time—and did not die). I continued “leaving” them as I read more and more books, sang with bands in HS, and then left for good when I refused to even apply to Brooklyn College and instead attended Bard College on a full scholarship. I had no intention of remaining in Kabul. My family never cut me off. My wily mother knew I’d be back. They accepted me. And we continued on in our separate but eternally and genetically joined ways.

Phyllis Chesler's Afghan passport. It is colored bright orange. (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: You saw, up close and personal, the bad side of Islam. What do you think of Islamic reform? Is it possible? Can it catch on? Is there anyone in particular you think is on the right track in that regard?

Phyllis Chesler: I did not see the “bad” side of Islam. I saw Islam in situ, in practice, pre-Taliban. Illiterate, rural Muslims; privileged, educated Muslims, have, in general, been taught to feel superior to infidels whom they are also taught to despise and whom they ceaselessly try to convert. Islam has been spread over 14 centuries via the sword, Buddhists used to populate Afghanistan—Islamic history is a conquering history of colonialism, imperialism, slavery, and apartheid.

Of course, definitely, there are Muslims who are dissidents, pro-Israel, feminists, or gay, who are both religious and anti-religious; many Muslims are kind, charming, creative, agnostic, or have converted to another religion. This is a capital crime. I know and have worked with and learned from such Muslim individualists, many of whom are heroic and have been persecuted by their families, mullahs, leaders—and by a Western politically correct intelligentsia. Islam is not a race. It is a political, military, and social ideology which, at this moment in world history has either come into its medieval own or has been even further perverted by totalitarian tyrants.

In which Phyllis Chesler is "beamed up into Teheran and translated into Persian," 2005 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Chesler with Ayaan Hirsi Ali at a conference on Honor Based Violence, NYC, 2008 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: You went from fighting for abortion rights to writing about antisemitism and the demonization of Israel. How do you square these ideas? Where are you religiously on Jewish thought and practice?

Phyllis Chesler: And in between these two subjects, I researched and lectured on violence against women (rape, incest, domestic battery, pornography, and prostitution); wrote about becoming a mother; studied and published works on divorce and custody battles, and the nature of commercial surrogacy, woman’s inhumanity to woman. I spent a blessed quarter-century of Torah study, published some Devrai Torah—and then, inevitably, wrote about a subject with which I’ve been engaged since the early 1970s—anti-Semitism. I “square” these subjects and all those that have come since then, including my critique of Women’s Studies and my four studies about honor-based violence, particularly honor killing, as the work of a very inquiring and engaged Jewish mind, heart, and soul.

I attend an Orthodox shul right around the corner. The community is modern, the women are mainly all accomplished, professional career women, some of us attend Torah shiurim. I am privileged to be among them. What more is there to say? 

Keynote panel at the first-ever Speak-Out on Rape. Phyllis Chesler and Florence Rush, 1971 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Bringing a Torah to Jerusalem with fellow Women of the Wall. Left to right: Phyllis Chesler, Rivka Haut, Shulamit Magnus, JFK, 1989 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Chesler hosts Phillip Karsenty. She calls him "the Alfred Dreyfus of our time." 2007 (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Talking about Antisemitism at Lincoln Square Synagogue (courtesy of Phyllis Chesler)

Varda Epstein: You have achieved a great deal in your 78 years. What goals do you have for the future? What work remains for you to do?

Phyllis Chesler: My work will never be done, not in this life, nor in the next one. I have joy and purpose in my work and thus, have been blessed.

Phyllis Chesler (author photo: Joan L. Roth)

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Read more Judean Rose interviews:
Otzma Yehudit’s Dr Adva Biton: Finding Strength to Fight for Others

Ryan Bellerose: Indigenous Has Nothing to Do with Time and Everything to Do with Connection

Akiva Fuld: “I’m Doing This For Me”

 A Father Speaks Out: The Murder of Malki Roth and the Refusal of Jordan to Extradite the Beast Ahlam Tamimi (Arnold Roth)

Israel's Jewish Indigenous Land Rights: A Conversation with Nan Greer, Part 1

Israel's Jewish Indigenous Land Rights: A Conversation with Nan Greer, Part 2

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Otzma Yehudit’s Dr Adva Biton: Finding Strength to Fight for Others (Judean Rose)

Dr. Adva Biton, 39, suffered the worst tragedy a parent can imagine. In 2013, Adva and three of her children were returning home from a visit to their grandmother when their car came under attack by Arab terrorists hurling stones. Adva’s little girl, Adele, was critically injured, sustaining severe head injuries. Two years later, little Adele succumbed to her injuries.

During the two years leading up to her death, all of Israel prayed for Adele. We watched for every scrap of news about Adele and about Adva, whose dedication to her daughter’s recovery seemed never to flag. She never seemed to leave her daughter’s side. Adva Biton was every Israeli mother in a dreaded situation that could have happened to any of us, God forbid. Our hearts were collectively broken in 2015, when Adele left this world.

In the run-up to the election, I wanted to know more about Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), the far right party associated with the values of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane. I was surprised to learn that Dr. Biton was number two on the list of this party, which looks as though it will just make it over the electoral threshold. I was also surprised to learn that Adva Biton was Dr. Adva Biton, an academic in the field of medical chemistry.

I had known her only as a mother. And now it seemed she was also an academic running for Knesset. I spoke with Dr. Adva Biton to learn more:

Varda Epstein: Where were you born and raised?

Adva Biton: I was born in Beersheva and grew up in Ariel, a wonderful city in Samaria 

Varda Epstein: Can you tell us a bit about your family background? Who were your parents and grandparents?

Adva Biton: I was raised in a simple home based on the love of man and the earth. My grandparents were land workers, farmers. They found their livelihood toiling in the Land of Israel. My grandfather was a shepherd and farmer. He had a goat farm.

They raised their eight children in nature, without the noise of technology.

Varda Epstein: I see you are a PhD in medical chemistry. Can you tell us a bit about your academic career? 

Adva Biton: I come from the world of research and academics in pharmaceutical chemistry with more than 15 years of experience as a lecturer and researcher on a wide variety of medical science medical topics. My thesis dealt with DNA Photocleavage by TFO-Dye conjugates: from Mechanistic Aspects to in-vivo Applications.  

Varda Epstein: You’re the mother of a large family who suffered a terrible loss. The entire country prayed for Adele, HY”D. What is it about your life that has prepared you to run for office?

Adva Biton: Throughout my dealings with the tragedy that befell us, many channels opened up to me. I discovered abilities and skills in myself. I became a social activist, participating in forums. I took part in protests, particularly in the general Knesset committees. These things gave me the opportunity to rise and reach the Knesset. I see the Israeli Knesset as a place to advance the social agendas in which I am involved.

When a person goes through a horrible tragedy, they get up from their low place, not from a place of experience, and find something in themselves: some strength to go help and fight for others.

Adele Biton, before the tragedy

Adele Biton

Dr. Adva Biton, with Adele, HY"D

Varda Epstein: Practically speaking, what can Otzma accomplish if it makes it into the government?

Adva Biton: We can change the policy and response to terror: no tying our IDF soldiers’ hands in response to the enemy. No more five star hotel for terrorists. No more protection money to Hamas. We can change in the judicial system, which is totally corrupt. Education. Rights for divorced fathers, alienated parents, and victims of the welfare system

Varda Epstein: Some of us are thinking about voting for Otzma Yehudit for the first time but we worry about the background of some of the members, the criminal indictments and ties to mosque arson and violent price tag attacks. What can you say to reassure us that you are mature, law-abiding citizens?

Adva Biton: Itamar Ben Gvir always goes according to the law. None of our representatives have ever broken the law. Everything done in Otzma is legal. 

Price tag attacks are not representative of Otzma Yehudit. Rather, Otzma is representative of Israeli society and hopes to represent any and every Israeli citizen in the Knesset.

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Ryan Bellerose: Indigenous Has Nothing to Do with Time and Everything to Do with Connection (Judean Rose)

Ryan Bellerose (photo credit: The Real Jerusalem Streets)

Ryan Bellerose as an advocate for Israel seems an unlikely choice. Now 43, Ryan grew up in Northern Alberta, Canada. He spent half the year living with his dad on the Métis Settlement in Paddle Prairie, and half with his mother in town.

As an adult, Ryan has had an eclectic career trajectory. He operated heavy machinery in the far north, running bulldozers and backhoes; worked in forestry as a guide; fought wildfires, built ice bridges; and served as a GPS GIS consultant. From there he moved into security contracting, and then on to Telecom as a business analyst.

Nope. It’s hard to connect the dots from any of those things to supporting Israel. The only way to really understand Ryan Bellerose on Israel, is to listen to him. On social media, he is blunt, sometimes to the point of rudeness. If you say something he deems stupid, he won’t hold back. He will call you “asshat.” But he will also tell you the truth as he sees it. And I see that as a valuable commodity in a friend.

Ryan is one of the more interesting people I know in the pro-Israel advocacy world. And he is awesome. I present him here to you, warts and all:

Varda Epstein: People like to label. I am pretty sure a lot of people, when they think of you or have to describe you to others, say, at least in their minds, “Ryan is that pro-Israel Native American guy.” You’re Métis. Can you tell us a bit about the Métis people, and your genealogy?

Ryan Bellerose: My people are Métis and Cree. My father is Métis and Cree, his father was Métis, and his Mother was Cree/Métis. Our family traces back to the first Métis families and communities.

Varda Epstein: What is your connection to the politics of your community, the Métis people, and if relevant, to other indigenous peoples?

Ryan Bellerose: My father, Mervin Bellerose, was heavily involved in the indigenous struggle in Canada. He cowrote the Métis Settlements Act of 1989, was the chairman of the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement Council for several years, and also served as its resource coordinator, which is like being chief.

Merv was also a founding member of the Settlements Appeal Tribunal (MSAT). Having watched him growing up, I realised early on that I would be a terrible politician because I have a low tolerance for BS. I have been asked to run for office, but I think the problem with Indian politics is that they are a familyocracy rather than a meritocracy. I would, of course, make an excellent benevolent dictator, but those jobs are in short supply!

Ryan Bellerose (left) and his father, Mervin Bellerose

Varda Epstein: When did you first become conscious of Israel as more than just a foreign country?

Ryan Bellerose:I have had several “epiphanies” but honestly when I started to make friends with actual Israelis, that’s when I became more motivated to learn about these strange yet familiar people and their customs and ways. When you see people as people and not concepts it changes how you see everything. Jews are kind of mysterious to non-Jews, once I got past that, everything else came easy.

Ryan with a friend.

Varda Epstein: You have made a lot of enemies, even among Jews. Why is that?

Ryan Bellerose: Wow, you aren’t lobbing me any softballs, lol. To be blunt, I think that people don’t like to be reminded of their flaws and inconsistencies, and having someone who is not only willing to have hard conversations, but who is unapologetic about it, scares them.

Jews have become used to non-Jews being ignorant about Jewish history and culture at best, and hostile at worst. Many Jews themselves became complacent about their identity and so having some random Indian who isn’t Jewish, say “It’s important for Jews to BE Jews” can be threatening. After all if someone hasn’t really considered their identity much or spent any effort understanding it, having an outsider tell you how important it is, could be seen as a hostile act.

My father has a saying “ comfort is the enemy of identity” and he used that to explain to me why Métis who lived in the bush, stayed Métis, while many who went to live among the whites, assimilated at the first opportunity. I talk a lot about the importance of identity, and for people who struggle with their own identity, being told how important it is, can be daunting. It’s easier to attack the guy talking about it, than to really dive deep into the subject.

Ryan Bellerose at the Kings Hotel, in Jerusalem (photo credit: The Real Jerusalem Streets)

I am going to say something controversial here, I believe that often antisemitism is rooted in jealousy and a feeling of “why do these people think they are so special?” I believe that the Jews who are upset with me are motivated by something similar: they are upset because a non-Jew not only spent the time and effort learning about Jews and Judaism that they have not, but that he has actually shown some insight that they lack but feel entitled to. They’re thinking:

“What’s so special about this guy?”

I always say “knowledge comes from effort, not osmosis.” This bothers my critics who up until now, always got away with simply saying “I am a Jew therefore I automatically know more about Jews than any non Jew”.

I think those Jews get upset that a non-Jew would even spend the time learning about Jews. I find that Jews who are very strong in their identity, are comfortable with me and the way I speak because they understand it comes from a place of commonality: I am not trying to replace them and I actually listen and apply what I hear.

I spent time listening to and talking to actual Rabbis, and scholars BEFORE forming my opinions. I take that information, filter it through my lens, and share my insights and what I have learned. And one thing I have learned is that there is always more to learn, and that it’s a lot of work but it’s totally worth it, lol.

Ryan at AIPAC with Iris Breidbord Langman

Varda Epstein: Ryan, let’s stipulate: you’re smart. Growing up, were you smarter than the other kids you knew? Were you always this tough and straightforward?

Ryan Bellerose: Haha. I was pretty precocious. Merv (my dad) used to say that if there was a question I hadn’t asked, he never heard it lol.

Growing up, I tended to get in trouble a lot because I was always doing things like building a parachute out of my grandmother’s handmade quilt and some binder twine and other ridiculous things. I was the youngest grandchild on my father’s side for most of my early childhood, but was kind of the ringleader of my older cousins because of my “plans.” I was also really good at talking my way out of trouble when those plans invariably went awry.

Ryan with Roseanne Barr 

Varda Epstein: I had always imagined you as a little boy, reading some book about Israel and discovering this indigenous people who got back their land, and that the idea gave you hope.

Ryan Bellerose: I was always pro-Israel because as a kid, out of everything I learned during my Catholic school days, I always liked the Maccabee stories best. I actually pissed off the priest once: they were asking all the kids which story was their favourite in the bible and why, and I said "I like the story of the Maccabees," and then I said, "Because they kicked ass."

Hahahaha. They sent me home.

Merv still laughs about all my arguments with the priest, lol. Father Mercredi just hated me, I think.

Ryan Bellerose has worn many hats, including this helmet, back when he played defensive tackle for the Calgary Wolfpack

Varda Epstein: Ouch. Hated you not just on Mercredi, but on every day of the week?

Ryan Bellerose: Hahahaha. But back then, in my school days, Israel was just an ancient place that I thought was kind of cool, and I always sided with the Jews against the Hellenists and the Romans, lol.

When my dad brought me that book about Entebbe, "Operation Thunderbolt," Israel was still sort of a mythical place to me. But when I started getting to actually know Israelis, suddenly It was like it all came together: this place I had always thought of as somewhat mythical was not just real, but that it was a group of indigenous people who somehow made it happen.

You might say I was interested in historical Israel when I was young, probably 7 or 8, then again in junior high, but it was just after university that I started realising that the struggle of the Jewish people was so similar to my people, and it all started because an anti-Israel asshat invited me into a political discussion group to "educate" me. That’s where I met a terrible person named Greta Berlin and she pissed me off so I started standing up for Israel and wrote my first article in 2013.

Varda Epstein: I don’t know about your first article, but I certainly remember Who’s Indigenous as I believe I did some light editing on that one, and even gave it its title, on Dave Lange’s Israellycool site.

I link to that piece all the time because it’s so damned good. And not because I fixed a few typos or gave it a name. It’s brilliant, Ryan. But why do people think “indigenous” as it relates to people, means the people who were there first? How can we change their minds?

Ryan Bellerose: It’s because they use Wikipedia and YouTube for everything. “Indigenous” in regard to human beings, means your people had a cultural development and a coalescence as a people on an ancestral land. It has nothing to do with time and everything to do with connection. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and when it comes to indigenous status, this truism is even more valid.

Varda Epstein: Can you tell us about your friendship with Ari Fuld?

Ryan Bellerose: I don’t really like talking about Ari. I am not really a sociable person and I don’t make a lot of friends. So losing an actual friend was hard.

Ari was a good man who was underappreciated when he was alive. I don’t think people understood the amount of effort or work that Ari put into the pro-Israel cause. I remember how much it bothered me to see people mocking his strength of purpose and calling him stuff like “zealot” when really all he was doing was defending his people and showing everyone by example, what it means to be a proud, strong Jew who is unapologetic about being Jewish.

Also, the dude was tireless. I mean I am known for being online a lot and all over the place attending pro- and anti-Israel events and filming and confronting asshats, and if anything: Ari was even more busy than I was, lol. This was a guy who walked the walk.

We were kind of sympatico from the start. Neither of us tolerated fools and we could both be blunt, but either of us would do anything for the people we care about. I think if there were more Ari's the world would be a better place. I always say that Ari is still here, because as long as there are people out there fighting for what’s right, Ari will be remembered.

From left to right: Ari Fuld (HY"D), Dr. Nan Greer, cofounder and executive director of Alistar International, and Ryan Bellerose

Varda Epstein: Ryan, how do you see your role within the Jewish community. Do you see yourself as having a role? Wouldn’t your straightforward style tend to rule out your eligibility to serve as an ambassador?

Ryan Bellerose:I think I am a bridge-builder and a supporting character in the story of the Jewish people. I think I am both a teacher and a student, because while I may have changed the outlook of many Jews and helped them see that they are indigenous people, they have changed me and helped me learn a lot about myself and identity in general.

I would be a terrible ambassador because ambassadors are politicians and I am not a politician. A politician tries to compromise and see both sides, and I am an advocate. I see the other side’s arguments but I advocate for MY side. I do not compromise unless it’s absolutely necessary because I’m not here to help the other side: They have their own advocates. So that’s not how I see my role anyway.

I am a friend, an advocate, an educator and a pathfinder. I am teaching non-Jews that Jews are just people who should be treated like you would treat anyone else, and I am teaching Indians that we need to stand with indigenous people based on facts not feelings.

Ryan, with my favorite people, the Hyman family of Efrat (photo courtesy: Leora Hyman)

I am a pathfinder because Jews need someone they trust to be consistent and keep their word, who isn’t gonna cut and run when things get tough. The truth is that Jewish history is very similar to ours insofar as people lying to us, misleading us, and such, so in order for us to have an ambassador, we need to build bridges of trust first. That’s not easy, especially with traumatised people on both sides.

Earlier you asked me why I have so many enemies and honestly I think a large part of it has to do with my consistency. I may evolve, I may change some of my beliefs, but the core of my beliefs never changes or wavers and that scares people. I am not pro-Israel or pro-Jewish out of a religious notion or some love of democracy. I don’t see Israel as a bastion of the west in the Middle East. I genuinely love and respect Jewish people because you are indigenous people, just like me, only unlike me, you overcame massive obstacles to obtain self-determination on your ancestral lands WHILE NEVER LOSING WHO YOU ARE.

You guys have a saying during Passover, Dayenu, and it applies for me here. If you had only ever given us an example of what indigenous people can accomplish, despite all odds?

It would have been enough.

Varda Epstein: Can you describe for us your spiritual outlook, what it was and how it has changed through the years? What changed it?

Ryan Bellerose:I follow traditional Cree spirituality. It’s a pantheistic belief system that my people have always followed. Basically we believe in the Creator of all things, that we are all part of the Creator but we are not the Creator.

I was raised Roman Catholic because that was my mother’s belief system, My father was extremely anti-religion because of his experiences with residential schools. I was pretty religious growing up and I slowly learned more about the issues within the Church and historically and how it treated my people and drifted away. When my fiancée was killed, I left religion entirely.

My first trip to Israel was the push to return to my indigenous beliefs. It took visiting the birthplace of Christianity to understand that I wasn’t meant to be Christian but that there was something deep and important missing from my life.

I advocate cultural resurgence, so I needed to walk the walk. Relearn my language. Learn my own people’s belief system and try harder to decolonise.

Ryan with my friend Michael Behar, in Seattle

Varda Epstein: What is your life goal?

Ryan Bellerose: the short answer? To leave things better than I found them. The detailed answer? To have enough money to be comfortable; start a family and continue my family line; to build bridges between indigenous peoples; and hopefully see the resurgence of my people. I have been blessed to meet a lot of cool and interesting people along the way.

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Akiva Fuld: “I’m Doing This For Me” (Judean Rose)

Akiva Fuld would like you to believe there’s nothing special about what he’s doing, and he’s right: we should all be asking each other “What can I do for you, today?” We should all care enough to ask that question.

What’s different about Akiva Fuld, to my mind, is the follow-through. And by that, I don’t mean answering a call for help with whatsoever assistance he is able to offer, though there’s that, but asking the question in the first place: “What can I do for you, today?”

Most of us would be terrified to ask that question, if it even occurred to us to ask it in the first place. We’d be afraid of getting involved with the messiness of other people’s lives, of being on the hook for more than we’d bargained. For Akiva Fuld, on the other hand, it’s a simple thing, no big deal, no daunting prospect, just a straightforward proposition. Three times a day, he just comes right out and asks the question, “How can I help you, today?”

That’s how it started, anyway, though now it’s morphed into something else: Akiva Fuld created a Facebook page called How can I try to help you today? The page is open to the public, anyone can join. Anyone can ask for Akiva Fuld’s help.

Now, Akiva may or may not be able to help you with your problem. But he’s going to try. And if you think about it, 45-year-old Akiva Fuld, married for 22 years, and a father of 7 (girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl), is only doing what we all know we should be doing for each other: caring enough to offer our help and doing our best to follow through.

This is what it means to be a good person. And we should all be good people. I think we can learn something from Akiva Fuld’s example, so I reached out for an interview. Wanting to be helpful (!), Akiva agreed:

Varda Epstein: Tell us a bit about yourself: where are you from, how did you end up in Israel?

Akiva Fuld: I was born and raised in Queens, NY. I made Aliyah at age 23. I guess ending up in Israel mainly had to do with the kind of upbringing I wanted for my future children. I was hoping to save my children from a society that was highly influenced by envy.

Varda Epstein: You started a Facebook group: How can I try to help you today? Can you tell us about this group?

Akiva Fuld: A few months ago I started posting those words to my page, and I was getting all sorts of requests from all over the globe. When I first started noticing the requests begin to dwindle, I started posting 3 times a day. I began to see a rise in requests. When I saw them drop off again, I decided to post to groups that were quite big.

On the first day, many people posted and I helped as many as I could. The second day, again there were many requests, but this time many people started helping others. I guess I felt that I can't help with everything, so I might as well share the opportunity. The truth is that the group is for me to be able to help others. If other people want to help, that's great, if not, I get to keep the opportunities for myself.

Varda Epstein: What made you start the group?

Akiva Fuld: Well there really were three things that made me start the group. First, I haven’t always been a big fan of mankind. I'm very optimistic when it comes to Hashem, and yet quite pessimistic when it comes to mankind. Our ability to cause self-destruction is staggering. I felt that I needed a way to begin to better like mankind. What better way to grow to love someone, than to give to them?

Second, we don't charge usury in Judaism. Aside from the simple reason—Hashem told us not to—if we want a bit of a logical reason, it seems to me that the money doesn't really being to us, we are simply guardians. So if we need the money then we use it, if not then we should make sure someone else can. I feel that it should be the same with time.

And third, certain personal things happened in the past few years that made me want to work on being a better person.

Varda Epstein: What do you hope the group will achieve?

Akiva Fuld: I have no real expectations, and I have no idea where this is going to go. I really would like to see it be more international, and be able to help many other demographics.

Varda Epstein: How much of your time would you say is occupied with this endeavor?

Akiva Fuld: Good thing you are asking me and not my wife or children. I am spending as much time as I believe I need to, in order to make sure as many people as possible get the help they need. My wife and kids believe I am spending WAY too much time on this.

I guess in the end the actual time calculation comes out about the same—pretty much around the clock. I am trying to get it down to 2-3 hours in the morning, 2-3 hours in the afternoon, and 2-3 hours at night. I'm hoping as I bring in more moderators on the page, that I'll be able to get it down to those numbers.

Varda Epstein: What do you do for a living?

Akiva Fuld: I'm building up my company - https://fourpathsto.com/ - which is a new form of communication that I've created, based on recognizing which one of 4 personalities best describes your audience, and then being able to change the delivery of your message, not the message itself, to best fit your audience. This works with audiences from 1 all the way to millions.

Varda Epstein: Do you ever think about the success/fail component to your offer of help?

Akiva Fuld: Personally I don't like to fail, so I do put great effort into it, but it will happen from time to time that I'm not able to help someone. Sometimes it is because I don't have specific knowledge, and sometimes the person isn't open to creative solutions. Also, this is why I added the word 'try' to the name of the group. Does it matter whether or not you are able to help this person or that? Nope. As long as I try and give it my all. I imagine there are people who would like to know: how often is he successful. I don't know the answer to that. I'm not keeping track. I don't see any value in that.

Varda Epstein: What is it about an offer of help that is important?

Akiva Fuld: 1- Listening to what the person is and isn't saying. 2- Understanding what the person is asking for. 3- Being able to recognize, and clearly communicate the difference between the person's 'wants' and 'needs.’ 4- Being able to provide creative solutions when the situation requires it, and simple solutions, when that is what is needed. 5- Being able to recognize what the other person needs to hear and how it needs to be said.

Varda Epstein: What should others take away from your perspective on extending help?

Akiva Fuld: 1- Sometimes people simply need an ear, and sometimes they need more than that. And 2- it is only on one to try.

Varda Epstein: What is your ultimate goal for you and for your people?

Akiva Fuld: For me it is to keep on helping until people don't need to ask anymore. Also it might be nice SOMEDAY (NOT NOW) to have a discretionary fund to help out some of the people who need financial assistance. But I am in no rush. I honestly don't know what the other group members hope to achieve. I'm doing this for me.

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