America, you're next. So it's better that you wake up now because actually we do the hard work for all the rest of the world.

You just heard something that no network will play for you. Not a politician, just an ordinary Israeli at the beach on the street in a taxi. Everything you know about Israel came through some kind of filter. A headline written to make you angry, a 15-second clip to make you click or pick a side. Someone else decided what you were allowed to hear. Today we are removing the filter. We asked everyday Israelis, Arabs, and Jews one simple question. What do Americans not understand about Israel? Their answers were raw, surprising, and sometimes really uncomfortable. Stay with us. This is the Israeli Trailblazers Show, and I'm your host, Jennifer Weisman. First question, a simple one. Why is Israel even important to America? The answer we got was five seconds long.

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. When Israel will be safe, America will be safe. America can trust Israel for sure better than any other country around us. That's it.

That's it. No speech, no spin. And notice what he didn't say. Nothing about religion. Nothing about lobbyists. Just trust. Another Israeli said something that really stuck with us.

We are fighting for democracy. I think it all comes from surviving.

It all comes from surviving. Hold that thought because it explains almost everything you're about to hear. You've seen it a thousand times in your social media feed. The chant, the hashtag free Palestine. You've heard what American influencers think it means. You've heard what cable news thinks it means. But has anyone ever asked Israelis what it's actually about? Well, we did. First answer, brutally short.

I think it's a lot of ignorant people that say that, and it's trendy.

Trendy, but the second answer went further. And this is the part your social media feed will not show you.

There is not a place that's called Palestine. This is very amusing idea to say this word because it doesn't exist. We are here for 3,000 years. People need to understand the minute they said they sent us from the river to the sea, they don't understand what they're saying.

Now the real question under the question millions and millions of people, Americans included, say, I'm not anti-Semitic, I'm just anti-Zionist. Well, here's what happened when we said that to an Israeli.

I don't see a difference between the two. Israel is a tiny, tiny sliver of land in the Middle East. All Zionism is, it's the idea that it's a place that Jews have a homeland to protect themselves against exactly what's happening right now all over the world. It's needed. So if you don't support Israel, you're not supporting the continuity of the Jewish people.

Agree, disagree. Doesn't matter yet. What matters is that nobody ever lets you hear the other end of the conversation. Well, now you have. Enjoying the show? Please take five seconds and tap a five-star review wherever you're listening to this show. It helps more people find this podcast and grow the Israeli Trailblazers community. Apartheid. It's a big word, it's a heavy word. So we asked someone who actually lives in Israel. He started laughing before we even finished the question.

People don't understand how diverse the society here is. I hear things like Israel's in apartheid state. It is so laughable to hear that. I was just at the beach and I'm sitting right next to an Arab family. The girl is wearing a shirt that says, I'd be jealous too to be me.

Picture that. That image will never make a headline because it doesn't fit the media's narrative. And when we asked an Arab Israeli how he feels about Christians, Muslims, and Jews, this was his answer.

Everywhere. You have a good, you have a not good. I like the good. I don't like the bad.

Remember the voice at the very top of this episode when they said, You are next America? We owe it to you to play the whole clip.

Israel, we are the only democratic country in the Middle East. And the minute we wouldn't be here, no connection for religion. We'll be only Muslim and only Arabs in this territory. I don't say all the Muslims are bad, but most of them they want to make the Sharia law. And if it will be all over the Middle East, there is no way back. Next is Europe and America. You are the next place. So it's better that you wake up now because actually we do the hard work for the rest of the world. America will be next and you should take care of yourself.

You can reject that or you can accept that. You can't say you haven't heard of it. Because this, this exact belief, is how millions of Israelis understand their place in the world as the frontline of the fight that they think is coming to America. Whether they're right is now your question to answer. Not CNNs, not X, not MSNBCs. Now, if you assume that every Israeli loves Trump, you're about to be wrong. Listen to the emotion in this. It starts out as love and it ends somewhere else.

People in Israel love the people in the US because it's like a big brother to us. But we don't like the situation. It's not just about Israel, all the world. And we think the Trump finished with Iran, with Hezbollah, with Hamas, and we're so happy and so love him. Now I don't know if I love him because it changed the mind, and we think we stay alone in this situation.

We stay alone. Did you catch that? It's not politics. That's fear. That is fear of a tiny, small country watching its big brother potentially walk away. And it leads to a conclusion spoken with respect but with an edge.

A lot of respect for the American people and for President Trump. But in the end, if we wouldn't take care of ourselves, nobody will.

We have great capacity of ideas, but we always need this friendship. As an Israeli, I feel safe when the American government is responding when we are in a crisis. I feel it's a friendship that needs to last.

You came into this episode with an opinion about Israel. Maybe you still have it. And that's fine. We are not here to change your mind. We're here because your opinion should be built on truths and not spoon-fed headlines. Today you heard the voices Arab, Muslim, Jew. Next time someone tells you what Israelis think, you'll know whether they're telling the truth because now you've heard some of it for yourself. This is the Israeli Trailblazers. I'm your host, Jennifer Weissman. Until next time.