Rabbi Moshe Davis, a native of Chicago, made aliyah with his wife and four children in 2020 after 20 years of service as a rabbi for Jewish communities in the United States. He lives in Beit Shemesh and works for the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), an organization known in Hebrew as Habithonistim, which guides the narrative of Israel’s national security needs.
“I made aliyah during COVID from South Carolina after a wonderful career in the American rabbinate. I often tell people that I’m the only rabbi I know who made the transition from Torah to national security,” he tells The Jerusalem Report.
“At the IDSF, my title is Director of International Operations. I am responsible for building our communications to the English-speaking community and developing strategic partners and a donor base in North America.”
What is the IDSF?
The IDSF was established in 2020 by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi after 30 years of service in the IDF.
“He founded the organization to focus solely on Israel’s national security, guiding decisions that protect its citizens and ensure their safety. It sounds simple, but no one else was doing this or is currently doing this. During his time in the military, General Avivi was involved in some high-level decisions where he experienced firsthand how professional national security recommendations were cast aside for political and alternate motivations, thereby jeopardizing the lives of the people of Israel. He saw how an uninformed public, imprudent media, and misguided security professionals contributed to national security vulnerabilities and failures. And so the IDSF was formed to change the narrative. Since October 7, 2023, the IDSF has emerged as the leading voice in national security strategy in Israel, advocating for a decisive victory. We provide guidance to governments in Israel and abroad on critical military decision-making, while also educating society to foster resilience and understand its vital role in ensuring national security.”
How does Rabbi Davis see the situation in Israel today?
“I am incredibly optimistic. At the beginning of the war, everything looked bleak. The people of Israel experienced the greatest tragedy of our generation, and the pain was palpable 24/7. Beyond the emotional and visceral reaction, there was a great fear of the unknown. The ordinary people of Israel stepped up, truly demonstrating that our nation is extraordinary. Young soldiers, reservists, and volunteers from Israel and abroad came together in a way that can only be likened to messianic times.”
He adds that we have come a long way since the war began, and the Middle East is a different place today: “Hamas in Gaza is nearly eradicated, the decades-long threat from Hezbollah is virtually nonexistent, the Assad regime has fallen, and Iran has tried its best to launch direct strikes on Israel and has failed every time. The balance of power in the Shia-Sunni world is shifting, the Israeli-Saudi relationship is strengthening, and the new US administration looks promising in terms of addressing the threat from Iran. All we need now is to focus on strengthening the unity in Israel, which was so strong after October 7.”
One of the rabbi’s roles is to host daily war briefings, which run Monday to Thursday at 10 a.m. Eastern time. “The goal is to share real analysis about what is happening in this war on both the battlefield and in the geopolitical arena. Viewers can send in their questions, and I do my very best to incorporate them into the briefings. The briefings are free of charge, and registration can be done with the link http://bit.ly/IDSFlive. I can also be reached at moshe@idsf.org.il.”