Entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Kevin Bermeister joined Real Talk host Hadassah Chen to discuss how the war has shifted global perception of Israel.
“I was in Sydney, trying to process the October 7th massacre. We were determined not to let ourselves become depressed, so we continued to celebrate through the next day of Simchat Torah. Afterwards, unfortunately, the news got worse and worse. I said to somebody that day that it would be years before we got out of this.
“The fact that it happened on Shabbat and Simchat Torah was beyond this world. None of us could comprehend it, but I think as the days go on we're beginning to see perhaps some light at the end of the tunnel. We have seen that we may be alone in the world, but that it’s okay to be confident and capable.”
He explains the value of being alone: “We are a holy nation. We are from people. Of course we interact with the world, but a lot of my American colleagues for fear that their business life would be affected by the revelation of their Jewishness. I've been able to extricate myself from that.”
He referred to the upcoming USA Presidential elections. “Trump was fantastic for Israel. I truly think a Trump regime will permit us to complete the process, we just have to be ready. As an American, I wouldn’t be sure, but as an Israeli, I totally believe in Trump.”
Kevin also clarified why, from an Israeli point of view, he doesn’t approve of US President Joe Biden: ‘He’s traditionally been good for Jews, but the Democrat Party is falling apart. Even if 80% of them are moderates, they are being influenced by the extreme Israel haters on the far left.”
As an investor, he says, there is much profit to be made in Israeli real estate - over time. “You need an Israeli team, and you need to be patient. We’ve sold 135 homes, and we’re hoping to sell another 300. It could take as much as fifteen years to build and sell a neighborhood, and most investors simply don’t have the tolerance for that wait.’’
One city has particularly captured his interest - Jerusalem. “As we build, you can see the changing face of Jerusalem, with skyscrapers coming up, the new rail line, and tech companies making the city a serious technology hub. It’s incredible.”
Israeli innovation, he claims, is helping the process along. “There are so many brilliant people here and so much technology. I’ve been surrounding myself with long-term views on technology and innovation here.’’
He also gives back to Israel through the technological community. “We have a global advertising platform that we have been using for Israel advocacy to reach some places of significant resistance. We’re influencing minds and delivering a pro-Israel message.”
He also shared his insights into philanthropy. ‘’Giving is an acquired skill. Everyone wants to give, but you need to fight your own inclination not to part with your hard-earned money. One thing this war has done is made people dig into their pockets and want to give, no matter how much you have.’’
‘’We’ve also seen many different kinds of giving in this war - not only money or supplies, but people offering their skills, experiences, minds, and knowledge. People could feel that they’re being cheated, and the government is supposed to take care of this, but instead, they are feeling like this is the thing they’ve practiced for their whole life, and it’s making them into better people. It’s beautiful.”