"Two years ago, I never would have imagined my best friends would be priests, that I’d teach them about Israel and Judaism, and attend Mass every Wednesday. I would have thought you were crazy. But life leads you to unexpected places."
Liran Gerassi, 39, along with his wife Noa and their daughters Rona and Lihi, has lived in Milwaukee since the summer of 2023 after Noa was appointed a community emissary by the Jewish Agency. Having previously worked in Israel’s education sector, Gerassi initially planned to use his time in Wisconsin to explore opportunities in the business world. However, life took a surprising turn.
Today, Gerassi works at Sacred Heart Seminary, a Catholic institution training priests to lead communities and offering a master’s degree in theology. He heads its Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, fostering interfaith dialogue and connecting students with the Jewish roots of their faith.
Gerassi emphasizes the potential for outreach: "The Jewish Agency rightly invests heavily in Jewish communities, but we also need to engage devout Christian audiences. Muslims have no foothold there, and we could establish a monopoly." Notably, Gerassi has achieved much despite spending time on the Milwaukee-Gaza route, serving two reserve duty tours since moving to the U.S.
Gerassi recalls the pivotal moment: "Life here changed after October 7. Instead of representing a divided country filled with protests, we represent a nation at war. During my first tour in Gaza, I spent six weeks with a combat unit retrieving bodies from the battlefield. The harrowing stories I heard changed my perspective, and I decided I wanted to do something meaningful for the country."
While in Milwaukee, a conversation with friends led him to the Catholic center. "They needed someone with expertise in Jewish studies. My predecessors were American rabbis, and I only had 39 years of experience as a Jew and little more. But during the selection process, they saw my management background in nonprofit organizations."
Between interviews, Gerassi returned for another month-long tour in Gaza, and shortly after completing his final interview, he was hired for the role.
What exactly do you do in your role?
"I have an incredible opportunity to make a significant impact. Every year, I stand before more than 100 future priests, not just from the U.S., and explain what’s happening in Israel. Later, they influence thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people. This creates exponential impact. If done well, the priest can pass on positive feelings toward Jews, which can tip the scales in our favor amid an antisemitic atmosphere. It’s a unique advantage stemming from the shared roots of Judaism and Christianity, something Muslims don’t have. While Muslims are often seen as underdogs and receive sympathy as a minority, they lack that connection to Christianity."
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"I teach classes and lead activities on the history of the land of Israel and the Jewish people. Soon, I’ll also discuss the conflict. I regularly wear a pin of the Israeli flag and a ribbon for the hostages, sparking questions and discussions, even over lunch. Every day, priests and lecturers come to my office, eager to learn about Judaism, holidays, the Torah and especially Israel. I’m essentially the first Israeli at this seminary—and likely the last—and they’re fascinated by what I share."
What fascinates them the most?
"They were amazed to learn I was born in Jerusalem, and on the date of a major Catholic holiday, St. Patrick’s Day. For us, these places are routine, but for them, it’s where Jesus walked. They told me they were sure God had sent me to them. I invite rabbis and professors of Jewish studies to provide a religious foundation, but the priests mainly want to know more about Israel beyond the lectures. For instance, they asked if we call the Kinneret ‘the Sea of Galilee’ like in English. I explained the name comes from its violin-like shape, which really excited them. They were also deeply moved by the ‘pager operation,’ thrilled that I dropped everything to serve in Gaza and asked to see photos and hear stories. Some priests here are from Africa and Asia, and I’m not just the first Israeli they’ve met but also the first Jew. This is a chance for positive advocacy without videos, using a softer approach."
Catholics don’t have a history of warm relations with us.
"That used to be true, but things changed in 1965 when the Vatican called for reconciliation with Judaism. There are still remnants of old antisemitism—it’s a slow process, but it’s happening. Catholics now accept us more than Evangelicals, who support us but have an end-times vision of converting everyone to Christianity. Today, Catholics are our friends—extremely pro-Israel. They acknowledge that our religions share common ancestors, despite what Jews did to Jesus."
The pope’s recent statements seem different.
"What’s happening with him only reinforces the need for us to be present and show the real picture."
What is the state of antisemitism in Milwaukee?
"We came across a large mural with a swastika, and the explanation given was that it was meant to say ‘Israel is becoming Nazi-like.’ It’s hard to see that in the middle of the city. There’s one prominent Arab family with many connections causing issues in this regard, but there are also Arabs involved in the joint interfaith council who support dialogue. There have been protests and a tent encampment on one of the campuses, like in any large city, but the staff and seminarians here immediately came to me, expressing their support and saying they were ashamed of the antisemitic incidents. That surprised me, as did their personal and national empathy and thirst to learn about Judaism and Israel."
To sum up, Gerassi’s entrepreneurial spark has been ignited, as he explains: "Israel needs to adopt this model and make an impact in churches. The seminary has inspired me to think big, and I want to launch a project of Israeli emissaries to work in similar Christian seminaries in the U.S., just like we have emissaries at universities and in different communities. Perhaps people with bachelor’s degrees in Jewish studies, who are trained and know how to engage and influence."
"There’s a sense of sanctity in Catholic churches. For them, Jesus has already taken on all the punishments. It’s not naive but rather an outpouring of positivity. True, they’re less rough around the edges than we are, having endured less in life, but the priests are regular people, just like us, who believe they’ve received a divine calling that brought them here. The ones who are truly naive and get swept up in every trend are the people you see protesting in the streets, shouting ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’ without understanding or checking the facts. The people I work with are the ones who dig deeper, ask questions and want to know the truth—not the ones forming opinions about the Middle East from a 30-second TikTok video."