Making Aliyah and Not Serving in the IDF

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Barak Swarttz is an American-Israeli elite performance coach, speaker, and content creator with a 225K YouTube following who has trained over 20 NBA and WNBA players, including Israeli stars Deni Avdija and Omri Caspi. Forged through career-ending injuries including a torn ACL and fractured vertebrae, his "Gain Resilience In Time" (GRIT) philosophy embodies the mental fortitude that defines his advocacy work. Reaching millions monthly, Barak uses his platform to deliver what academics praise as one of the most nuanced perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leveraging basketball as a universal language to bridge cultural divides, combat antisemitism, and inspire truth-driven dialogue across college campuses and global audiences.

➡️ Show Links

https://www.instagram.com/otherbarak/

https://x.com/otherbarak/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barakswarttz/ 

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➡️ Talking Points

00:00 – Intro

01:39 – What Burak Really Does

02:54 – Basketball Meets Advocacy

14:45 – Is Social Media Dividing Us?

21:42 – Burak’s Origins

27:12 – Walking Away from Basketball

33:38 – Moving to Israel Without Serving

44:47 – Sponsor Break

47:31 – Changing Minds on Israel

59:20 – Does the World Hate Israel?

1:16:50 – The Genocide Question

1:32:34 – Why Israel Gets Zero Empathy

1:54:57 – Sponsor Break

1:57:28 – How Self-Work Changed His Debates

2:27:33 – Why Politics Defines Identity

2:35:22 – Burak’s Source of Optimism

2:42:12 – Conflict Before Global Change

2:50:20 – The One Lesson for His Future Kids