Tila Falic Levi stood at the edge of her parents’ lush garden in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood, the silhouette of the Old City faint behind her. It wasn’t a political event, though it might as well have been. Her children were weaving through the manicured hedges, and she was explaining why she’d decided to enter one of the most obscure yet influential races in Jewish life.
“Someone asked me, ‘Who’s behind you?’ And I said: No one. I’m not the granddaughter of anyone. I’m not the daughter of anyone. I’m just me,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “And that’s exactly why I’m doing this.”
Falic Levi, a Miami-based Orthodox mother of five, businesswoman, and activist, is leading a controversial new slate in the upcoming World Zionist Congress elections. Her list, Israel365 Action, has sparked headlines for its ties to Christian Zionists and its initial branding as “One Jewish State” – a name borrowed from the book by former US ambassador David Friedman. Friedman later distanced himself from the campaign.
“I still deeply admire Ambassador Friedman,” Falic Levi said. “We share the same vision. But I understand why he stepped back—because of the noise. People are afraid of disruption.”
And disruption is exactly what she’s promising.
A new face, with deep ties
To most American Jews, Tila Falic Levi may be an unfamiliar name. But within the Orthodox pro-Israel philanthropic world, she’s a well-connected force. Her family owns Duty Free Americas, a retail empire with strong business and philanthropic ties to Israel. She serves as a director of Falic Family Foundation, which has funded right-wing Zionist institutions such as Regavim, Ateret Cohanim, and projects in Judea and Samaria.
She is also closely associated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Yes, I’m close to Bibi,” she said. “But I don’t take marching orders from anyone. I support him because I believe in a strong, proud Israel. That doesn’t mean I agree with everything.” For example, though a Likud slate exists in the WJC elections, she decided to join a different list- not as a statement, but mainly because she was offered the first spot on a Israel 365 "I cannot influence a lot more this way."
In her telling, she didn’t plan to run for office—until she felt that others weren’t willing to say what needed to be said.
Her political instincts, she said, were sharpened not just in Israel—but in the boardrooms of Jewish institutions in the United States.
Following the 2011 massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar—where five members of a Jewish family were brutally murdered by terrorists—Falic Levi was stunned by what she called “the moral confusion” of many mainstream Jewish organizations.
“I was involved with Federation at the time,” she recalled. “And when the Fogel family was butchered, I expected a campaign of unity and outrage. Instead, I saw silence—and even opposition to helping Jews over the Green Line. That was my red line.”
She ultimately resigned from her Federation role, disillusioned by what she saw as a refusal to defend Jewish life unless it was politically convenient. “If you need a map to decide whether a murdered Jewish baby deserves your help, we’re in trouble.”
That moment shifted her focus from institutional philanthropy to grassroots Zionism—one that speaks less in statements and more in action.
Judea, Samaria—and TikTok?
Falic Levi said the moment that convinced her to run came from a conversation with her teenage daughter.
“She asked me why our slate didn’t have any influencers like the other lists do. I said, because we don’t need gimmicks. We have values. But then I realized—we do need to speak the language of this generation. If Zionism is boring, we lose.”
That conversation led her to embrace an unapologetic tone—and a campaign platform that speaks plainly about the need to bolster Jewish control over Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.
“This isn’t about left versus right,” she said. “This is about whether Jews have the right to live in their land. Period.”
Asked why she didn’t join one of the other Religious Zionist slates already on the ballot, she smiled. “I love those people. But they’re not willing to ruffle feathers. I am.”
Christian controversy
The Israel365 Action slate was originally launched under the name “One Jewish State,” with materials implying support from David Friedman. But the former ambassador later clarified that while he supports the idea of strengthening Jewish life in Judea and Samaria, he was not officially affiliated with the list.
Critics accused Israel365, the nonprofit backing the slate, of misleading voters and masking a “Christian agenda.” Tilly Feldman, a former candidate on the list, filed a complaint to the American Zionist Movement, alleging that she and others were duped by the group’s messaging.
Falic Levi rejected the accusations
“This slate is run by Jews, for Jews,” she said. “No Christian is voting in the World Zionist Congress. But I’m not ashamed to say that Christian Zionists are some of our best friends. Why are we so afraid to admit that?”
She acknowledged that the name change to Israel365 Action came after feedback and confusion—but emphasized that the mission hadn’t changed. “We stand for one Jewish state, with Jewish values, in our historic land. And yes, we welcome support from righteous gentiles. That’s what being a light unto the nations means.”
'Disruptive Zionism'
Falic Levi described her candidacy as part of a broader movement she calls “disruptive Zionism.”
“We’ve become too comfortable,” she said. “The Jewish world is sleepwalking through one of the most dangerous times in our history. If we don’t disrupt the current trajectory, we’re going to lose the next generation.”
She criticized established institutions like the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization for what she sees as a lack of urgency and ideological clarity.
“They’re busy with bureaucracy, while Jewish students are being harassed on campus and settlers are being demonized. Where’s the fight?”
Wine and dine in the West Bank
One of the more personal examples of her ideological grounding could be found, quite literally, in the ground itself—specifically, in the vineyards of Judea and Samaria. Years ago, her parents helped establish a boutique winery in the Binyamin region, long before the term “wine tourism” was trendy.
“What began as a dream to produce a few thousand bottles turned into an operation that now bottles over a million a year,” she said. “But it was never just about the wine—it was about bringing Jews back to the land.”
The Falic family didn’t see it as a commercial venture alone. “We believed you needed to make these places destinations—places where people go to hike, taste wine, raise goats—not just settlements to be defended.”
She described the winery as a form of “experiential Zionism,” one that turns ideology into a weekend outing, a Shabbat in the mountains, or a picnic overlooking vineyards that recall ancient times. “We need to normalize being here,” she said, “not defend it with footnotes and Knesset speeches.”
A mandate to act
If elected, Falic Levi said she doesn’t plan to take on a symbolic role or simply sit at the table—she plans to shake it. Her agenda for the World Zionist Congress is direct, unapologetic, and deeply tied to the issues she’s spent decades working on.
“I’m not going to Jerusalem to hand out keychains and say I was there,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “We’re talking about a billion dollars in influence over Jewish life around the world. I want to make sure that the Jews of Judea and Samaria are not just in the room—but prioritized.”
Her list, Israel365 Action, plans to demand proportional representation of West Bank communities in the budgeting of Zionist institutions such as the Jewish Agency and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). She also wants to audit how Zionist education money is spent in North America. “If we’re spending millions of dollars a year and American Jewish kids can’t point to Judea and Samaria on a map, then we’re failing,” she said.
Falic Levi intends to campaign for an overhaul of educational content funded by WZO-affiliated groups in the Diaspora. She believes that the story of Zionism has been diluted. “We’ve lost the plot. Zionism without Judea and Samaria is just nostalgia. We need bold education that teaches our children the whole story—not one that erases the heart of our land because it makes someone uncomfortable at a donors’ gala.”
Another pillar of her plan includes formal recognition of Christian Zionist contributions to Israeli advocacy, philanthropy, and tourism. “I’m not afraid to say it: The evangelical Christian world is one of the strongest pro-Israel forces in existence today. While other allies lecture us, they stand with us.” That doesn’t mean changing Jewish law or violating religious boundaries, she stressed. “Christians aren’t voting in the Congress. But they are watching. And they’re giving. And they’re marching. We should be building with them, not apologizing for their support.”
Falic Levi also said she wants to serve as a “watchdog” against the bureaucratization of the Zionist system. “Too many decisions are made in backrooms by the same people who’ve been in charge for 30 years. And somehow, every year, we’re surprised that young Jews feel disconnected. It’s time for disruption.”
She hopes her election will empower others—especially those outside the traditional institutions—to take action. “You don’t need to be born into a political family or have the perfect resume. You need guts, ideas, and a vision for what Zionism can still become.”
When asked what success would look like, she answered without hesitation: “If at the end of this Congress, there are more Jews walking in Judea and Samaria, more kids learning our story with pride, and more voices saying out loud that Israel is the eternal homeland of the Jewish people, then we’ve done our job.”
