Dallas-born and raised Simcha Geller is a Texan’s Texan. He’s an Eagle Scout and, at 20, a devotee of both conservative politics and Republican activism. Yet, he’s now considering spending his life under a Lone Star flag that isn’t the same one with which he grew up.
“It’s like someone flipped a switch,” he said over dinner in Jerusalem, describing the marked differences in Israel since the surprise attack by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
It might also describe his decision to now stay in Israel for college. And possibly longer.
Simcha graduated from the Texas Torah Institute, a private high school attracting students from around North America, but not before volunteering for various Republican causes, including former State Sen. Don Huffines’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign.
As the end of high school approached, Simcha did not feel particularly drawn to the typical college life.
“I thought about maybe continuing with campaigns, but I wasn’t sure,” he said over dinner.
Instead, he felt drawn to a place he had never been: Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh. It is 25 miles south of Tel Aviv. Put another way, familiar to those following global events, it is halfway between Tel Aviv and Gaza. Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh is a “yeshiva,” or rabbinical school focused on religious study.
“It was this or nothing,” said Simcha. “I didn’t have a safety school.”
After graduating from TTI in 2022, he was accepted into the International Program. During his first year, Simcha recounts seeing Israel divided around various issues. It seemed every day featured protests centered on judicial reform proposals, counterproposals, and a variety of others.
That changed the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7. Over the coming days, the community surrounding the school became a staging area for Israeli Defense Force soldiers heading south. And a way-station for refugees fleeing the terrorists.
“Everyone stepped up,” he said of both the local community and Israelis in general.
Israel’s compulsory national service—generally in the military, though not exclusively—means that the armed forces are filled with young men and women of Simcha’s age. Classmates were called up.
Simcha Geller visiting friends at their IDF base in Tze’elim, March 2024.
Since Oct. 7, nearly 700 IDF soldiers have been killed in battle. Simcha has attended a number of their funerals.
Many were for the siblings of school friends, while others were for soldiers from the surrounding communities. He described hundreds of strangers attending simply to show support to the families.
Some international students left the school and country out of fear, uncertain if they will return. Simcha said he never seriously considered that as an option.
“Going back to Texas would help no one else but me.”
Classes eventually resumed, but Simcha said he now feels everything has changed—both in the country and himself.
To the casual Western observer, Israel might appear just as divided as the one Simcha Geller entered in the summer of 2022. But he says the division is different now. The recent protests, mainly in Tel Aviv, center around the best way to conduct the war and secure the release of the Israeli civilians abducted by the terrorists—including eight Americans.
As the threats to Israel’s existence continue, Simcha said he feels a strong desire to stay. He has been accepted into the Jerusalem College of Technology, where he plans to study business this fall. The vast number of tech start-ups in Israel—many with Texas offices—provide a field of opportunity.
JCT is a longstanding major tech school in Israel. Because of the rising incidents of antisemitism on American college campuses, JCT is working to grow its English Speaking Program for young Jews looking to move to Israel.
He is keeping his options open for now and does not discount the possibility of returning to Texas.
After all, since he first moved in, visitors to his yeshiva dorm room have been greeted by a Texas flag on his door and a “Come and Take It” flag on his wall.
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