When the Conversation Isn’t Jewish

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A CONVERSATION WITH BOB EPSTEIN
When the Conversation Isn’t Jewish
Interview by FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism

Bob Epstein has spent fifty years taking the case for Israel to churches, Rotary clubs, and campuses that aren’t his own — and what changed after October 7th.

Bob Epstein has spent five decades building bridges between the Jewish community and the churches, synagogues, and civic groups of North Texas. A member of the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism, Epstein brings a rare combination of credentials to that work: fifty years in business, a career in law enforcement, service with the Texas Guard military police, and ongoing work as a private security contractor protecting churches and synagogues.

He spoke with CATALYST about what he has learned from a lifetime of interfaith outreach, and how the conversation has shifted since October 7th.

IV: Welcome, Bob. You’re a member of the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism, and you’re very active in talking with non-Jewish groups. Tell us a little about yourself.
BE: Fifty years in business. I spent twenty years as a law enforcement reserve, four years with the Texas Guard military police, and I’ve worked as a private security contractor — which I still do, providing security at churches and synagogues. I also speak to synagogues, churches, and Rotary clubs on behalf of the Jewish War Veterans.
IV: Do you go to different faiths — speak with other religious organizations?
BE: Church groups and Rotary clubs, which are about ninety-five percent non-Jewish. I give the background of the State of Israel, and it’s really interesting, because the generation after ours doesn’t have the knowledge that you and I have about Israel.
IV: How many years have you been talking to church groups?
BE: Probably over fifty years. I started doing that when I was in high school.
IV: What are some of your reflections on the changes in your audience?
BE: Texas is a conservative state with a large military population. But when I speak to younger groups — church groups especially — there’s a clear before-and-after October 7th. Now they’re asking: what is Israel doing in Gaza? Why is Israel in Syria? Why is Israel in Lebanon?

“I define antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment together. I don’t see a difference.”
— Bob Epstein

IV: If their sense of the history is a little murky, and yet they seem rather anti-Israel — do you take that to be antisemitic as well?
BE: I define antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment together. I don’t see a difference. That’s my personal opinion — look at what’s happening throughout the rest of the country. I’ve asked the presidents of the Hillels at the North Texas campuses to bring students to our book clubs to meet military veterans, and to have veterans go to their campuses to speak with student groups. Church groups, on the other hand, are close to unanimously pro-Israel — no matter what. A lot of them have been to Israel recently, on church missions, and they are very supportive of what Israel is doing. One of my best friends is a Christian Zionist. On his own, he has spent an incredible amount of money building a firefighting group that has recruited firefighters from all over the country to fight fires in Israel.
IV: Have you ever spoken in front of a Muslim group?
BE: No, I haven’t — though I’ve tried. I’m always interested in outreach. We had a Muslim group come to a synagogue for an interfaith concert about Israel, and I walked up to one of them and said, ‘I’d like to come to your mosque and just have a dialogue.’
He looked at me and walked away.
IV: Thank you, Bob, for all the work that you do.
BE: Thank you, Irv.

Robert Epstein is a member of the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism and is very active in speaking to non-Jewish groups. Originally from New York, he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Richmond and the University of Texas. With deep ties to the Jewish community, the military veteran community, and law enforcement, Bob served twenty years as a law enforcement reserve and security officer with the Dallas Sheriff’s Department Reserve, along with four years with the Texas Guard military police. He is active with the Jewish War Veterans as its Patriotism Chairman, and is a member of the Association of the U.S. Army, the Air Force Association, and the Military Order of the World Wars.

“A CONVERSATION WITH BOB EPSTEIN – When the Conversation Isn’t Jewish” published in Catalyst: October 7th Edition, Fall 2026.