Emails reveal that sex trafficking billionaire Jeffrey Epstein utilized his Israeli ties to assist his lawyer’s daughter in joining a prestigious IDF unit. The woman, whom Epstein described as a “fantastic ambassador for Israel” at Columbia University, also held a position on the board of Hillel International.
Documentation shows that Jeffrey Epstein personally recruited an 18-year-old New York woman to serve “in one of the elite IDF units.”
Epstein’s outreach was made in a June 29, 2011 email sent to Anat Barak, daughter of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The message described “Tali” as an 18-year-old admitted to Barnard College at Columbia University who “has been to Israel more than a dozen times.”
The young woman had summer experiences hiking the Israel Trail and “working as a counselor at a summer camp in Dimona Israel for children who are victims of terrorist attacks,” making her, Epstein claimed, “a great asset to any unit.”
Epstein noted that Tali would continue advancing Israeli interests beyond her military service, stating she “would be a fantastic ambassador for Israel” on campus at Columbia, “one of the more important college campuses in the country.”
Later that day, Barak responded, calling Tali “an amazing girl” and assuring Epstein, “I’ll be in touch with her, and we’ll take care of her.”
Following this, Anat Barak sent an email directly to Tali, sharing that “Jeffrey Epstein told me about you and about your plans to join the IDF this summer.”
Barak expressed enthusiasm: “This is absolutely wonderful,” adding “Kol Ha’kavod!,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “much respect!” She offered to assist, suggesting a phone call and encouraging Tali to reach out “if there’s anything you might need while you’re in Israel.”
Public records reviewed by The Grayzone identify “Tali” as Talia Lefkowitz. Her father, Jay Lefkowitz, acted as Epstein’s attorney and was instrumental in securing Epstein’s lenient deal with then-US Attorney Alex Acosta. During that period, he asserted Epstein was “not in any way a typical sex offender.”
Talia Lefkowitz did not reply to The Grayzone’s request for comment regarding her connection to Epstein and his influence on her pro-Israel efforts.
Her LinkedIn profile states she served as a sergeant in a “Special Forces Paratrooper Unit,” likely Israel’s 35th Brigade. The 35th Brigade, part of the IDF’s 98th Division, was responsible for devastating large areas of Khan Younes during Israel’s 2024 assault on Gaza. Its commanders have been documented burning civilian homes and leaving provocative graffiti for displaced residents.
After her tenure as a ‘lone soldier,’ Lefkowitz resumed studies at Barnard and became a vocal Zionist advocate, authoring opinion pieces for leading Israeli media outlets. In a Jerusalem Post article, she tearfully recalled taking shelter while volunteering at the camp Epstein mentioned, declaring: “We are the kids of the bunker.” In another op-ed for The Times of Israel, Lefkowitz accused Columbia of endorsing “support… for a one-state solution” by failing to designate a platform for Zionist response against an anti-apartheid exhibit organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
By then, Lefkowitz was deeply involved with the Columbia-Barnard chapter of Hillel International, a global Jewish youth organization staunchly supporting Israel. Her chapter, she explained in a Jewish Telegraph Agency article, attracted many students from Orthodox backgrounds who often began college after a gap year in Israel.
Lefkowitz later rejoined Hillel as a board member from 2020 to 2022. Currently, she works as a “philanthropy advisor” for the Areivim Philanthropic Group, which aims to “impact the next generation of Jews through formal and experiential Jewish, Hebrew, Zionist, and Israel education.”
Her profile at Areivim notes that Lefkowitz “worked for five years for The Paul E. Singer Foundation,” supported by ultra-Zionist billionaire Paul Singer. Singer has funded neoconservative media and pro-Israel initiatives and is a major donor to the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. He currently owns Venezuela’s Citgo Petroleum, having acquired it in a fire sale through his Elliott Capital Management Fund.
Although Lefkowitz’s prominence within Zionist circles is publicly known, it was previously undisclosed that Jeffrey Epstein played a role in facilitating her entry into “one of the elite IDF units,” despite his lack of military or special forces background. The correspondence between Epstein and Anat Barak raises significant concerns about favoritism within the Israeli military recruitment system.
These communications further underscore Epstein’s influence in Zionist advocacy in the United States, both in academic settings and beyond. Epstein’s proposal indicates that Lefkowitz acted as an informal “ambassador for Israel,” engaging vigorously in Zionist activism at Columbia. Her position on the Hillel board helped expand her campus efforts to an international platform.
While Epstein is primarily remembered as a powerful financier involved in soliciting young females for sexual exploitation, his aptitude as a recruiter for Israel’s controversial military operations is newly brought to light.
Original article: thegrayzone.com
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