Among the blessings the Boston Jewish community can be thankful for this holiday weekend is that Miri Eisin is on the job.

These days, Eisin, recently retired from her post as colonel in the Israeli Army, is kept busy explaining Israel’s situation – and Israelis’ hopes and fears – to groups all over Greater Boston, and to the media.

The mother of three young children, Eisin is in town for the year with her husband Gillad, also a career officer in the IDF, who’s a Wexner Fellow studying at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

When representatives of Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) heard Eisin, a well-known speaker with a background in political science, was coming to Boston, they immediately recognized it as a golden opportunity to ask her to work on behalf of the community.

"As a former IDF colonel with a background in intelligence, Miri Eisin understands more about the situation in the Middle East than nearly anyone I know," says CJP President Barry Shrage. "She is a knowledgeable and articulate speaker on behalf of Israel. If I had one chance to select a spokesperson for Israel here in the United States, it would be Miri Eisin."

Eisin was 9 when her family made aliyah, part of the rush of new olim who emigrated to Israel after the Six Day War. Speaking English at home but thinking like an Israeli, "I’m able to bridge the two cultures because I understand Americans but I’m very Israeli," she says.

An expert on the history of the region and able to connect it to current events, Eisin is proving a huge asset to local and national media in need of an informed commentator on everything from Prime Minister Sharon’s latest Knesset fight to the implications of Arafat’s death. Both in Israel and here, Eisin has been featured in such news outlets as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, CNN, USA Today Radio, Fox News, 60 Minutes, and NBC and ABC national news programming, as well as Boston’s local TV news.

As the 42-year-old former IDF officer interprets the news for a variety of groups and journalists, she brings home again and again an underlying reality. "In Israel, we recognize that what we’re facing isn’t a popular uprising or a human rights movement. We know we’re at war and not one Israel asked for." And, because you would be hard-pressed to find an Israeli who hasn’t been personally affected by the matsav (situation), Israelis are more unified than you think, she adds. "The ‘refuseniks’ – the Peace Now supporters -- are more popular here than in Israel because Americans don’t live within the context of being at war as we Israelis do every day."

One special Eisin focus is presenting at Boston’s many colleges. "Seeds of violence are now growing on America’s campuses, where only one narrative is being presented and is allowed to be heard," she says. "When students hear one side, they’re naturally gong to accept it. Instead, let’s questions all sides, starting with ‘Do you believe Israel has the right to exist as a democratic Jewish state?’ Many students are now being taught to say "no" to that question even when a two-state solution means Israel has the right to exist." Which is why many Palestinians reject that concept, she adds.

Even more sobering is what’s she’s hearing from the Jewish students. "Israel often has sentimental value to them but they have no more knowledge of the situation than their non-Jewish classmates," she says. Part of the problem: In the four years of this war, few of these young adults have had the opportunity to visit Israel. "And you can’t understand the region unless you’ve been there," says Eisin. "Otherwise it’s all rhetoric on both sides."

Locals who have heard her speak give Eisin high marks for clarity and passion. "Extremely informative and easy to understand," is how Simmons student Sharon Levine describes her presentation.

"As a speaker, she’s articulate and able to talk about the most horrific things in a cool-headed way," says Wellesley College student Raeefa Shams who wants to book Eisin to come to her school. "Wellesley has a reputation for standing for strong, remarkable women and she’d be perfect," Shams says.

Nancy K. Kaufman, Jewish Community Relations Council Executive Director, is equally impressed with the feedback she’s received on Eisin’s work in the community. "She’s a great asset for us this year providing insightful, thoughtful analysis into what’s happening on the ground in the Middle East."

"I wish I could do even more," says Eisin who feels she’s at her best when talking to people who have only heard one side, but are willing to consider another point of view.

"I don’t believe I will change the minds of the extremists, but for those who are willing to really hear another voice, there is the hope I can be effective. When we open up and really hear each other, we can have a dialogue. And then anything is possible."

For Miri Eisin’s schedule of upcoming public presentations or to arrange for her to present to your group, contact Marie Miller at 617-457-8588 or mariem@cjp.org.