Pictures from the bar mitzvah of Mariusz Aoflko in Jerusalem
Visit our exclusive gallery of photos from the bar mitzvah of Mariusz Aoflko at the Western Wall. An emotional journey from Poland to Jerusalem!...
Personal Stories
“Lost” Polish Jew, 64, marks bar mitzvah at Western Wall
Mariusz Aoflko grew up Catholic in Poland. He discovered his heritage from his dying mother 13 years ago. The revelation changed his life. Last week, he was in Jersualem to celebrate his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall. Here's the story....
Shavei Israel Profile: Fabian Spagnoli – a question of identity leads home to Israel
Fabian Spagnoli doesn’t know why the man in the small shop in Spain said it. Spagnoli had gone in to buy a new blanket for his bed. Instead, the man looked at him and told him straight out, “You are a Jew.” Spagnoli and the...
Shavei Israel’s new emissary to Italian Bnei Anousim shares the story of his own journey to Judaism and Israel
When Rabbi Pinchas (Pierpaolo) Punturello’s grandfather died in Naples, Italy, his father’s Catholic family covered all the mirrors in the house where visitors came to pay their respects. Rabbi Punturello was very young at the time and didn’t pay much attention. But that act...
Shavei Israel profile: Naomi Orkisa – from a mushroom farm to the dentist’s office
[caption id="attachment_10458" align="alignright" width="215"] The Bnei Moshe, including Naomi Orkisa, made aliyah from Cajamarca, Peru[/caption] By day, she works in a mushroom farm on a hillside outside Jerusalem. At night, she dreams of a new career: a profession in which she can stand tall rather than...
Shavei Israel profile: Ilana Shaporker – From the convent to conversion
[caption id="attachment_10257" align="alignleft" width="222"] Ilana Shaporker[/caption] In 2000, Indian-born Ilana Shaporker was living in a convent in France, studying to become a nun. And she was slowly dying – both spiritually and physically. Something was calling her towards Judaism and towards Israel. Eleven years later, she...
Shavei Israel celebrates Hanukah 2012 around the world
Perhaps more than any other holiday on the Jewish calendar, Hanukah celebrates the determined survival of the Jewish people. Over two millennia ago a small band of fighters, led by Judah the Maccabee, fought against the Hellenist rulers of ancient Israel who sought to assimilate...
Shavei Profile: A Priest No More – Baruch Garcia rediscovers his Jewish roots in BarcelonaNo seré cura – Baruj García redescubre sus raíces judías en Barcelona
Baruj García se encontraba en su cuarto año de estudio para convertirse en cura en Barcelona, España, cuando se dio cuenta que tenía otro llamado más fuerte – reclamar sus raíces judías como Ben Anús ...
Rosh Hashana Profile: Carolina, Krakow, Poland
[caption id="attachment_9715" align="alignright" width="110" caption="Carolina"][/caption] "As a girl I just wanted to be Jewish" - Carolina, 23, from Krakow, Poland, tells her story for Rosh Hashana. I learned about my Jewish roots only several years ago, as an adult. But even as a small child I had...
Rosh Hashana Profile: Xue Fei, China
[caption id="attachment_9706" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Xue Fei"][/caption] "My deep Jewish soul was elevated" - Xue Fei, 24, from Kaifeng, China, tells his story for Rosh Hashana. I was born into a regular Chinese family: A father, a mother and a child – me. My...