We wrote about the Bissato family, Yehoshua, 45, Chana, 36, and their daughter Leah, 10, when they arrived in Israel from Caxias do Sul, Brazil. The former pastors' unusual path actually led them away from the teachings they grew up on and onto a path towards...
We recently reviewed the movie Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish, a Holyland Productions film, which follows several non-Jews from around the world as they go through the conversion process. Our review, however, is incomplete without a piece by Rabbi Reuven Tradburks, the director of...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks The Parsha begins in the middle of the story. Yosef has just told Yehuda and all the brothers that Binyamin, the thief, will become a slave to Yosef. All the others are free to leave. Our Parsha begins with Yehuda’s long and...
It was a very special Chanukah in the emerging Jewish community of Shmaya v'Avtalyon in Armenia, El Salvador, a city not far from the capital, San Salvador. Beginning with the bar mitzvah of Ariel Guevara, on the first night of Chanukah, where literally lighting the Chanukah...
This year, as always, we were inundated with photos and videos of light and celebration from our communities around the world as they celebrated the holiday of Chanukah. Some highlights from this year are the many photos we received from emerging communities in Latin America, and...
Shavei Israel hosted a historic Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony at the infamous Palace of the Inquisition, bringing light to a building which symbolized darkness for centuries. The event, which was organized together with the Beit Moshe Jewish community in Mexico City, was all the more powerful due...
At the start of Chanukah, Shavei Israel had a guest of honor who gave us a wonderful talk about her personal life and her connection to Judaism. This unique and beautiful person is the famous Spanish-speaking actress Sara Mintz, former student of the Machon Miriam...
By Rav Reuven Tradburks Yosef ascends from jail to complete control of Egypt. Paro has a dream. The Butler remembers Yosef in jail. Yosef tells Paro of 7 impending years of plenty followed by 7 of famine. Yosef is appointed to manage the hoarding of food...
Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish, a Holyland Productions film, follows several non-Jews from around the world as they go through the conversion process. The film takes us behind the scenes on their journey of self-discovery as they negotiate relationships with family, friends and significant others....
Shavei Israel reaches out to Lost and Hidden Jews, and helps emerging Jewish communities around the world. One such emerging Jewish community is a very special community in Honduras known as Derech HaChaim (“Way of Life” in Hebrew). For the past five years, Shavei Israel has...
