My Personal Journey to Judaism and Israel
Brachah Hillebrand
“Every time I visited Israel I was home.”
In February 1978 I became a Pentecostal Christian. I was a devoted Christian but I never really fit in the Christian world. I got interested in Judaism and in 2005 I was invited to a lecture given by a Messianic Jew. He was recruiting Christians to come to Israel and to make a tour with him through the whole of Israel in order to convert his Jewish brothers and sisters to Christianity. I applied for this tour. They accepted me and in 2007 I flew (for the first time) to Israel in order to attend this tour.
On the way to Israel
Four weeks before the trip I said to myself “I’m going home”. I then told myself – you are crazy! you don’t have any family or friends there. But it was a homecoming for me. I was home. During that trip I had a very deep connection with all the people I met. I was one of them. And I also had a very strong connection with the Land. I started learning more about Judaism, the Torah, the kosher laws, the prayers, the blessings, the history, etc. I started keeping the shabbat, the chagim, eating kosher and praying. Every time I visited Israel I was home.
Completeness
I wanted to be a Jew because that’s how I felt deep down. It is my best self, my way of reaching my full potential, being whole, complete, and at peace with myself, the world, and with G-d. I wanted to be part of Am Israel and I also wanted to live in Eretz Israel.
The first contact
During my stay in Israel in 2018, I had a personal interview with Rav Yosef Dinkevich, head of a conversion program, who gave me permission to attend the classes they offered, such as Kosher kitchen, Hilchot Shabbat, The ancient tales of Rav Nachman, Tanach, Jewish femininity, the daily prayers, the weekly parashah, The way of Hashem (Derech HaShem), Pirkei Avot, etc. All those teachings were like water for my soul. I was home. Here I belonged. In November 2018 I got permission to start the conversion program in Israel. At the end of February 2019, I moved from Holland to Israel with 3 suitcases.
Part of Am Israel
On the 5th of January 2020 (Tevet 8, 5780) I finished my conversion and I was accepted into Am Israel. On the 8th of January 2020 (Tevet 11, 5780) I went to the mikveh – This was a life-changing experience; I was a Jew; I was home. On the 1st of June 2020 (Sivan 9, 2020) I made Aliyah through the Jewish Agency. To this day I’m extremely grateful that I’m a Jew and that I live in Israel. I have no regrets.
How I ended up in Efrat?
In 2017 I met Noa Lewis and her wonderful family. We became very good friends. She invited me to live in Efrat. She found a nice apartment for me in the rechov Halamed Hey. In the first week of May 2019, I moved from Jerusalem to Efrat. The neighbors in the street gave me a very warm welcome. It was amazing. People regularly invited me for Shabbat meals and for chagim and they continue to do so.
My family background
I have two sons and 1 daughter and 8 grandchildren. One son and daughter lives in Holland and my oldest son moved with his family (5 children) to California in September 2020. My husband past away 12 years ago. I have a good relationship with my children.
