Anat Ben Ari’s Inspiring Return to Judaism: The True Story Behind Her Worldwide Challah Events

When Anat Ben Ari was only twelve, she began a habit that seemed strange to everyone around her — without even knowing why.

“I had a little spot in the house near the window that was just mine, and every morning I would stand there and say the Morning Blessings,” she recalls with emotion. “To this day, I have no idea how that little booklet even reached me. No one asked me to do it or explained the importance of the mitzvah — yet I recited the blessings with devotion. It was a tremendous wonder.”

Growing Up Secular, Serving with Purpose

Ben Ari was born and raised in a completely secular home, with no connection to Judaism. She graduated from ORT high school in Ramat Gan and then enlisted in the IDF. Even then, she felt a powerful desire to use her talents for the benefit of others.

She served as a Service Conditions Investigator, a role that required home visits in various locations — sometimes in remote areas far from Jerusalem.

“I don’t know where I got the courage,” she says. “To go alone to these faraway places as a young soldier, walking around with an Uzi without a magazine, trekking from house to house with a sense of mission, helping lone soldiers or families who needed financial assistance. Looking back, it amazes me.”

“My Soul Received a Personal Invitation from the Rav”

One day, she was assigned a case involving a soldier requesting exemption from reserve duty — a process requiring deep investigation of his socioeconomic situation. As always, she went alone to the address listed in the file.

To her astonishment, the address belonged to none other than the humble home of the great Kabbalist Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi — and the soldier seeking exemption was his personal assistant.

What did you experience in the Rav’s home?

“Wow… The first thing I noticed was the simple home and the courtyard full of people — an endless line of all ages, waiting patiently to seek the Rav’s guidance and blessings. The holiness and spiritual power in that place were indescribable. Later I learned the Rav and his wife had no children, and the assistant I was evaluating cared for them day and night.

“At first, I came only for professional reasons, but after two visits, I found myself returning on my own. Looking back, it was as if my soul received a personal invitation from the Rav every time.”

Inside those humble walls — soaked with tears and prayers, Anat began to sense the existence of a completely different world, one that stirred her heart and shook her soul.

“Each time I sat in the Rav’s home and heard miraculous stories about him, I was moved to tears. His aura, his holiness, his pure and loving face — I will never forget it. Today, I believe that perhaps the Rav’s blessings and intentions were what later led me to the mitzvah of hafrashat challah, a mitzvah I didn’t even know existed until much later.”

“Even a Hi-Tech Woman Is Allowed to Cry”

Although the experience stayed with her, it didn’t immediately bring her closer to Judaism. After the army, she studied four years of alternative medicine, and being naturally deep and curious, she took many courses in personal development.

“These workshops taught me the greatest lesson: don’t give up on the things your soul connects to. If something sparks curiosity in me, I fight until I understand it. Every achievement in my life came from that sense of mission — and today I share that with the women who attend my ‘Evenings of Salvation,’ the hafrashat challah events I lead.”

After college, she married and built a family. Today she is the mother of two daughters and grandmother to three granddaughters — “they are the light of my life,” she says.

Unexpectedly, she later entered the hi-tech world, working 11 years as a project and procurement manager.

“Hi-tech is demanding. There’s no such thing as leaving work behind. One tiny mistake could ruin an entire multimillion-shekel project. Yes, I’m sensitive, but I also have a rational side that thrives under pressure. That helped me survive the hi-tech world. But I won't deny — sometimes emotion breaks through the professional mask. After all, even a hi-tech woman is allowed to cry, right?”

The Turning Point Toward Torah and Mitzvot

“My spiritual awakening began 14 years ago,” she recounts. “A colleague at work became religious and began ‘dripping’ drops of faith into my heart every day. A rock is not pierced by one strong drop — but by many persistent ones. And he was persistent.

“Thanks to him, I attended an Arachim seminar and several Shabbat retreats. Each one showed me the beauty, truth, and wisdom of Judaism.”

A Promise to God That Changed Everything

“The real change began shortly before the seminar. One day, still completely secular, I stood on my balcony and spoke to God. I told Him that one day, I would stand in Yad Eliyahu Stadium and tell the story of my return to Judaism.

“I have no idea where that came from or how I dared say such a thing. But it was a secret between me and God — and it gave me the strength to change.”

The next morning, Anat arrived at work fully modestly dressed — head to toe, including a head covering.

“At the time, becoming religious was far less understood or accepted. I endured many humiliations and insults. Sometimes I accepted them with love, and sometimes I broke. It was a difficult journey.”

Joining Hidabroot and Reaching Thousands of Women

Two years ago, Hidabroot activist Dikla Partush attended one of Anat’s challah events and was so moved that she asked to interview her for the channel. She later returned with managers from the Home-Event Department to another event — this one part of the 2012 global hafrashat challah gathering with 600 women.

“That’s how I discovered Hidabroot’s incredible mission of bringing hearts together and spreading Jewish wisdom. I immediately understood the privilege of joining such an organization. The rest is history.”

Since then, Anat has led powerful hafrashat challah events with Hidabroot across Israel and worldwide — events that have brought countless salvations to thousands of women: children, marriage, healing, peace in the home, livelihood, and more.