Hagit Raz: Choosing Hashem Over Fame and Fortune

Who would have imagined that two young women standing side by side at the 1998 Miss Israel pageant, Linor Abargil and Hagit Raz would both leave behind the glamorous world of modeling and entertainment to embrace a life of Torah and faith?

That evening, Linor Abargil was crowned Miss Israel, and Hagit Raz won the title of Teen Queen. While the modeling world opened its doors to her, Hagit chose a different dream, music. She signed a contract with Helicon and seemed poised for stardom. “I supposedly had everything,” Hagit recalls. “The talent, the looks… but nothing was moving forward. It’s as if Hashem Himself didn’t let it happen.”

Still, she didn’t give up. Ambitious and focused, she pursued a parallel path, enrolling in law school at just 19 years old.

Then everything changed.

While juggling performances at night and law exams during the day, Hagit’s world turned upside down. “My parents divorced, and my mother became ill,” she remembers. It was a painful and disorienting time. But one thing kept her steady. “I was already a believer by then,” she says. “I always carried a Tehillim (Book of Psalms) with me. Reading it gave me strength.”

Eventually, things began to turn around. “My mother recovered. I finished my degree with honors. The day after I graduated, I was already on a flight to Paris.”

The Dream Continues

What was she chasing in Paris?

“I went with a friend. We both wanted to succeed, he in fashion, me in music. We had no friends there, didn’t speak the language, but I just started knocking on doors. With Israeli chutzpah, I approached every record company I could.”

It worked. Hagit released her first single in English, and it played on radio stations throughout France.

She spent four years in Paris, chasing her musical dream. During that time, she met a religious French-Jewish man who lived between Tel Aviv and Paris. “He impressed me, even though I didn’t understand why at first,” Hagit shares. “Looking back, I know it was his spirituality. I already had dreams and money but he had something deeper.”

As they grew close, he gave her an ultimatum. “He said, ‘We can stay friends but if you want to be more than that, you’ll have to keep Shabbat.’” Hagit wasn’t ready. Her brother had returned to religious observance years earlier, but it still felt far from her own world.

Then one day, that man called and asked to visit her on one condition: she would keep Shabbat with him.

“I said yes, without really knowing what it meant,” she admits. But as she spent time with him and his family, seeing a true Shabbat table, hearing the song Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valor), and experiencing the quiet holiness of Jewish tradition, something stirred inside her.

“I discovered another world. That was the beginning of my journey.”

Though their relationship eventually ended, it left a deep impression. Hagit began attending Torah classes during visits to Israel, slowly learning what Shabbat really is, what modesty means, and what it means to live a Jewish life. She began listening to lectures by Rabbi Zamir Cohen, was deeply touched by the teachings of Rabbi Yuval Dayan, and found continued guidance from Rabbi Tzvika Ben David.

A Shift of the Soul

Then something unexpected happened.

“Five months ago, in May, I suddenly didn’t want to return to Paris. I felt a growing gap between the inner work I was doing and the world I had left behind. On the outside, I still looked the same, jeans, heels, but inside, I was different.”

For three weeks, she battled stomach pains and anxiety, unable to sleep. “I knew deep down I couldn’t sign another contract in France,” she says. “And I didn’t.”

Instead, she made a decision that would change her life.

“I realized I love Hashem more than my dreams. And that realization came with a great sacrifice.”

Hagit left Paris behind. She replaced concerts with Torah classes, and the pop world with Jewish music and learning. Today, she works in family law and sings songs that reflect her inner growth.

She still performs now for women only and studies Torah every Tuesday in North Tel Aviv under the guidance of her teacher, Rebbetzin Ruti Peretz. “Anyone who wants to join is warmly invited,” she says with a smile.

In time, Hagit hopes to rewrite and transform all of her earlier songs into sacred music that aligns with who she is today. “This journey I’m on, it’s deep, thoughtful, and rooted. That’s why every step stays with me.”

Looking back, she says, “Not long ago, I wouldn’t have believed I’d be sitting here, talking about giving up my dreams for Hashem. But I’m proud of that decision. I truly understand now, I love Hashem more than my dreams.”