Leaving the Glitter Behind for a Life of Meaning

When people talk about the pleasures and success this world offers, Nachman Pinchas and Moshe Chai Poltov have seen it all. Once well-known dancers and models from Bat Yam, they graced Israel’s hottest stages and international fashion circles. But after more than a decade of glitter and fame, they came to one powerful truth: “We tasted everything this world has to offer and it left us empty. There’s nothing like coming home, to Hashem, to Torah and mitzvot.”

Their rise began at a beach party in Eilat, hosted by radio personality Didi Harari. Already known entertainers by then, they were invited to compete against professional dancers from Holland. “Everywhere we went, we were the highlight,” recalls Pinchas. “People pointed to us, cheered for us to go up. Their belief in us gave us confidence, we were living the dream.”

After that performance, they decided to go all-in professionally. They quickly rose to the top, performing at the most prestigious clubs in Israel and landing modeling campaigns in top media. “We were on TV shows, in commercials, in all the big magazines,” says Pinchas. “We were successful and earning serious money.”

When Israeli fame ran its course, they took their talent abroad to the Greek island of Mykonos, a global fashion hotspot. There, among designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton, they entertained elite crowds. “For years we ruled that beach,” they recall. “We were known, respected, and paid handsomely. It was beyond anything we imagined.”

But at the peak of all this, something unexpected happened.

“One evening, I was sitting in my Tel Aviv apartment, sipping a strong drink, when this wave of sadness washed over me,” Pinchas remembers. “Even today, I get chills thinking about it. I had everything but I felt like I had nothing.”

He asked himself, “What is this? Everyone chases money, fame, recognition. But if this is where it leads… what’s the point? I had millions, attention, a luxury apartment and I was empty, depressed. Why?”

He began searching, asking questions, trying to find meaning. He met with spiritual guides and rabbis. Then, like a message from above, a friend introduced him to the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and invited him to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

“I figured I’ve been everywhere, why not try this too?” he says. In Uman, something opened in him. “I saw Jews of every background gathered together. It cracked my heart open. I felt like I finally found what I’d been missing.”

There, Rabbi Shalom Arush and his students taught him how to pray. “For the first time, I cried out to Hashem from deep inside. That journey carried me spiritually for a long time.”

Back in Israel, he knew his life would change. “I used to care so much about my image. Suddenly, I didn’t. I wanted to work on my soul, on my middot (character traits), on what really matters.”

He started attending Torah classes in Tel Aviv. “I put on tzitzit. Then a kippah. It wasn’t easy. There was a lot of pushback. People thought I’d lost it. But I held onto my path.”

Two years later, his longtime friend, Moshe Chai Poltov who was then working in one of Tel Aviv’s most popular hair salons joined him.

“Moshe and I were friends since we were 13. We’d done everything together,” says Pinchas. “So I always knew he’d come back too.”

Moshe Chai recalls, “I saw how Nachman changed. He was happier, calmer, better. Fame never gave us that. But Torah did.”

After traveling together to Uman, Moshe Chai also began to change. He transformed his Tel Aviv salon into a spiritual center. “During the day I was a hairstylist, but at night, we held Torah classes. People came who had never heard of Shabbat, who didn’t even know what tefillin were. But they learned and started practicing.”

For ten years, that salon became a lighthouse in the heart of secular Tel Aviv. “It was across from the clubs,” he says. “So during Elul, people would leave the parties and come to us for Selichot. It was incredible to witness what Torah can do for the most distant soul.”

Eventually, Moshe Chai closed the salon to dedicate himself fully to Torah outreach. He now studies in a kollel by night, and by day continues working with Nachman to inspire others. Nachman himself has been learning Torah for 14 years in a kollel in Bat Yam. “I’m still fighting for every bit of kedushah (holiness),” he says. “Coming from where we did, it takes real effort and tefillah (prayer) to hold on.”

Their dedication has led to producing five albums with Rabbi Arush, publishing an inspirational booklet about their journey, and helping many others reconnect with their Jewish roots.

So what do they say to those still chasing the pleasures of the world?

Moshe Chai: “You weren’t created to be a slave to your yetzer hara (negative impulse). If someone invites you to a Torah class, to put on tefillin, to just speak to Hashem for five minutes, try it. You never know where it could lead.”

Nachman: “We’ve tasted everything this world offers. But the price we paid in soul-suffering was heavy. Don’t pretend there’s nothing more. Search. Yearn. Come close to Hashem. That’s where true joy lives.”